At the weekend, I contacted Nana Damoah of “DAkpabli & Associates,” publishers and advocates of reading and of books in general. They should be celebrated more, in my view. “DAkpabli & Associates” are doing all they can to grow a primary productive force, education/knowledge/learning/critical reflection/awareness! I salute them with everything I have.
My mission this time was to offer, beginning with Professor Kwesi Yankah’s latest book and Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby’s (a.k.a Tarzan) book whose title has been used for this write-up, pro bono advice and activation for their marketing efforts. Both books had, somewhat to my surprise, but to my infinite delight, mentioned a much younger Yaw Nsarkoh, quite favourably. For things I was involved in decades ago. I thought I owed the two generous men at least this effort to publicise their works to the full extent of my capabilities.
I generally feel that what DAkpabli is doing should receive support from all lovers of learning. Even the state should be interested. For this reason, I have decided to use them as my own publishers and we should be spitting out a lot next year. Watch this space.
I will pick a copy of Kwesi Yankah’s book when I am in Accra towards the end of this month. I will therefore turn on the speakers to their full watts on that work when I have read it, which should be in a couple of weeks.
Till then, I will focus on the above titled book and thank Tarzan for listing me among the patriots that made Radio Eye happen. He put me in the very distinguished company of people he described as “THE NERVE CENTRE TEAM.” To me, Radio Eye was a seminal event in our history that precipitated private broadcasting. For my modest contribution to be so recognised and immortalised is way beyond anything I ever imagined would happen.
Grab a copy of the book from many bookshops or simply contact Booknook of the DAkpabli guys, an online bookshop. I celebrate the book by quoting at some length words of Tarzan. Words that should really reawaken the media of our now Robinson Crusoe Society:
“THE WATCHMAN ROLE
In the struggle to transition Ghana into Democratic rule, especially in the closing years of the 1980s and through to the early years of the 4TH REPUBLIC (especially when we effectively had one-party rule from 1992 – 1996), Ghana’s journalists showed exemplary bravery, imagination and fearlessness in their fight to entrench and protect our freedoms and our rights. Tommy Thompson, John Kugblenu, Kabral Blay-Amihere, Kofi Coomson, Haruna Atta, Kweku Baako, put their lives literally on the line (including spells in prison for some of them), and me from the comfort of my bedroom, to win us the freedoms that most of us take for granted today.
The immense contribution of Ghana’s media to entrenching democracy was particularly felt in the first eight years of the 4th Republic when the combination of a deep mistrust of a dictator turned reluctant democrat, coupled with a missionary zeal to uproot the cancer which had infused and almost destroyed press freedom and its principal guardians, gave them both the incentive and the impetus to maintain the most intense of ALL NIGHT VIGILS on the rulers.
Instead of rewarding and recognizing the work and sacrifices of the pioneer freedom fighters, and using these as a constant reminder and inspiration to continue in their stead (not even GJA has seen fit to do this), Ghana’s media is rapidly falling into the danger of uncontrollable and arrogant collaborators of the rulers against the personal and collective interests of the people.
The accession of President Kufuor and the NPP into power in January 2001 changed the media’s commitment to their watchman role forever. Relieved by the ‘end of Jerry John’s very long grip on power’, and buoyed by the new government’s swift abolition of the seemingly draconian CRIMINAL LIBEL LAW … Ghana’s media forgot about its true role and purpose in a democracy, namely: to act as the guardians of the people’s rights and monitors of the governor’s performance.
Instead, it opened its arms to warm and friendly gestures of the new government and began to act as its mouthpiece, subtle as this was all disguised as a refreshing commitment to the freedom of the press and media. Naturally, the political opposition also began to take advantage of the new freedoms and the stage was set for today’s situation of the very vociferous and fiercely partisan positions of the media today as public “prosecutors and persecutors” of the political bidding of their paymasters.
It is this situation which has led to the self-imposed denial of the media to recognise its heroes and put them up as icons on a pedestal as brilliant examples for the young to aspire to follow. Instead of rewarding and recognizing the work and sacrifices of the pioneer freedom fighters, and using these as a constant reminder and inspiration to continue in their stead (not even the GJA has seen it fit to do this), Ghana’s media is rapidly falling into the danger of uncontrollable and arrogant collaborators of the rulers against the personal and collective interests of the people.
The discourse and output of Ghana’s media is dominated by loud, partisan, but also mainly hollow posturing by surrogates acting on behalf of the political classes, both the rulers and those waiting to rule. It is all facile and uninformed propaganda devoid of any or little factual information or weighty and considered BALANCED analysis from which the majority of non-partisan Ghanaian public can be well informed as a prelude and basis for them making an informed choice of governors.
When the natural protagonists in a democracy fall into bed with each other, it is the beginning of the end of the CHECKS & BALANCES democracy envisaged and enshrined in the opening sentence of the Constitution of the 4th Republic, (‘The sovereignty of Ghana lies with the People of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of Government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in the constitution’) and Doris Barber’s elegantly put watchman role for the media.”
Just for uttering and recording these immortal words, may Tarzan’s name live forever! We must now activate them.
Under the leadership of the National Media Commission – I insist they must rise up to their constitutional mandate or we must dissolve the commission and form something else – I call in particular on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) to rise up and seize the moment. The media, and all friends and beneficiaries of the media, must now work assiduously to save our country from the anomie conditions into which we have plunged headfirst.
If we do not do it, and do it now, as we have just seen in the case of the attack on UTV a few days ago, hooligans, hoodlums, spivs, anarchists, 5th columnists, traitors, sycophants, highway men, journey men and carpet baggers and outright criminals and societal dropouts and castaways, hiding in the toxic interstices of our political architecture, will fill the vacuum. If that happens, God save Ghana, for it is only a matter of time when incendiary rhetoric will blow the whole thing up.
This is a task – improving the media space – in my view, that is a necessary condition for a cultural renaissance, mindset revolution, enhanced mindsets, national rebirth, or whatever you call it. We must do it.
But before that, get the book and read it. 😂😂
