Features
Africans are our own enemies (Part 1)
The Bible is full of truths expressed so aptly that they encapsulate life’s realities in an explicitly transparent and comprehensible manner.
Take for example this passage from the Old Testament, precisely, Micah 7:6. It simply says: “A man’s enemies are those of his own household.” The Lord Jesus quotes it in Matthew !0:36 to authenticate the Old Testament as He usually does in His teachings.
To put it in context, the scripture deals with the friction and strife that may ensue among family members over Jesus – a kind of schism between those who believe His claims of deity and those who do not.
However, the word household goes beyond the immediate family setting and connotes a more generic meaning. In a broader sense, a household describes people of the same cohort.
It could be classmates, schoolmates, members of a team, a church congregation, members of a political party, workplace colleagues, citizens of the same village, town, country, or continent.
In other words, wherever there is any group with members sharing similar characteristics, aspirations, objectives, ideals, and so on and so forth, if you belong to that body, that is your household.
United we stand, divided we fall, so the saying goes. Therefore, the greatest benefit of belonging to a household is that there is strength in numbers. Consequently, the most sensible and profitable thing to do in that household is to unite on all fronts to mould the group into a formidable force able to withstand and overcome any external aggression.
Ghana’s founding father, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, recognised that need and championed the tenets of Pan-Africanism as a vehicle to galvanise the continent into an impregnable colossus spitting fire and brimstone against the external saboteurs of Africa.
His clenched-fist determination and fierce resolve to lead Africa’s emancipation from the shackles of imperialism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism, bolstered by his political savvy, charisma, oratory, and pervasive influence across Africa, made him a target of the imperialist West, led by the US and Great Britain.
Moreover, he had an expansive and ever-increasing constituency of adherents across Africa, and an unflinching, almost arrogant confidence in the ultimate success of his Pan-Africanist project.
That was during the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union for greater influence around the world. Africa, in particular, offered more attraction, given its rich natural resources like oil, gold, uranium, copper, rubber, bauxite, diamonds, manganese, cocoa, and many more.
And with Nkrumah’s credentials, coupled with his perceived soft spot for socialism, the West viewed him as Russia’s go-to man in their agenda to spread communism in Africa and win the Cold War.
For that reason, America and its allies regarded him as an enemy and a real threat to their selfish ambitions and economic interests.
In fact, a declassified memo from the Accra station of America’s spying agency, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) described him thus: “Nkrumah is doing more to undermine our interests than any other black African.”
He, therefore, became a prey for the predatory imperialists who figured how to get him. This is where the Bible quotation fits into the equation.
The Western collaborators knew that: one, “a man’s enemies are those of his own household;” two, “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand,” and, three: they also knew what to do to disintegrate Nkrumah’s mass following across the globe: “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.”
So, those maxims became the rallying cry of the West as they sought to execute their plot to keep Africa divided, weak, vulnerable, dependent, and subservient.
They needed traitors to help them. Unfortunately for Ghana and Africa as a whole, the enemy has always been within from time immemorial, a situation that the West exploited to execute their diabolic scheme and undermine Nkrumah and Africa for good.
Unknown to Nkrumah, the hierarchy of his army and the police were in cahoots with the CIA, and their British counterparts, M16, planning to overthrow him through a coup d’état.
All was set for the kill. They were only waiting for Nkrumah to travel abroad, an itinerary which they knew was very imminent.
In fact, the very day Nkrumah left on his impending foreign trip, that is, February 21, 1966, Lt. General E.K. Kotoka and his gang met and selected Lt. General J.A. Ankrah as head of the junta thus, the head of state, even before the coup took place. How treacherous the enemy within can be!
The role of the US, and their Western allies, especially, Great Britain, has since been revealed in declassified documents part of which was quoted earlier.
As a matter of fact, Nkrumah was suspicious of the US and, on February 26, 1964, two whole years before the coup, wrote about his apprehensions to U.S. President, Lyndon Johnson, criticising what he described as: “two conflicting (US) establishments” operating in Ghana.
Explaining his point, he wrote: “There is the United States Embassy as a diplomatic institution doing formal diplomatic business with us; there is also the C.I.A. organisation which functions presumably within or outside this recognized body.
“This latter organisation, that is, the C.I.A., seems to devote all its attention to fomenting ill-will, misunderstanding and even clandestine and subversive activities among our people, to the impairment of the good relations which exist between our two Governments.”
And how true his suspicion turned out to be! With the CIA’s help, the junta, led by Kotoka, successfully staged their coup on February 24, 1966, three days after their secret meeting and ousted Nkrumah from office.
He was away to Hanoi in North Vietnam, to broker peace and try to end the Vietnam War. He could never return to Ghana, his homeland, and died as an exile in Guinea in 1972.
It is said that “a prophet is not acceptable in his own country.” And so, Ghana rejected their inspirational leader, but Guinea made him an honorary co-President with all the perks that the office offered him until he died.
And what were the coup plotters promised? Read what Robert W. Komer, a CIA operative deep in the know, wrote to US President Johnson after the CIA got rid of Nkrumah:
“In reaction to his strongly pro-communist leanings, the new military regime is almost pathetically pro-Western. The point of this memo is that we ought to follow through skillfully and consolidate such successes.”
He added: “A few thousand tons of surplus wheat or rice, given now when the new regimes are quite uncertain as to their future relations with us, could have a psychological significance out of all proportion to the cost of the gesture.”
Concluding, Mr. Komer said: “I am not asking for lavish gifts to these regimes – indeed, giving them a little only whets their appetites, and enables us to use the prospects of more as leverage.”
What a shame, Africa! The imperialists did not even deem their co-conspirators, the enemies within, worthy enough of a certain modicum of respect after beguiling them to betray their country. Surplus wheat and rice were what it took to dull the conscience of our educated military and police officers. There is no doubt that monetary inducement was part of the bargain.
Nevertheless, the language of the CIA memo is pathetic. It speaks volumes of how low the enemies within can stoop to destroy their own household. They know no shame. They are still at it.
Remember that the memo from the CIA referred to “these regimes” indicating that the operations of the spy agency and their cohorts are pervasive throughout Africa and other jurisdictions earmarked for their subversive agenda.
Next week, the discussion will centre on how another inspirational African leader, Patrice Lumumba of the Belgian Congo, now Democratic Republic of Congo, was literally hounded in his own country by the Western powers in tandem with his own compatriots.
It was this conscientious African militant nationalist leader who led the struggle to free his country from the tyranny of its colonial power, Belgium while he was only in his 30s.
But the people for whom he sacrificed so much to liberate from colonialism proved to be the enemies within the household just as it happened in Ghana.
By Tony Prempeh
Contact:
teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
Features
The Prophet part 4
Antobam woke up with a terrible headache. He checked the time on his mobile phone, 2:30 am. “What! Where is the money?” He asked aloud. “Where are those girls? Why did I drink so much of that whisky? What were those two girls up to?” He sat up on the bed and noticed a bulge close to the pillow.
He lifted the mattress and picked up the newspaper wrappers with the neatly arranged notes. He saw the neatly written record of the value of the notes. No, those girls are not thieves.
“It was my mistake. If I hadn’t drank myself to sleep they would be here in bed with me, giving me the time of my life. Pretty girls, those two. And so loyal and honest. Tomorrow will be different.”
“I will not drink any whisky, and I will show them that I am a real man. Just then he heard the whispers. Very soon it will be time, they seemed to be saying. This is an important day.”
The gold dealer will bring lots of money. Give him some of the liquid to drink, and we will prepare him. He will do very big business, and he will give you anything you ask for. There will be more miracles and testimonies today.
Antobam smiled to himself. “I am going to be a very rich man in only a few days man. Money, power, and women. Wow! Antobam got to the grounds at 5, but there were quite a number of people waiting.
Mr Kwame Dofu was among them. He greeted them all, and they came around to shake his hand. “My brothers and sisters, I assure you that whatever your problem is, you will not go home without a solution.” Shouts of “Amen” “thank” you Osofo and “you are a true man of God” responded.
“Please take your seats, and start talking to the great one about whatever bothers you. Before the service is over, there will be a solution.” He waved Mr Dofu over, and went with him to the wooden structure that serves as a temporary office.
“My brother, I have done quite a lot of work on the issue you came to see me about. I have prepared a special, powerful package for you. Take this, drink it, and go back to your business. I want to see you in two weeks.”
Beaming with smiles, Mr Dofu drank the foul smelling liquid in two gulps, said a big thank you to Antobam and took his leave. “I believe you, Papa Osofo. And I assure you that I will reward you, big time.”
Just when Osofo Antubam finished with Mr Dofu, Mary and Suzzie went over to him. “Good Morning ladies. I am very sorry about yesterday. I drank too much of the stuff you gave me. Today will be different, I assure you.”
“Don’t worry, Osofo. Since you are now setting things up, our main concern now is to help you to put things in place, and to make you comfortable. We are always there to serve you. This morning, Osofo, we want to go and clean up your place, and prepare something nice for you when you close.
And before coming to church, we will pass by the bank and collect the forms. After you have signed them, the account will be open. You can check the payments anytime and, of course, issue cheques whenever you need money.”
“Suzzie and Mary, I am happy I picked the two of you from the very start. Listen, I will take good care of you, okay? Here is some money. Buy whatever you need for the errands you have mentioned.
And here is the key. Please come back as early as you can. You know I need you here.” The service was very lively. The lively singing of praise songs was followed by one and a half hours of testimonies.
Most of them related to money – big sales, new jobs and overdue debts paid. But there were also testimonies about healing. Barren women had taken seed, and, of course, several men who had lost their bedroom authority had regained them, to the delight of their partners.
As he had promised, Antobam preached for only 30 minutes, exhorting the congregation to attend church regularly, pay their tithes and offerings, and strictly follow his ‘directions’ for securing solutions to their problems.
After another round of praises during which the congregation danced to the floor to drop their offering, he closed the service, grabbed the big bowl which was full to the brim with money, and moved to his desk. A long queue was quickly formed at the desk.
Meanwhile, Mary and Suzzie had gone to give Antobam’s place quite a decent look. A new bedsheet and pillows, a secondhand carpet and four plastic chairs placed in the verandah had done the trick.
They also prepared two fish and chicken stews. After all these, they rushed to the National Savings Bank and collected application forms for opening current and savings accounts.
They joined the service a few minutes before the main session closed. Antobam looked round and saw, to his relief, Mary and Suzzie moving towards him. “Hello ladies. What have you been up to?” “Quite a bit, Osofo. We’ve just collected your drink. Here you are. We’ve made a few changes at your place. I think you will like it. You will also have something nice to eat. Now, here are the forms for the savings and current accounts.
If you will sign them, the bank will open the account. From today, we can pay all monies direct into the account.” ‘How can I thank you, ladies?” “You don’t need to thank us,” Suzzie said. “It is our duty to help a man of God succeed.” “Okay, my ladies, please take the offerings and count them as you did yesterday.
You can add the payments made after the consultations. Will it be possible to pay them into the account today?” “Yes,” Mary said. “The bank closes at four. If we leave here at three, we would be there just in time.”
The two friends started counting, as Osofo Antobam gave his clients his directions for solving their problems. On quite a few occasions he closed his eyes as if he was receiving direction from above on what to do.
But as the fetish priest at the Nana Kofi Broni shrine and the dwarfs had assured him, the solutions would certainly be provided. Having heard the huge testimonies earlier in the day, the clients parted with substantial sums of money in expectation.
By Ekow de Heer
Features
The issue of spiritual father in our churches
A student was supposed to go to school as the natural cause of events should be when universities or schools in general opens but this was not the case in a certain young man’s life.
He decided to postpone his trip because apparently he could not get to meet his pastor, his spiritual father. The question is, should this spiritual father die, will the young man’s life come to an end?
Does it mean in such an instance, he is going to curtail his education? This is a worrying trend in a lot of churches where the pastors use this notion of spiritual father to manipulate members especially the youth.
Some unscrupulous pastors utilise this spiritual father concept to have affairs with gullible young ladies in their churches.
Now with homosexuality gradually making inroads into some of the churches, young men are becoming vulnerable to pastors who have hidden homosexual inclinations.
This spiritual father concept is a Biblical concept that runs through both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. We see it in 2 Kings 4:12 where Gehazi is serving Elisha and also in the New Testament we see Paul relating to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2 as a Spiritual Father.
In fact, the concept of spiritual father is a good thing if executed according to the word of God since it helps in guiding the younger ones. However, it becomes problematic when it is being executed by unscrupulous wolves in sheepskins as described by Jesus in Mathew 7:15.
I see it as a way that these unscrupulous so-called men of God maintain their hold on the congregants so they do not question their unchristian actions.
One of the things I have observed since I got born again many years ago is that, any pastor who often insists that members recognise that he is their spiritual father is a warning sign that he is doing some wrong things or is about to indulge in some wrong things.
A parent complained about how his daughter was being influenced by a pastor of the church she attends and how worried he was. I am sure there are many parents out there with stories to tell about how their wards are being made to see their pastors almost like their Jesus.
These pastors have managed to make their congregants so loyal to them and to believe in them so much that it is terrifying, as a parent.
The way things are going, an immediate intervention is required otherwise I am not a prophet of doom but I forsee unfortunate instances where parents burst into church auditoriums and star shooting some Pastors out of frustration and anger.
We cannot look on unconcerned as a society and allow unscrupulous fraudsters using the name of God to create problems for families. My recommendation is for a certain amount of regulation in order to bring some sanity in religious practices.
I agree that ordinarily regulating religious practices makes it a bit restrictive in terms of freedom of worship as enshrined in our constitution but given the way things are going, a bit of regulation will not be out of place.
Disgusting stuff are being attributed to some men of God. There are cases of manipulation of young ladies and sometimes married women by so called men of God and it is bringing Christianity and therefore the name of the Lord into disrepute.
Christianity is gradually losing its attractiveness as a result of the negative reportage resulting from disgusting stuff happening in Christian circles. The way some pastors have been manipulating congregants to take money from them leaves much to be desired to the point where they are convincing some of the youth to give out their phones. May God help us.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
