Features
Of Monuments and Graves
• The Asomdwee Park was renovated recently
The last two weeks have been quite eventful for Ghanaians. First was the news that the Nkrumah Mausoleum was going to be refurbished to greater tourism standards, only that this time names or items of the very people who opposed him, and some who made attempts on his life, were to be added for good measure.
Second was the refurbishment of the grave/tomb of the only President to have, so far, died in office; Professor John Evans Atta Mills. It was to commemorate ten years of his death. I remember that day. I had woken up early in the Bronx to check on my home back in Accra when I had a call from one of my daughters about his death.
I called Kofi Abotsi of the Voice of America and broke the news to him. He did not believe me. He made a few calls to Accra and got confirmation. My friend, John Dramani Mahama, his vice, had left New York a few days earlier after launching his uto-biography ( My first coup d’etat) in the Big Apple.
I decided to return home to commiserate with Mahama, so I called a cab to take me to JFK. At the JFK departure lounge I sat by an older man when I had a call telling me that John was going to be sworn in as President that evening in Parliament. The man only heard my end of the conversation and asked what was happening in Ghana. I broke the news to him and he told his partner whose reaction drew the attention of other passengers. That was how passengers on that flight got the news. The man was Atta Mills’ mate at Achimota, and he was grief-striken at the news of his death.
If I were Sekou Touré, I would be grieving in my grave for releasing Nkrumah’s body to Ghana. After all, Nkrumah was a co-President of Guinea Conakry at the time of his death so he could have had a state burial in that country. Rather, Sekou was magnanimous to recognise his place of birth and let his remains go. This is Sekou:s offense. Now, attempts are being made on Nkrumah’s death as there were on his life.
No matter what reasons our government has for adding the likes of JB Danquah, Obetsebi Lamptey and others it makes a complete nonsense of the Nkrumah Mausoleum. Though a state monument, it bears Nkrumah’s exclusive identity; nothing more or less. There is nothing wrong for a country to have many monuments; they add to the richness of our culture and tourism potential.
Nkrumah has a unique place in our history and that of the continent and the black race. Let no one tell it differently. To do so will turn our history on its head. The Osagyefo was not an idler in the United Kingdom before he was asked to come home to help in the independence efforts. He was already deeply involved in the Pan-African activities that eventually caught the attention of members of the united Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). They knew and appreciated his pedigree.
So, if the present crop of leaders are minded to honour people they believe are deserving, nothing stops them from building monuments in their honour, but to add anyone to Nkrumah is an insult to the very people they seek to honour. Their subservience to Nkrumah’s stature is sealed by this decision.
What have we done to honour the memory of Paa Grant, the merchant who gave money for Obetsebi Lamptey to go to London and bring Nkrumah down? I am getting increasingly sad that we have come to a point where we cannot build consensus in our national discourse. No nation is built this way. Do we have to mention every single person who plays a part in the preparation of the broth?
Many leaders are known and remembered for great speeches they deliver, but no one is interested in who the speechwriters are. When Nana Addo read a completely plagiarised speech on his first inauguration, he took the backlash; not his speechwriters. The first time I sat back and watched a President read a speech I had written, I felt a sense of deep fulfillment and nationalism even though that President might not know I drafted that speech. I will go to my grave with the joy. No amount of museum in my name can match that joy.
Koku Anyidoho must take praise for his unalloyed dedication to Prof Atta Mills. I recollect when Prof Mills was virtually-orphaned’ after he lost the 2000 presidential bid, Koku, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye and Ludwig Hlodze stood with the Prof, waking up each day to sweep his Kuku Hill offices and run errands for him. This is service; commendable service.
However, no matter our good intentions we have the propensity to do the right thing wrong. This has been Koku’s lot. Might Koku have forgotten that Prof Mills came from a family? Or he just did not care? Even if he loved the late President more than his own family, Koku can lay no claim to his memory above that of the family.
Since the death of Mills, Koku has carried himself as though he is the only person who knew the cause of the president’s death and talks out of turn in that regard. Who is he to demand an autopsy report if he indeed knows what took his boss’s life? He should not cry more than the bereaved.
Koku is the son of the venerated and highly decorated General Anyidoho who saved the country of Rwanda when the rest of the world abandoned that country to its fate during the genocide of 1994. General Anyidoho has stayed away from any public statement, even on security matters, because of his son’s utterances. He fears people will juxtapose whatever he says on Koku’s postulations. I would not want to be in the General’s shoes at this point in time.
I visited the Asomdwe Park a couple of days ago. A pall of great sadness swept through my whole being. I put myself in the shoes of a tourist from Papua. Nothing tells me whose bust I was looking at except who unveiled it and assisted by another inscribed name. Whose bust, I asked me. It is clear Koku engaged in a personal agenda and aggrandizement.
That the state could involve itself in this without recourse to the Mills’ family is a complete failure of leadership. There is nothing wrong to refurbish the Park. It is perfectly in order so to do if the state is so minded. But the one whose grave/tomb is the subject of any attention, left a family behind. Did the state consult with them? Listening to Dr. Cadman Mills deliver his comments at the Atta Mills memorial lecture, it came clear that the state did not consult them. Question is: why?
Either those who advised the President, Nana Addo, on such matters, did not know what they were about or the President refused to take their advice. I believe if Atta Mills was asked where his final resting placeshould be, he would have indicated a private burial in an unmarked grave in his village.
I think there is need for a national discourse on where our leaders choose to be interred. The final resting place for my own buddy, Jerry Rawlings is yet undetermined since the Anlo Traditional Council boycotted his funeral. In one of our numerous encounters I asked Rawlings how he wanted his remains disposed of. I suggested cremation, to which he responded he did not grasp the rationale for that but promised to study literature on that subject.
Great men who chose cremation are at rest from people who would want to capitalise on them. Great minds like Kow Nkensen Arkaah, Prof Kofi Awoonor, Busumuru Kofi Annan and Captain Kojo Tsikata cannot be hounded anywhere for personal glory by anyone. I am not by any means suggesting that Atta Mills should have chosen to be cremated, but what his memory is being subjected to, it might have been a better option for him.
Whatever we do as individuals or as a collective have consequences. The law of retribution is as efficient as it comes. How memories of us will be when we are gone is dependent on what we do today.
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Writer’s email: akofa45@yahoo.com
Features
Who knows tomorrow?
Recently a friend posted a sad news on his Facebook page, announcing the death of a school mate who had passed away, suddenly. The report had it that he was on his way to the airport to take a flight to Ghana.
I am sure this man had already informed the wife or a friend or a work colleague at work that he was returning home but he was not to return as a human being but as a dead body.
Such is life and so we need to be circumspect in how we go about things in life. The Bible reminds us that we are like grass which at one point in time looks elegant and the next moment becomes withered according to Psalm 90:5 and 6. It is for this reason that we need to guard our hearts with the word of God so that we shall be motivated to do the right thing, at all times.
This will enable us live on this planet, free from all sorts of troubles in our personal lives, even if we ignore the question of Heaven and Hell. Living a disciplined life delivers us from any kind of trouble as the Bible declares in Galatians 5:23 that against such there is no law.
The uncertainty surrounding our lives on earth is the more reason why people should commit their lives into the hands of the one who created it, in the first place unless you believe that the world created itself and that it appeared from nowhere.
Otherwise, the logical thing to do is to recognize the authority of the creator and surrender to his Lordship. Heaven is real and Hell is real, so for us who know the truth and have received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the onus lies on us to encourage our relations who have not believed and received Jesus into their lives, to do so.
We are a couple of days from another Easter Resurrection celebration and an opportunity to reflect on our lives in relation to the significance of Easter. In the Bible, the only occasion Jesus, Saviour of the world commands us to celebrate is his death and resurrection.
He never commanded his followers to celebrate his birth but like everything else, we chose to ignore Jesus’s instructions and decided to do what pleases us, just like our forefather and mother in the Garden of Eden.
Let us deliberately choose to do things differently as Christians this Easter, so we can really benefit from all the blessings that the celebration of the death and birth of Jesus, has on offer. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is definitely insanity.
I choose to be different this Easter and I am believing God for a newness of life so God’s glory would be revealed in me to draw the unsaved to him. It is only when people especially the unsaved, see the character of Christ in us, that they can be convinced about the authenticity of Jesus, as Saviour of the world, who can bring transformation in their lives too.
This is what would motivate them to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. Let us make this Easter a memorable one that will be cherished for a long time. It is also a period for reconciliation and it would be great if in the spirit of Easter, we would try to reach out to those who have wronged us or have a grudge against us.
This would demonstrate that we have indeed accepted Jesus and that our religious posture is not a sham. May the good Lord grant us the grace to love our neighbours as ourselves, demonstrating the love of God in the process.
Those who have lost their loved ones and Easter brings sad memories, may the good Lord comfort and strengthen you. God bless.
.NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
Features
Cosmetic deformities
COSMETIC deformities refer to physical imperfections or abnormalities that affect an individual’s appearance, often causing emotional distress and impacting their quality of life.
These deformities can be congenital, acquired, or result from various medical conditions or treatments. This article provides an in-depth exploration of cosmetic deformities, their types, causes, effects, and treatment options.
Types of cosmetic deformities
Cosmetic deformities can affect various parts of the body, including the face, skin, hair, nails, and teeth. Some common types of cosmetic deformities include:
1. Facial deformities: Congenital or acquired abnormalities affecting the shape, structure, or appearance of the face, such as cleft lip and palate, facial paralysis, or facial asymmetry.
2. Skin deformities: Conditions affecting the skin’s texture, tone, or appearance, such as acne, scars, birthmarks, or skin discoloration.
3. Hair deformities: Abnormalities affecting the hair’s growth, texture, or appearance, such as alopecia, hirsutism, or hair loss due to medical conditions or treatments.
4. Nail deformities: Conditions affecting the shape, size, or appearance of the nails, such as nail fungus, nail psoriasis, or nail trauma.
5. Dental deformities: Abnormalities affecting the shape, size, or appearance of the teeth, such as tooth decay, tooth loss, or malocclusion.
Causes of cosmetic deformities
Cosmetic deformities can result from various factors, including:
1. Genetics: Congenital conditions or inherited traits can cause cosmetic deformities.
2. Trauma: Injuries or accidents can result in cosmetic deformities, such as scars or facial trauma.
3. Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema, can cause cosmetic deformities.
4. Treatments and procedures: Medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, can result in cosmetic deformities.
5. Aging and environmental factors: Aging, sun exposure, and environmental factors can contribute to cosmetic deformities, such as wrinkles, fine lines, or age spots.
Effects of cosmetic deformities
Cosmetic deformities can have significant emotional and psychological effects on individuals, including:
1. Low self-esteem: Cosmetic deformities can lead to feelings of insecurity, self-consciousness, and low self-esteem.
2. Social anxiety: Individuals with cosmetic deformities may experience social anxiety, avoiding social interactions or feeling embarrassed in public.
3. Emotional distress: Cosmetic deformities can cause emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, or stress.
4. Impact on quality of life: Cosmetic deformities can affect an individual’s quality of life, impacting their relationships, career, or overall well-being.
Treatment options for cosmetic deformities
Various treatment options are available to address cosmetic deformities, including:
1. Surgical procedures: Surgical procedures, such as reconstructive surgery, cosmetic surgery, or dermatological surgery, can correct or improve cosmetic deformities.
2. Non-surgical treatments: Non-surgical treatments, such as laser therapy, chemical peels, or microdermabrasion, can address cosmetic concerns, such as skin texture, tone, or appearance.
3. Medical treatments: Medical treatments, such as topical creams, oral medications, or injectable treatments, can address cosmetic concerns, such as acne, hair loss, or nail deformities.
4. Prosthetic and orthotic devices: Prosthetic and orthotic devices, such as wigs, hairpieces, or dental prosthetics, can help individuals with cosmetic deformities.
5. Counselling and therapy: Counselling and therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychotherapy, can help individuals cope with the emotional and psychological effects of cosmetic deformities.
Conclusion
Cosmetic deformities can have significant emotional and psychological effects on individuals, impacting their quality of life and overall well-being.
Understanding the types, causes, and effects of cosmetic deformities is crucial in addressing these concerns.
Various treatment options are available, ranging from surgical procedures to non-surgical treatments, medical treatments, prosthetic and orthotic devices, and counselling and therapy.
By seeking professional help and support, individuals with cosmetic deformities can improve their appearance, boost their self-esteem, and enhance their overall quality of life.
Reference
1. “Cosmetic Deformities” by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
