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Principles of new start

This is just a picture of what happens to the whole body when we fail to get proper exercise. Each part suffers and in turn the whole body suffers.

Some people work at sedentary occupations. Even though they are brain tired at the end of the day from standing or sitting for hours in heavy concentration, they need to exercise physically and breathe fresh air deeply.

It would be well for these people to enjoy some late afternoon or early evening sunshine and exercise in the garden, cycling or brisk walking.

When oxygen is lacking in the body, the blood moves sluggishly and the waste, poisonous matter that should be eliminated, is held in the body and the blood becomes impure. Exercise improves the blood circulation and helps cleanse the blood. Good health depends on good circulation.

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Proper exercise gives life to the whole body. It gives strength to the digestive organs, the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the heart.

Exercise is excellent recreation not only for the body but also for the mind. It brings relief to the weary brain, helping us to think more clearly and to feel more cheerful. The whole body becomes more resistant to disease.

It is not wise to exercise too vigorously, especially after eating a larger meal. The blood is then needed in the stomach to break down the food and is not as available for the other strenuous exercise.

Exercise, like all other daily activities must be done with care, thoughtfulness and common sense. Let us begin to take some steps and make a decision to get some exercise today and every day from here on.

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BENEFITS OF GOOD EXERCISE

1.  Prevention of heart disease.

2.  Prevention of and treatment of obesity.

3.  Lower blood pressure.

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4.  Increase circulation and oxygen intake.

5.  Increase self-worth.

6.  Improved sleep.

7.  Lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

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8.  Decrease in anxiety and relief of depression.

9.  Elevation in mood and vigor.

10.  Stronger heart beat and lowering resting heart rate.

11.  Increase fitness level.

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12.  Aid in stress control.

Water

Water is very important to this world. About three-quarters of the earth is made up of water.  Most of it is salt water, but the sun has the ability to change salt water into fresh water.

Just to basically explain it, the heat from the sun picks up small drops of water from the sea and takes them up to make clouds but it leaves the salt behind.

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As the clouds gather more and more moisture, the drops get heavier and heavier until they become heavier than air and fall as rain on the earth.

Also springs of fresh water bubble up from under the earth. Often big rivers start from snow and springs in the mountains.

As they trickle down to the lower areas, water from the rain and thawing snow join the streams and together they tumble downward. As different creeks join the flow, they become rivers and soon the rivers flow into the mighty ocean – to repeat the ongoing, never-ending cycle.

Water is a very important part of our lives, both inside and outside the body. We need to drink six to eight good-sized glasses of clean water each day.  A good health habit to develop, is to drink two to three glasses of warm water when you get out of bed. This helps to flush out the stomach and digestive tract.

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It is best not to drink after 20 minutes before eating food. This way the water does not dilute the acid juices which break down the food when it comes into the stomach at meal time.

For this reason, it is best not to drink with any meal. It can cause the food to stay in the stomach longer than needed and it starts to ferment and build up bad gases.

The blood needs a good supply of clean water as well. Water helps blood to flow around our blood system, to keep our body running well. If we could follow our blood into all the hidden recesses of our body, we would find that it picks up poisons and waste matter on its travels.

Water is essential for the function of the kidneys as they continuously filter the blood.

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The kidneys’ work is made more efficient if we drink plenty of clean water. The body will keep healthier. Also, if we have trouble with passing solid wastes (constipation), this can often be relieved by drinking a good supply of warm water.

It is essential to drink plenty of water when we are sick. It helps to pave the way for a quicker recovery. People suffering from colds, fever, infections and viruses will be greatly helped if they increase their water intake.

On the outside, we must not forget that our skin is another very important organ that eliminates body wastes. A bath or shower every day cleans the skin of germs and impurities, helping all the organs inside the body do their work.

All our clothes and bedding should be washed in clean water to keep them fresh and clean as well. Water on the inside and the outside assists nature to keep out diseases.

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Features

 The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah

• In modern-day Sodom, both the good and the bad co-exist
• In modern-day Sodom, both the good and the bad co-exist

The biblical Sodom and Gomorrah typified sin in its raw, carnal and abominable form.

Sin was widespread and so deep-rooted that the Lord could not find even 10 righteous men in the twin city.

If He found at least 10, Sodom and Gomorrah would have been saved from the blazing fire that turned the entire city into ashes; courtesy of God’s anger and fury.

Sodom and Gomorrah was quite forgotten since the days of Noah until a slum developed in the Odododiodio constituency of the Greater Accra Re­gion of the Republic of Ghana. It was not named Sodom and Gomorrah out of whim. Some say it is the cradle of sin, another birthplace of the seeds of transgression.

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Others beg to differ

Whatever it is, in modern-day Sodom, both the good and the bad co-exist. There are good, righteous, hardworking fellows earning a decent living but have to pass each night in Sodom because foxes have holes and birds have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

In Sodom and Gomorrah today, you’d find civil servants, reverend ministers, businessmen, aspiring politicians, technocrats, polytechnic students and managing directors. You’ll also find robbers, prostitutes, graded pimps, sodomists, small-time pickpockets, magicians, boxers and kpalogo dancers. So you’ll find both good and bad people.

History has always repeated itself. The current Sodom and Gomorrah was burnt down recently but not completely. Certainly, more than 10 righteous folks were found there. So some areas were spared.

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The problem now is that, there are plans to resettle residents of the infamous twin city, and one of the reasons is that, the place is so filthy and disease-ridden so much that the continued human existence is deemed not in the interest of any­body.

A new settlement is what the gov­ernment sees as ideal for these peo­ple, more so when the name Sodom and Gomorrah is nothing complimen­tary as a name.

The residents, however, say that they love the place. Their hearts and souls are enshrined in Sodom and Gomorrah, so they won’t move, bull­dozer or not.

The situation recalls the one similar to the people of Tema Mahean who lived at the site where Meridian Hotel is located. To get the site for the hotel, the Nkrumah government had to resettle the indigenes who were rather unwilling.

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A bulldozer was brought in to do the job, and the people still feel bitter about it. Their collective soul was uprooted and of course, they left a curse, as some people say. The Meridian Hotel and its present state, similar to a bomb-ridden edifice, may be a living testimony of the bitter­ness of the people.

But the difference between the Tema and Sodom variants – the Tema case was that of an ancestral home with its shrine and roots. Sodom and Gomorrah is a slum that has devel­oped over the years, and you’d find people of various nationalities there. They include Burkinabes, Nigeriens, Ivorians. Some are perchers; others appear and disappear as and when they deem fit.

“It would be a mistake for this government to send us away after we’ve voted for Kufuor for positive change”, one resident has said. “We cannot be sent away like animals.

They must give us time to decide. We support the government, so the government must not go against our wishes and make us miserable”.

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Another resident I had a chat with said the government should think about places like Ashaiman (pronounced by many ‘Ashiaman’), because the sins of Sodom and Go­morrah are nothing to be compared to the abominations of Ashaiman.

“I’ve stayed at Ashaiman before and I know the difference. In Ashi­aman you can find every type of criminal. Sodom and Gomorrah is not a crime haven, as others think. It is a residential area for the poor. And if poverty can be said to be a crime, then we are criminals. Otherwise, we are like anybody else,” he said.

The mention of Ashaiman was in­triguing. Ashaiman, also called Hanoi, may be one of the infamous crime cities in West Africa, sharing the infa­my with places like Brooklyn, Harlem and Manhattan in the United States.

But those who live in Ashaiman have very favourable comments about the place. They admit that criminals live there. But the good thing about it is that they don’t commit their crimes in Ashaiman. They go out to sin and come back to roost quietly. After all the township is full of poor people you cannot steal from, they contend.

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Yeah, Sodom and Gomorrah is once again about to be obliterated from the surface of the earth. Personally, I do not like the name, and it both­ers me. At any rate, I believe that if the people are going to be resettled, it should be done benevolently and what should precede it is education.

They must be told why it is neces­sary to resettle them. And in reset­tling them, they should be comfort­able – electricity, water, playground for the kids and recreational centres, etc. They must leave smiling, not grumbling and leaving curses behind.

This article was first published on Saturday May5, 2001

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A focus on Asanteman Finland

Today, I continue my narration of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland with a focus on the Asanteman Finland association.

The Asanteman association in Finland has chalked significant accomplishments and successes which must be made known to the public. 

Formation

Before the current Asanteman Finland association was formed a few years ago, there existed the Asanteman Kuo Finland, which was established in early 2004 and registered at the Patent Registry in Helsinki in 2006.

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The idea to form such an association came about following the desire of some Ghanaians from the Asante ethnic group to come together with the aim of supporting each other, and to ensure unity among its members and with others in the Finnish society.

Their first meeting was in the home of Mr Kwabena Nyamaa (nicknamed Blower), who later was appointed as the Abusuapanin (head of family) of the group. Unfortunately, this first group collapsed, but a new association was formed.

Structure and hierarchy

The Asanteman Finland has a unique structure of organisation. It operates the usual structure for organisations but also adopts the traditional Asante/Akan style of hierarchical structure in the same ways as how an Asante/Akan community or society is usually organised in Ghana.

Thus, the Asanteman Finland has a president, secretary, organising secretary, etc., who are each elected and run the day to day affairs of the association as the executive group.

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This runs alongside the traditional leadership structure of the Chief, Queen-mother, Kurontihene, Abusuapanin, etc., details of which I will focus in my subsequent descriptions of the leadership structure of the Asanteman association (in terms of both the traditional hierarchy and the more formal, executive body style).

Projects and achievements

The Asanteman association has a number of projects they have engaged in to support people and other groups or institutions. In 2007, the old association donated digital blood pressure monitors to some hospitals in Ghana.

In 2011, the group supported the Akomadan Hospital by renovating part of the hospital’s building with roofing sheets. Also, in 2014 the association supported the Jachie Training Center for physically-challenged people, renovating their facilities. Members also donated hospital equipment to Assin Fosu, Mampongten, Agona Asamang, etc., as well as financial support to a hole-in-heart patient.

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The new Asanteman association has also made considerable contributions. In 2021/2022, during the COVID-19 period, the group sent support to Ghana. Again, the association is cooperating with the larger group, Asanteman Europe, and the members are in the process of contributing towards the rehabilitation of the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.

Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland

The Asanteman plays a prominent role in the Ghanaian community in Finland. The association was the first to be formed after the Ghana Union Finland. It is thus a pioneer in that sense of an association representing a Ghanaian ethnic group.

The association helps or gives support to its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them and to help them organise the funeral. They arrange counselling and educative sessions to the youth such as to teach them the adowa dance and other traditional values.

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It also engages in conflict resolution in other to maintain unity and peace in the group. The group also mobilises their members for various activities that help in integration efforts. For example, the leaders mobilise the other members, including the women in activities such as cooking together, sharing information and learning things from each other.

The Asanteman also collaborates with the Ghana Union Finland, an association for Ghanaian migrants in Finland whose aims include bringing together all Ghanaian migrants resident in Finland and promoting cultural activities in Finland for better intercultural and multicultural understanding.

Displaying a rich culture

When it comes to displaying part of a Ghanaian culture, the Asanteman is unmatchable, so to speak. Other groups representing the Brong Ahafo, Gadangbe, Mfantseman, Eastern Region, and Nzema all endeavour to portray the culture and values of their ethnic origins, but it can be said that the Asanteman remain the pioneer and tops in showcasing their rich culture of the Asante heritage.

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They take a prominent position in enacting a “royal entry” at events organised by the Ghana Union Finland and other groups, where they display colourful kente attire adorned with ornaments, amidst traditional drumming and adowa dance.

Collaborations with other African groups in Finland, alliances abroad

The Asanteman collaborates with groups such as the Igbo association in Finland and other African nationalities at their events, where Asanteman Finland showcases the Asante/Ghanaian culture.

They are a prominent member of the Asanteman Europe, an umbrella association that seeks to bring together all Asanteman associations abroad. Asanteman Finland also collaborates with individual such associations in other European countries. Thank you!

GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.

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With Dr Perpetual Crentsil

perpetual.crentsil@yahoo.com

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