THE CONSTIPATION OF GHANA

There are three kinds of people on this earth; those who are suffering from constipation, those suffering from a running stomach and those who can shit freely. If you’ve ever suffered from either constipation or a running stomach, you know there is a big difference between the two. Constipation puts you through some strange mental stress and loneliness that is peculiar to it. As for running stomach, well, you may feel some pain but the faeces pass without you having to shout ‘push’ at yourself as though you are a pregnant woman and your own gynaecologist at the same time.

I have not written for a while now and when some of my ardent readers ask me why, I just tell them I am too busy with other stuff. And sure it is true that I am busy but I could still write. In fact, I do write but it is not political commentary. I don’t follow the news as I used to partly because I am busy but also because even I have grown weary of hearing the same news all the time. 

‘The budget is so insensitive to the ordinary Ghanaian.’ ‘This is the best budget ever read in parliament, in fact, the ordinary Ghanaian is the utmost concern of the budget.’ The very definition of the party in government and opposition parties in Ghana, always arguing ‘unnecessarily’ about things that are somewhat inconsequential to the ordinary Ghanaian. These incessant rants and chants among politicians, when they are supposed to be fixing problems and ensuring progress is no longer bearable to the ordinary Ghanaian.

I don’t know if it’s just a phase which will pass at some point but Ghana is going through what I term as constipation. The biggest difference between constipation and a running stomach is that with constipation, the faeces come out in bullets and small portions that hurt the edges of your anus so much but with running stomach, the amount of faeces sometimes demand an expansion of the anus spreading for watery droplets of the faecal matter to settle on the edges of the latrines no matter how big it is. You feel very free after shitting when you have a running stomach but with constipation, the faeces somehow remain in your stomach. If Ghana was having a running stomach with the sharing of the national cake, most parts of the country and its people would be developed. Even if not a running a stomach, let the country be shitting normally so that, lots of its citizens would feel okay. But as long as the current state of affairs stands, Ghana is suffering from a severe constipation.

The faeces are in the stomach and the latrine is empty but the faeces do not belong in the stomach, it rather belongs in the latrine, my summary of Ghana’s precarious predicament. It’s so volatile that it runs wild fear through my spine. We often speak of how Ghana is blessed with lots and lots of natural resources, how rich this country is and yet we are so poor. The logic to me is simple, our leaders get what they want and it ends there. They seem to have struck an alliance with external forces that seemingly are colonizing us even in the 21st century. How else would our leaders educate their children abroad while our universities remain in ruins? How else would our leaders take woefully inflated loans and still misuse them? How else would our leaders continue to borrow when they insisted we are too rich to continue to be in debt while in opposition? It appears our leaders hate this country. Apart from political fanatics, ordinary Ghanaians who would have enthusiastically queued at dawn just to vote, see no sense in it now.

My job now has offered me the opportunity to travel to some places, both urban and rural areas in the country. I know you are aware that lots of rural areas in Ghana lack social amenities like school and proper drinking water. But my friend, if you personally go and see how they are living, you’ll marvel why they continue to vote for some unscrupulous politician to lord over them. Even the nature of the roads alone is a cause to rant. Why are we treating our only country as though we have another one? My father died barely four months ago. I tell you with all sincerity that if I had the opportunity to sit under his feet again, I would do some things differently but it’s too late now. If Ghana ever becomes a failed state, we will have ourselves to blame but it would be too late by then.

A road project started in my community about a year ago. This project led to the collapse of some buildings. Buildings that served as HOMES to some people were demolished. But the project has since stalled. The grader levelled everything. But now, it looks worse than before. Millions of money have gone into this project and yet it has been abandoned. There is a terrible piece of stretch near Mankessim on the Assin Fosu – Accra road. Work started on that stretch but the last time I used that road, the project had been abandoned and the road was looking horrifyingly terrible again. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why this extreme greed and selfishness? Do we even have a conscience? Do we feel shame at all? Why so many lies? Can’t we reason up? When will wake up from our slumber?

Instead of defecating and allowing all people to experience the sweet scents of it, they would rather store it in their stomach and when push comes to shove, they travel abroad for whatever they need.

Long years of simultaneous rain and drought will soon collapse the latrine. By which time our stomach will be severely aching from overdose of faeces, but there will be no place to deposit them. We will confess before our stomachs burst.

The actions and inactions of the ordinary Ghanaian is also at the very heart of the stagnated growth of our dear country.

Change is imminent and eminent.

Long live Ghana!!!

                       YUSSIF AHMED IBN YUSSIF

                       ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com