Selorm Branttie Writes: Who Are Our Icons?

Over the last week, very interesting things have happened in Ghana.

Shatta Wale was questioned by EOCO over how he came to own a Lambo Urus. I remember a few months back I questioned why Chairman Wontumi will drive a Corvette to EOCO when he was being questioned for causing financial loss to the state.

Both incidents ended up having one thing in common: People massed up at the gates of EOCO demanding the release of these individuals, praising them for being “hard” people, and “chairmen” and the hope for our future, claiming they had done nothing wrong and should not be treated like they are being treated.

I found that of Shatta quite interesting:
Its a clear reflection of the direction of the nation’s vibrant, energetic and powerful youthful voice. If you have ears, you will hear a rhyme and melody of discordant rumblings that reverberate the glorification of thuggery, fraud, a great disrespect of law, order, and a clear rejection of the impact of the consequences of crime.

People truly believed that the “issues” are that Shatta is from the “streets” and shouldn’t be touched because he’s the “hope” of many who have been abandoned by the streets. He’s a hero beyond reproach, and a symbol of “freedom”. That people are jealous to see a “streetz boy” shine and do things only “big men” can do, and the “haters” want to chant down Babylon and they won’t take it lying down.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If we as a society don’t nurure the right heroes, others will step into the space and navigate the compass of our collective national mentality.

We have become a nation that worships shortcuts.

Nobody questions the source of riches anymore because we have gaslighted anyone who asks questions. We have romanticized rags to riches and Cinderella stories to the extent that we have stopped valuing slow, steady progress.

Pastors pray for scammers and prophecy for them. Politicians protect scammers because they pay for campaigns.

The youth see that hard work doesn’t pay. They see their lecturers struggling with old second hand cars that smoke on the way to lectures. They see hungry teachers with threeadbare clothes who can’t afford decent housing. They see doctors, nurses and pharmacists struggling to pay rent for their houses, save for years to build a family. They see engineers jobless on the streets. They see bankers with years of experience saving money to jakpa.

They see people paying for titles. The best teachers aren’t those who teach anymore, but those who have questions, and who allow them to cheat at exams and collect money from them.

Which monkey should work for which baboon to chop?

Let’s allow our institutions to work and not be diluted by politics. Let’s put the right people in places and not use partisanship as the major criterion.

We have a nation of people to build.
Let’s all help set the right angles.
If we lose our youth, we have lost the baton.
If we do this, maybe, just maybe, we might not be lamenting such bad results at the BECE.

Source: Selorm Branttie