Corruption Done Right

Educated Ghanaians are mostly elitist. Accepting and understanding this can open up the conversation for reforming our culturally corrupt system in a more effective manner. Those who have worked their way to better education and awareness usually have a dismissive disposition towards the general uneducated masses. That elitism exists, surprisingly, even in other educated circles based on what institution one studied at. I am not here to proclaim some sort of idealist view on why we are all equal and beyond. God knows I'm just as guilty of this accusation I'm leveling here. I just honestly believe that we invest our elitism in the wrong endeavors. It is far more costly for the uneducated masses to remain ignorant and impoverished than it will be for these elites to invest their time, energy and resources to increase literacy and awareness among the populace! I am here to discuss corruption or rather drown you in my opinionated ideas of how we can change things for the better. Corruption exists everywhere, the key is to control and manage it's effect with a neutral function that is independent of human control.


 We understand and embrace corruption at a very early age. We know for certain that when we are of driving age, our driver's licenses will be served to our homes conveniently without taking one driving test(road test or written exam) administered by a public official. Mine was handed to me by the roadside somewhere in Dansoman on an uneventful weekday afternoon. Paper for paper. You have money, you can buy a Drivers License, simply put. I was 16 maybe--(The first document that validates our arrival into adulthood is usually acquired through corrupt means-- a warped stamping of what life is or will be-- corrupt!). Every discussion I have with the most educated, most religious, most pious and most passionate Ghanaians about corruption has ended in this one bottom line; "man for chop cha". I disagree but I seem to be one of only three people I know who I can pricked-finger-vouch for their incorruptible character as it relates to embezzlement in public or private office. Bless her & grandpops. The problem here is much bigger than the three of us, so my solution is for us to bend corruption in the direction of the greater good.

Corruption exists everywhere in the Western World-- our default yardstick for measuring all that is corrupt and broken in our system.. The only difference is, the basics of a functioning society are not attached to the meanderings of petty corruption. I cannot get way with bribing a police officer for pulling me over for a broken tail light. The cost of the penalty is probably $100 or less.. If I offered a corrupt cop $100 to overlook the broken tail light, he'll most likely lock me up immediately. The risk is not worth it for both parties - 1. I could be setting him up to lose his job along with all the benefits it affords him OR contrarily  2. He can immediately jail me for attempted bribery of a police officer. He is not a saint and neither am I the pinnacle of law abiding morals but we both refrain and obey the law because the system works. We both(cop & I) have to risk too much just to break "petty laws" which however, manage and maintain public road safety-- an extremely important issue. We respect the consequences of the law. This is the neutral function I speak of. The risk involved has neutralized the possibility of corruption in this instance.

If I ran through a traffic light in Ghana, the repercussions are solvable in the unlikelihood that I was apprehended for it. The depth of my pocket provides instant resolution for my "oversight". The underpaid policeman will take what he can get in exchange for my lack of regard for the traffic rules, other drivers and the lives of pedestrians be damned. 20Ghc buys me Above The Law status instantly. This carries on through every public institution all the way up to the President. A Ghanaian president and his subordinates will negotiate a deplorable deal like what was done in the case of the oil refinery project and can confidently know that there will be zero blowback from selling out the countries resources at such a costly low value. Him and his boys can now tour Dubai more often with their Legon girlfriends and spend exponentially more on shopping than an average citizen needs to purchase some critical stationery items for school-- books and pencils. This is real and we all know of these things. We nonchalantly accept it as part of who we are. I detest it even if it is my own flesh and blood engaging in this type of behavior, I will call them out.

Two weekends ago I was humbled to be in pretty great company. We were celebrating a friends impending fatherhood status. Someone I truly admire, his convictions and character are way above reproach, at least by my standards. Everyone at the table was highly educated-- the formal kind ie except me. Some even graduated from Ivy League colleges. The discussions encompassed a wide range of subjects; from things plaguing Ghana and how the simple solutions have not been implemented. I'm usually excessively talkative and a bit more personal than our culture approves of. I will tell you a story that involves a decision one of my parents made that I find deplorable without hesitation. I only do this for the sake of truth and improvement. I love my parents beyond belief, I just don't agree with their business decisions and some of their moral ones. Love to me is not agreeing with someone's bad decisions. Anyway, the point is I can usually feel peoples' cringes roasting my arm hairs when  I'm that candid and launch into my diatribe about all the things that are fixable and using these very personal familial incidents to paint a picture of why we are struggling as a people. We discussed the falling Cedi, the bad oil deal we took, why we don't have clean drinking water for all our people in 2014, lamented the lack of social welfare, why sewage is still a huge problem and why all our major developments, however unnecessary, are centered in the over saturated Accra. We even got into why Mahama, won over Akuffo-Addo-- Mr. Paradigm as I teasingly call him is the epitome of the elitism I'm talking about in the first paragraph. and circled around the myriad of issues that engulf how we campaign and communicate to the masses.  We momentarily paused to acknowledge that our issues seem overwhelming and daunting.


Why there seems to be a church every ten feet in our communities and why a pastor is commanding currencies to rise and fall when he is absolutely educated enough to know that this is a sin of Luciferian proportions. The economists among us refrained from using too much economic jargon and lingo to explain the real cause of the falling Cedi and the unstable nature of our currency. I had to interject my no-degree holding common sense for a minute. I get tired of these made up complexities of economics that are essentially hypotheticals conjured by bored brains who wanted to create derivatives of the most basic concepts of the existing economic conditions. One of the reasons Ghana's Cedi is currently back in a seemingly bottomless spiral to shit town besides whatever antics the US Treasury is pulling with interest rates is-- we never took the time to fix the most fundamental problem in the first place. When President Kuffuour's administration was happily touting re-denomination as some sort of elixir for the ailing Cedi to the masses, I was barely in my mid 20's with zero experience in managing a country's economic and financial issues but knew the fix they prescribed was a case of pouring dried lava into a plastic garbage bag and leaving it out in 699 degree weather endlessly... A disaster waiting to melt and destroy other valuables in its path. Sometimes, the ability to think critically is lost when one absorbs too much formal education. Problem solving is not entirely in a textbook. Common sense and basic understanding of monetary policy, what bolsters a currency's value and prevents inflation are simple concepts that should not be masked in complex silly jargon but I'm way off on a tangent so I'll stop here. The most heartbreaking statement of the night was when at least 50% of the gathering agreed to this line of reasoning by one of the educated elites; "people are reluctant to be activists for the cause because they don't feel like Ghana did anything for them!".. WOW.

Back to the subject of corruption. Man for chop-- Not a bad idea at all because I believe in the idea of profiting from ones labor, whatever that labor is. So if we are going to be governed by this idea, can we at least make sure that, in our search for profit, we don't neglect our accountability to the Nation. It should hurt your pride that you took a contract to supply school kids with 80 Computers at an inflated cost of $250,000 and you still managed to supply only 15 refurbished China-brand computers and spent the rest on a car and fucking young girls. Since we can't count on your sense of pride to do the right thing for the poor kids who desperately need to know what the use of a computer is in 2014, the more appropriate approach is to have checks and balances-- accountability -- enforceable and punishable by law. An entity that consists of well paid public appointed personnel who have no party affiliations to keep the contractor honest. As a personal principle, I refuse to simply participate in decadent cronyism. If my brother is making a shirt for me, I hold him to the same standards as I do Ralph Lauren in terms of the quality of finish. I won't accept mediocrity just because we are blood or friends. I will gladly give my brother my business over the outsider who is just as good as him though, his only edge now being he is my brother and is just as good. I'm losing the plot but my hope is that, our generation learns to hold each other more accountable for our work. If your friend starts a restaurant, patronize it instead of asking for free stuff and discounts. However, if the food sucks, don't just sit there and keep patronizing the garbage without telling them your review of their shitty service and food. If they fail to improve, take your business elsewhere. In the larger context of culture and governance, those of you that secure political power in the future and now, I beg you to heed some of these virtues. Start holding your cronies to higher standards. They cannot leave a road project incomplete and then claim an assorted number of unverifiable reasons as to why without being reprimanded or held accountable. Let your friends and cronies know you will look out but if they fuck up, they'll have to deal with the law and the entity in charge of transparency and accountability that keeps oversight of all governmental contracts. In our efforts to help each other succeed, let us not neglect responsibility. Ghana has done a lot for us, to answer my friend from the previous paragraph. The education you received(which is superior in a lot of theoretical learning ways by the way)  was government subsidized for your entire life until you left Ghana to live in the USA or wherever in the West you landed. The teachers that taught you were underpaid heavily because the true cost of your education was unaffordable to your parents. Ghana gives you your identity, even if you naturalize as American or a Westerner of whatever variety, your history is forever tied to Ghana.


Did your parents pay their taxes in full or at all? Did they burn or wrongfully dispose of trash without being fined for it? Did you use the roads as a means to go to and fro? Did you piss on the ground with no repercussions? How many times did you bribe your way out of trouble with a police officer and get away with a crime, misdemeanor or not?! Did you apply for a Ghanaian passport to be able to travel outside of its shores? If you couldn't simply claim to be Ghanaian, you'd have no validation of a Nationality. Next time you are feeling so callous about the privilege of being Ghanaian, toss it away and tell any concerned party/entity to discount your citizenship and consider you a citizen of the world! Just try it, see how well it goes over with the officer waiting to arrest you for fraud and traveling without identification. The fuck do you mean what has Ghana done for you? You owe it more than it does you and for all your brilliance at excelling in Academia, you ain't shit without an identity. You love the West because the system works-- it is so because good people sacrificed, those who knew better pulled the less educated along and they still are. People sacrificed their lives so you can claim your right to be paid a fair wage, given adequate housing, access to constant clean drinking water, electricity as an afterthought because it is always on unless there is a natural disaster and even then there is emergency response required to save your sorry non-American ass. People sacrificed so that the rule of law governed and protected the citizens, by and large. You have rights and access to information, the right to question the government and how they are managing the Nation's resources. There might be a deadlock or Government shutdown but gatdamnit you'll get your retroactive pay when they resume. While they are shut down, police officers are still working, traffic lights still blinking, courthouses still collecting fines for traffic violations, schools are still open, hospitals still can't refuse emergency care, student loans are still distributed, food stamps flapping in the ghettos, water still flowing, electricity still on even if you haven't paid your bills and it is cold in the winter or hot in the summer and everything essential to the normalcy of everyday life for the majority of the country still functions properly. You get to file a tax return every year and make amends or get a refund because someone insisted that it was your right as a law-abiding citizen, not ask questions like why should I fight for other Americans when the country has never done jack crap for me. People fought because they believed in the idea of a better standard of living for all humans, the bare necessities that is.That when it is hot outside beyond humane conditions, you ride the bus for free and people hand out free bottles of water, that there is a shelter for the homeless, that the less financially fortunate families can still have decent housing, that a hospital can not turn you away in case of emergency because it is against the law! Americans/Westerners sacrificed so these things became the law of their land-- not by wondering what America or their  various countries had done for them but by believing that it is the right thing to do! What has Ghana done for you? You need perspective and I doubt if I can impart enough of it in this blogpost! Wake the fuck up onua-(friend), you owe your country and it doesn't owe you one ananse shilling or kobo! Fuck it, I'm tired of thinking and writing, TBC....

• Dogs do not actually prefer bones to meat; it is just that no one ever gives them meat. ~ Akan Proverb

Liberal Conservatism, there is such a thing. I am one of its adherents.

Political correctness, is killing common sense slowly, in my opinion. It is also simultaneously infringing on one groups rights in certain instances while attempting to appease another. Have we all become so sensitive? Our language is undergoing a pleasant-always-engineering that makes me cringe. Its a freaking Christmas tree and if you don't like it don't say it or look at one, damn it! I was alarmed when I found myself agreeing with Bill O'reilly on this topic, it was sacrilege to all things intellectual.


I disagree that Christians have to change their traditions to appease non-Christians. That will be the equivalent of asking Jewish people to rename  Bar Mitvahs in order to be sensitive towards Nazis or anyone else. The attrition of the Christian faith by certain progressives is making it an endangered faith, one that many, including myself are shamelessly committed to. As a strong critic of religious fanaticism, I am by no means championing the enforcement of any religious act on the public. However, the foundations of this civilization is largely conjoined with Christian and other religious traditions. I don't think it is fair to alter these traditions with a simplified argument of inclusiveness when the very vehicle of it is one of exclusivity. The intent of political correctness is to remove hatred or offensiveness in the public sphere with the goal of being fair to humans of every creed. It is a noble agenda, however, its purpose is now lost in the convolution of what is sugar-coated rather than what is fair.

It is not fair to broad-brush paint all Muslims as terrorists just as it is flat out wrong to consider all Christians as unintelligent fanatics who don't believe in science. Granted, stereotypes have roots in truth, however, we must distinguish behavior associated with a people from the people themselves. We cannot fairly understand our fellow human beings without eliminating the existing assumptions we've made about said people. It is also a disservice to the existence of soluble dialogue that will engineer the harmonious co-existence of diversity in humans that we all hope for. In my opinion, the fairest way to understand a people is through a thorough investigation of the real causes of the issues they face-- why they are who they are and why they hold the beliefs they do with unabashed integrity through conversation.

Discourse is a necessary part of our societal structure. We can have the debate but precluding any real tangible criticism of the the subject under discussion pre-discussion makes some of the real true thoughts of those "ignorant" about the details of the subject remain un-addressed. Take the subject of homosexuality for instance. Talking to persons who hold PhD's and other revered tertiary degrees makes me wonder when we all got so sensitive and judgmental or uppity? I can't ask a question, a legitimate one at that, without being labeled "homophobic or unintelligent". For the record, I have no fear of homosexuals or their sexual preferences. I simply do not think the notion that sexual preference is genetic is more accurate than not, generally. This thought process is based on scientific evidence and I'm yet to be shown any real plausible and credible data that contradicts my current opinion.

The norms of sexuality have been defined as such through years of consistency in human, animal and natural behavior. A deviation from the norm is not inherently sinful or bad, unless your definition is based on religious morality but the facts of science regarding the function of anatomic parts can not be disputed. This is what I'm implying without being facetious; there are very natural inalienable functions of certain body parts that assist with its scientific definition. The leg is primarily designed for mobility. As the ear is for hearing, eyes for seeing and tearing, mouth for speech and food and so on. Just because you can pour water into your ears doesn't suddenly re-define it's function as an organ for the consumption of food and drinks. My basic argument is that, homosexuality is a deviation from the natural order of the human sexual disposition. You can put your penis wherever you choose to but it is scientifically irrefutable that it's designated destination in the natural function of sex is the vagina. Just as you can insert anything into the vagina. Any other destination or tool does not prevent it from performing the same function or receiving similar sensations to when it penetrates a vagina. Any heterosexual person, if blindfolded and caressed by any pair of hands, male or female, their body would respond to the external sexual stimuli-- male or female. Does this re-define the function of a penis and a vagina suddenly? No it does not and therefore, I still stand by the fact that, homosexuality is not genetic but usually a choice.

This however, does not give other humans the right to vilify or abuse homosexuals for their lifestyle choice. In the public arena, the law has to protect all, especially those in the minority in order to sustain a fair society. Those laws that make a sexual choice illegal are a waste of human resources in my opinion because to a large extent, sexual preference has no real effect or bearing on the social, economic and political well-being of any society.

That said, there are certain rules that should not be compromised for the sake of political correctness. An example being this recent Politically Correct push to allow the youth, especially students to identify with a gender that they've defined for themselves and impose on others. If a child is born male and identifies as female, it does not translate to him being allowed to use the females bathroom because he identifies as one. Or walk around campus in high heels and be a source of distraction to other students whose main purpose for being on the campus is to acquire an education, not debate a fellow students style choices or conduct. When you go to school, obey the basic rules of conduct or get tutored at home. What we are teaching is that, any form of rebellion is a noble cause. As an adult, fighting for the rights of gays to be included in the power and economic structure without prejudice is simply common sense since it is obvious that no one's sexuality affects their ability to perform a job. Unless we are referencing a Religious institution. If the religion exclusively states that their moral codes aren't negotiable, the institution should not be forced to change its beliefs to suit an opposing group of people. Why would you even want to force yourself to be a part of any institution  that condemns your lifestyle anyway? That is my personal opinion but as a matter of broader policy, the separation of Church and State shouldn't and can't be a one-way street. Just as we strongly advocate that all Religious activity be kept out of governance, it should hold true for religious institutions by not imposing secular ideology on any religion.

The debates about social issues in the modern world is currently at it's peak, in the sense that progressives are pushing for major change that will serve as the impetus for future laws to be predicated on. Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, conservatives are pushing to maintain the status quo. From Russia to Uganda, governments are finding the need to actually ban homosexuality as an important societal issue. I'd think there are more pressing issues facing the populace than who they are fucking but let me not be judgmental, just a few years back, I could not tolerate any conversation about gays wanting their rights sculpted into the law of the land. What I believe now is, their choices need the protection of the law because it inadvertently is their right to not be persecuted in a land where they live and pay taxes etc.

Since I got called nigger ever so casually by my deranged old white lady neighbor this weekend, after she egged my car by the way, I want to address the racial slur. I am a little alarmed by the sudden surge in certain journalists' argument to make it fair for all(white people) to use the word nigga/nigger because rappers are using it in their music. Are we now that fucking stupid and oblivious to common sense? If I insult my father to you because he upset me, as my friend, that gives you no authority or permission to ever in your shameful unaccomplished life repeat the gesture when you encounter him. There is a difference between nigga and nigger by the way so for those who even have to be given an explanation for the difference, just don't use it. I thought this was basic human etiquette? Maybe I'm just ancient. I personally could care less about the word "nigga" or "nigger" and it's implication because I've never identified with the horrid meanings of it. More tellingly is that, a person of any race calling me nigger is as trivial to me as being called stupid or ugly. That is their opinion and they are entitled to it. I just think the less sensitive we are to words of that nature, the faster it loses it's power and effect.

We can not be the same PC public that preaches about "use your words" and then be sensitive when people take heed by using their words instead of fists or violence, regardless of how derogatory it may be. We should as a society teach people to not be so sensitive to what is said as opposed to what is done. Deeds are more damaging if they are the harmful kind. Like the stupid stand-your-ground laws that seem to find young black boys at the mercy of insecure white guys who feel threatened by the presence of a black male, no matter how young or harmless they may seem. Tea and Skittles. I'm needing to find a way to package and sell common sense which will be my fortune; get me out of this one bedroom apartment into a more appealing space where I can have countless bitches twerking to my dancehall tunes from the deep undeveloped branch-hanging monkeyland somewhere in Africa that I came from! How is that for a fucking politically incorrect goal? Peace.

HINDSIGHT

Hey, you look nice.. You are shy on the phone and you seem to be more engaged with the dinner plate at the moment than me but that is okay. I'm glad we came to a place that you actually enjoy the food. You said you were into food, you weren't lying huh?

So I showed up in your texts and here we are! Or did you show up in my texts? Okay, even if  I did, your cupcakes hint was an offering to the hungry and dying?--LOL. Well then, I felt special so thanks. :).

*Smiley faces, giggles and makes eye contact* *Damn she fine*

Well, I'm a pretty straight shooter.. I don't find fun in games any more and so I'll ask you this; what are you tryna do? 'Cos I just want someone to hang with and talk shit with on the regular, laugh and be real with. I know it might be kinda early and all but you should let a dude like me change your habit of not wanting to call and chat on the phone much.. I like where you live, we should go for walks sometimes, maybe you can work me out :) .. I mean work out with me.. lol. Fuck it, you ready? Ight let's get you home, I plan to pick you up a few more occasions so let's not drain out the excitement on our first date..

*Still smiley faces after all of her phrases, she barely says much but I see the twinkle in her eyes*

Ok hon, I had a great time and ........... *OMG we are sucking face like Indiana Jones searching for treasures behind our tooth cavities* -- *Okay, gross but it was the the first indicator that shawty was a keeper*  *She knows what she wants and goes for it*

So, I'd cut to the chase. I think you are tall so can you wear flats often? LOL, really I don't mind cos with your shoes off I'm taller anyway.. *side-eye*... I like you, I don't need to figure you out, would you be my girlfriend?

*This is how it should have played out,.... 20/20....

PERFECT

Gender. Ladies and gentlemen, indulge me for a thoroughly unnecessary post. The actual piece I've been working on is done and actively sitting in my draft posts and I'm still not feeling it as much so I revamped this old piece out of my drafts instead....

In our efforts to become better persons, I'm sure we encounter struggles that seep deep into the core of the foundations of what we've been raised to know. My evolution is based on my desire to just be the best human being I can be. It is that simple, not for points or recognition nor pussy. I just have this appetite to be right in my walk in life, to know that I treated people as fairly as I knew how and believed. That phrase "no one can be perfect" preached in Sunday School rubbed me a bit harder than the rest of yous I think. LOL. I hate taking advantage of people or using people for that matter. It is a difficult way to be not only because I fall short a lot but also the interaction with the rest of the world is not entirely conditioned to my way of thinking or doing things. I am the misnomer. Are you one?

The idea of the natural order of things; as we have evolved, the factors that warranted the superiority of the male over the female is constantly being challenged and refuted by what both sexes are constantly able to achieve outside the norms of what society has confined them to. Knowledge and technology have given us the opportunity to improve our skills as individuals, regardless of gender, and the demands of our Societies and their Economies make it even more prudent to allow all able bodies to participate in the contribution to human progress. There was a time and still remains in many societies,-- in both the most advanced parts of the world and the rather indigenous where gender roles are essential to the proper functioning of the family structure and the well-being of the community in general. I happen to agree that the family unit is the most essential aspect of any society's progress. Let's leave that thought alone for another post.

The "natural" role of women was probably derived from their maternal nature(the majority). They are the ones through which our continued existence is guaranteed-- biologically. It was probably thought wise, looking at all other forms of procreating life, that women(females) are predisposed to the task of raising kids and by extension all the responsibilities that come with it. Homemakers by default of their biology. As the world has advanced, the desire of women to be respected as equals in the human chain is an endeavor that is long overdue. It should have never been in question in the first place. The patriarchal system put in place was a way to probably bring order into our society. Orderliness is essential for progress in any endeavor. However, reducing women to a specific definition was where the sense of orderliness denigrated into a desire to control. What was never acknowledged is; lifting boulders and building bridges was not more important than mothering and home-making. They were congruently important for the sustenance of society as we know it. If I have to elaborate on the "why" it should be so, then you need more than just this blog-post to reform your views so let's carry on.

Skip the history lesson. What is the real issue with empowered women? Women who find it as their choice to be just as sexual if not more sexual than their fellow men-- are the emotional issues or egos of men standing in the way of accepting that sexuality is equally a woman's right or women being able to have the same autonomy over their body and preferences like men do, their sole right to determine? What will a world like that result in? Maybe some chaos but if we believe the idea of gender roles to be based on the natural disposition of either sexes, then the deviations from it should not be an overall threat to the order of our current civilization, no? The argument can be made that, if enough people learn -- which they can since behavior is learned and taught or copied, to not play the existing defined gender roles, we may evolve into a chaotic society.  Boogeyman 101. :)

That is a projection that none of us may live long enough to witness so let's address current matters. A liberated woman is so attractive to me. It is so comforting, especially knowing a woman chose you as a preference as opposed to a set of categories that you met. That she wants you not because she's now aging and wanting to be married but she wants you because that's just it? I find that extremely attractive! I'd say it is a confusing dynamic when it comes to real-world dating because, the women I end up attracted to are still evolving in their sense of freedom of self. Let me expound. They are independent, intelligent and ambitious women who don't count how long before they should have sex with a guy or whether that defines their dignity. However, in the same breath, they have certain ingrained traits that give them a desire to conform to the norms of society at some point. It baffles me because then I wonder where the feminism or independence from the patriarchy gets ignored and their "natural" pre-dispositions as defined before kick in. I know women who want no parts of having a baby, most of them want to adopt instead so there is a quasi-mothering desire there. That need to be a wife and a mother is almost synonymous with womanhood. I'm sure there are exceptions but I'm talking about the general pool here. Is it only a matter of time before certain women decide marriage and child birth can suck it? How would we deal? It is a fascinating thought but for now, and until then hold that 10% of your salary for the wedding band in a safe account because if you fall in love, you will marry! LOL.

As this is not an indictment of the female gender, as men, we also have our issues with fully accepting the patriarchal roles placed on us. I constantly encounter the notion of guys crying about women wanting them for just their money all the time. Like guys who are literally willing to be "the man" until it gets to their pocket. They want that respect, the reverence and regard, they want to put their foot down and beat their chests.. except not pay for it or be the ones that foot the bill. It is their God given right-- don't tell them about equality! What rattles me the most is usually most of these guys worked so hard for exactly that; the attention of women they wouldn't have encountered in the first place just by sheer demographics then get mad when they get the attention they eagerly sought?? Gold-diggers are annoying though, only because they sound like beggars but I've probably encountered just one and damn was her body worth paying for!! I had to let her go though because it was old after the second "can you buy me this perfume" and "I want money for my plane ticket"-- Chic, this isn't a request line, take you phat ass over there, far away from me where I can't lust for it. Back to the men-- they also want to fuck as many dimes as possible and settle with a woman who has a very limited sexual history, a non-ho! So who should marry the girls you were fucking on your way to maturity and settling down? Needless to say, I'm personally allergic to virgins. Can one choose  balance?

In a perfect world, you meet a woman who is in love with everything that you are and wants just that. She respects you just because respecting another human being comes to them by default. She loves you completely and whatnot. You in turn love and respect her for exactly everything she is, her choices her dreams, goals and all that shit and you don't expect anything of her that you don't expect of  yourself or that she doesn't expect of herself. You don't treat each other based on what sexual organ you have but as cerebral individuals who have made a conscious and emotional decision to love one another.

Then somebody slapped me back to reality, this is real life not Utopia fuck-face!!

Hearts.

Love.

The war is almost over.  Silhouettes of fear draped the room, flowing with much uninhibited grace.

She's dancing away like a whirlwind. Tracing the floor in a pattern of rage, resurrecting the dead tissues of melancholy. Lady!

Today you get flowers, chocolate and the left chest organ screaming like the keys of a grand piano.

Show up at her door and yell your peace. Don't dance till the energy is dissipated, grasp it, feel it.

Sew words where your actions hold no thread. Inhale it with the intensity of....

Don't get poetic, just take her where she's never been. Rest your guard, tonight you dine on her heart while it is raw. Nothing is ever sure, it is all a chance you gotta take. You don't believe much in the exercise of instructed love, so what? Today break some of your worthless rules, there's no prize in heaven for holding on to them so tight. The only thing that matters is now, the moment, how real, relish it.

We set out to voice a tale of the beauty of loving. Few come around with this much force. Your man card is no less valuable because you embraced the force. The alternative is feeling a bunch of bullshit that never mattered 9-months after the moment is gone, your wishes are not respected by time. 

Walk into the restaurant with the confidence of a frightened pup. She sits, shoulders drooping and chin reclined with the patience of certainty. Darting eyes, the usual cocktail untouched. Tailing between your lap are your wants in a pouch. Sit, say hello and dance with her thoughts. Spar with her every objection. Fight them with the resolve of the last surviving member of a lineage.  Can't rely on your smile to fill this void, it lost its power to the smirks of your fuckery. The moment shrinks into the abyss, ball and chain can't draw it back. It is fleeting, evanescent and elusive.

I woke up and she was right next to me, she never left. Rows of sweat parading my body as if they just ran the heart olympics. The flame is dimming but still burns. "I brought you breakfast my dear, I will gladly massage your curling toes. You stayed one night too long and now you are stuck here with me because I let go of my ego."--- Intensity of desire.

Happy Valentines to all those that love dark, savage speech. Whatever you love, love more.

DISTRACTIONS

Public discourse: The public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action.

This weekend I needed a distraction from my reality. I needed to go out and visit the world, any place but be at home without distractions. So I broke my own rules of visiting events I consider intimate and personal without a personal invitation from neither the organizer nor the individual having the party. Tonight I stood outside in extreme cold for what felt like a year waiting for my boy to answer his goddamn phone. There he was parading the hall floors and being all giddy, serving himself a plateful and still not paying attention to his phone. Come on guy, just look my way for a second, I can't be on this much of an important a call to endure this cold -- I'm hoping the other guests who had noticed me were thinking I must be on an important call, not  the obvious gatecrasher I was this evening. He waves me in after forever, right before I was resigned to walking back to my car and finding other distractions in hell.

So I'm in a room full of mostly wonderful people enjoying sacred family moments and catching up on I'm sure the regular conversations that happen at these things. My eyes are wandering, my thoughts pacing the different faces and wondering who the honored mommy-to-be was. I hate making assumptions, usually there is more than one pregnant woman at such events so I didn't want to assume that the first pregnant lady was the honored mommy of the baby-shower. She was. The first and only visibly pregnant woman there. Pleasant lady and very welcoming. It was a fun but odd night. I find myself making loose conversations with mostly people I already knew and gave a "sewing" tip to a nice lady rocking the crap out of a Christie Brown signature rope necklace(I made the name up but it is quite descriptive so you won't miss it if you google search it). I was never really a fan of that piece but seeing it in person gave me a different vibe about it. Maybe it was who was wearing it or how she wore it. It was fresh. This room was filled with mostly young Ghanaian professionals and it was beautiful. One of the reasons I usually avoid these gatherings is to avoid reminding myself of my own challenges and wondering how great everyone else seems to be doing. I get on with it.

I'm shooting the crap with my boy who invited me then I suddenly noticed her. I wasn't entirely surprised to see her, she was more likely to be at such a gathering than I was. We aren't the closest of friends but I always want to talk to her when I see her. We usually do the song and dance about who should have gotten in touch for a lunch date, spar with the usual jokes then say our goodbyes. Life goes on. This time she was oddly striking. She has always been quite gorgeous in my opinion but tonight, it wasn't so much about physicality. It was her glow. Her look may have played a role in it but she was literally haloing in my eyes. Her hair, she was doing the natural thingy and I'm a sucker for those. Her attractiveness now was not just physical. I wasn't hitting on her, calm down. I was just in awe of her glow. Her passion was suffocating, in a way that was exciting. She is investing her time, her life into a passion. She has many others, her words, yet she's at this phase now and she is as dedicated to this in the moment as one can gather from a conversation. She is actually out there doing real work with real Ghanaian kids, in real Ghanaian communities that you never heard of. Real valuable necessary work in the educating of our younger people. She wasn't pitching nothing to me, she just was alive with this wonderful passion of hers and it really struck me almost to an apologetic disposition. Here was this Ghanaian woman who was engaged in real shit. Not talking or writing but doing! For the first time in a while, I found myself wanting to listen more than yap. I always, always have an opinion. I feel strongly about the things I believe in. Here was a doer. How could I mouth off to her?, I hadn't earned the right to.I wish our larger circle of friends, the mid 30's and lower downs, will know about her work. Then I realized there must be a few Ghanaians out there engaged in this type of work.


I have a friend who has been working in the North for a while now on issues of education, especially with young girls and has never once touted what she does as her right to be noticed. One of the things I find easy to do is writing. It may not be as good as what professionally trained writers do but it is honest. It is the one medium in which I have absolute integrity. Not to say I'm dishonest in other ways or times but sometimes I withhold my complete intentions from people based on my own idiosyncrasies. I'm currently paying for two such mistakes. I still need a distraction. My evening was not ending yet. I had another party to get to because I'm avoiding sleep at all costs. The accident I met on the highway to my destination was horrific. Dude had his head tilted to the side with what seemed like a ruby decorated left face in a mangled Nissan 350Z. The blood had crystallized? I wondered but I don't like staring so kept driving past as fast as was respectful to the tragedy. In my mind, I resolved--> no drinking at this party. Just make small talk till it is over and by the time you get home it will all be easier. The night was a very weird one. I walked up to a couple I've admired a while and told them how beautiful their love was to me. I had always wanted to say that to them, they just make you want to love. Beautiful, really.


Throughout the night, people I don't necessarily know on a deeper level kept telling me that they like my blog and I'm blessed etc. I was more stunned than flattered. I mean, I recognized that there is more traffic to the blog in the past few weeks but not to the point where real people in real life will bring it up. Nah. It gave me some perspective. I'm really just writing. It does nothing but raise an eyebrow or two, get an I agree or disagree here or there but it really does nothing. Hillary is doing wonderful things in the Eastern Region. Wendy is engaged and locked in helping kids in the Northern Region. I am here just writing. I am grateful for the viewership because writing is therapeutic for me and it always is nice to know that others took time to indulge my ramblings. I would like people to support Hillary's cause, as soon as she gives me permission to put her full name on blast, I will. That and her contact details. I would like to put my money where my thoughts are. I'm sure there are a few others who feel the same. We are slowly gonna have to become a unit, and more importantly doers not complainers. Not just bloggers and vents for our frustration on social media. There is real action going on out there and if we can't physically impact the situations we are complainingly rife about, our money can give our feelings some traction. "Nnoboa" - literally means; mutual assistance in weeding. We have some weeding to do. Until we can all be on the field, let us hand the cutlasses to the Hillarys of our generation and support the weeding effort. Talk is cheap but inaction is far more costly and actions require money, time, energy and the-know-how. Put your money where your frustrations are. I got my distraction. Monday.

Meditating on the Cedi.

Wonakobo is out - Treasure. Accra boys get money, Nima too. Shoot, Navrongo and Shiashi. People get money for Accra  bad! For Ghana, boys get money wey women even get more money. Makola women dost roff!! You dey pray give Cedi like e get stomach ache? You for give am milk of magnesia!!!.. 

Why we are baffled by our lack of progress economically I don't know. In the capital, probably the most economically vibrant part of Ghana, you have little relevant taxable commerce. The coco seller, waakye seller, street hawker, shoe-shine boy, kiosk operator, corner store, clothing store in the wall of several residential homes -- tax-free -- all of them -- tax free -- Zero-kpo!!, notin dem dey pay to conduct business in the community, notin!!! Big businesses and established store fronts, they circumvent the law. There is no watchdog for the health of our economy-- dibi namindibi, tsooboey! yey!  Ebe who e fault? You want make Cedi have value? What backs the Cedi?--> Prayers!, if you ask Duncan-Williams -- former cocaine dealer turned preacher is now a spiritual economist. Osofo Pesewa, he know money well 'cos he dey see money constant for offering bowl inside. In his church, all he has to do is command that the meek and willing congregation pay more and his offerings increase exponentially.. Why not command the Cedi in the same vein?, rules of the money market be damned.  All into the boot of his car--> trunk for those unfamiliar with british-gh lingo. At a time in his ministry, that was the practice, nowadays there are ATM's in the church building so even the Church has evolved monetarily but Ghana's economy hasn't? Ewurade kasa!

This is not the time for band-aid solutions. How many of our people even truly understand this BOG issuance? The English dem write saf dey bore but make we try understand am for the layman. Follow.

NOTICE TO BANKS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC

NOTICE NO. BG/GOV/SEC/2014/02
REVISED RULES ON THE OPERATION OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE ACCOUNTS (FEA) AND FOREIGN CURRENCY ACCOUNTS (FCA) --> Chwen, y3b3 wroo yehu yiee.. We are about to undress proper..

Further to Bank of Ghana Notices Nos. BG/GOV/SEC/2007/3 and BG/GOV/SEC/2007/4, it is announced for the information of all authorized dealer banks and the general public that with effect from February 5, 2014, the rules governing the operations of FEA and FCA have been revised. --> This just means; remove your drosss and apply the vaseline..

These rules are intended to streamline the operations of these accounts and bring about clarity and transparency in their operations as well as ensure compliance with Bank of Ghana Notice No.BG/GOV/SEC/2012/12 dated October 10, 2012 on the pricing, advertising receipts and payments of goods and services in foreign currency in Ghana. ---> 
You have no choice in this matter and we'll penetrate you as many times as we wish, now bend over!!

 The Notice states that all transactions in the country are required to be conducted in Ghana cedis, which is the sole legal tender. --> Since the Cedi has basically been shit, we have decided to now intervene and remind you that we are still in Ghana so using the Cedi is expected, no matter how volatile it may be, after all the value of your goods don't really fluctuate now, do they?

MODE OF OPERATION
The Bank of Ghana has revised the mode of operation for the FEA and FCA as follows:

1. No cheques or cheque books shall be issued on the FEA and FCA. --> This means "wu na" could be dying but if her hospital bills have to be written in check form because you are on a business trip overseas then sorry but Wu-Na!!! She can die knowing your dollars will never leave the bank to become as valueless as the Cedi...  :(
   
   
2. Cash withdrawals over the counter from FEA and FCA shall only be permitted for travel purposes outside Ghana and shall not exceed US$10,000.00 or its equivalent in convertible foreign currency, per person, per travel. --> We know we don't manufacture even matches in this country but the only business transaction you Makola-level and petty-traders can engage in are the cheap and low-end obroni weywu type merchandize.. If you ordered an industrial machine to extract palm oil and it costs you $10,157?-- fuck you, Fa Ma Nyame!! Ashi egu... Oh and big business always pays sizable bribes so they can ignore this ruling, *shrug*
   
   
3. Authorised dealers shall not sell foreign exchange for the credit of FEA or FCA of their customers. --> Wu p3 loan di ay3 ejuma in dollars? Aji ywease ashi.. Wuti abrochrie 'nti dien? Tweeaaa!!
   
   
4. Transfers from one foreign currency denominated account to another are not permitted. --> We allow you to practice polygamy, but you can't fuck two wives at once, you know this!! Not even if they agree to the threesome.. Aden wuy3 macho ntiana saa? 
   
   
5. All transfers outside Ghana from FEA and FCA shall be supported by relevant documentation. --> With the right bribe, we can xerox any documents even if it has to have the IGP's signature. If you are too broke to pay bribe, well fogerrit my broda..
   

Margin Account for Import Bills
f. Foreign exchange purchased for the settlement of import bills shall be credited to a margin account which shall be operated --> Wait a minute, the fuck? I can now conduct business in foreign currency again? I thought you banned that shit in rule  BG/GOV/SEC/2012/122? O well.

and managed by the bank on behalf of the importer for a period not exceeding 30 days.
Foreign Currency Denominated Loans --> Oh, so long as we control the value of your money within the 30days, you can use whatever currency you like, even if you convert it to goat herds...

7. No bank shall grant a foreign currency denominated loan or foreign currency linked facility to a customer who is not a foreign exchange earner. --> Jaack, tutena!, you studied this in Social or Cultural studies; yen t'na faako enji enimguasi3!! You can go be Togolese and then we'll let you use whatever currency you like but so long as you be Ghanaba?, ah, stepchild kwraa enfanuhu!!!
   
   
8. All undrawn foreign currency denominated facilities shall be converted into local currency with the coming into effect of this Notice.--> You got 24hours to live, what would you do?, where would you go?; cue in DMX and Mase for your financial emergencies... Or Obrafour may be the better fit.. Wu p3o, wun p3o, wu b3di Cedi!!
   
    However, existing fully drawn foreign currency denominated facilities and loans to non-foreign exchange earners shall run until expiry.--> Wonsha bodey, if you be man, go withdraw your money as the banks close, you go see your soormi!!.. O wait, by the time they open, the law would be in effect and all your dollars "musu eshwie yrodoo" -- running tummy -- you are royally fucked! Asantehene fucking small girls in Legon fucked, minister building boutique for his friends' daughter fucked, walahi church chorister several times fucked behind the partition fucked!!! Sheeeit, muy3 fokin kwraa, you fokin stupid citizens of Ghana, we the select few, we'll rape you with cactuses until you're bleeding to death.. We'll just let your carcasses marinate on the mattress-less stretchers in any public hospital! Thanks for your inherent God-given docility AND nonchalantness towards our incompetence, WE appreciate your continued belief in the Super Power that will save us and the Cedi. Oh, please don't forget to pray for us this sunday o, we need it roff - foreign currency allowed for that short church service window, no limit on the amount though, give freely!! And let the people say Aaaamen!! Hallelu.. Yah ;).
   

Banks and the general public are hereby advised to note the above and be guided accordingly.
(Sgd.)
CAROLINE OTOO (MRS) THE SECRETARY
4th February, 2014 -- Oh I forgot, my name carries some authority but if you refuse to follow the rules I have imposed, the highest authority of all, Nyame ankasa betua muka!, mu Ghanafuo!! I know you won't ask  me any real relevant questions anyway so I boldly tell you to go fuck yourself. Thanks for reading your new bible. 

When are we going to implement sound economic practices? Enact and enforce rules and regulations that truly bolster our economy and the value of our currency. Or are we just resigned to these fairy dust solutions that will blow up in 13months? Are these well-educated economists and elder citizens just gonna shoosh and let sleeping dogs lie? The ground is sifting from beneath our feet.. We are sinking and we have our hands raised to heaven, praying vehemently and God is busily disgusted by our lack of responsibility. 

We have to sacrifice now for the longterm health of the economy, the only guarantee known to man for a stable valuable currency. Let's invest our resources in our people. Someone hear us, the collective intelligent youth posting everywhere on social media with possible solutions. Our issues are not unique and never-seen before but our attitudes may be unprecedented. What gives? I am partially jovial and sarcastic in this piece but damn this stuff makes my stomach turn in kaleidoscopic sequences. ...