Berekum Traditional Council, kindly review directive on goat taboo

The two-week ultimatum by the Berekum Traditional Council to a young entrepreneur to stop his livestock business at Senase near Berekum has brought to the fore some of the challenges we face as a nation in balancing tradition and development.

Frederick Benneh Frimpong, the 34-year-old entrepreneur, started a goat farming business five years ago, which currently also serves as a learning farm for educational institutions and other entities.

Mr Frimpong who hails from Senase told the Daily Graphic that within five years, he had invested more than GH¢5 million in the business.

Apart from importing goats such as Kalahari, Boer and Sahelian at a cost of about $1,500 and some local breeds, the farmer said he had also invested some of the funds in the development of a centre not only to expand his activities, but also train others.

He said the farm currently had about 300 breeds of goats and explained that he was now on the verge of losing all his investments.

Related article: Berekum and the goat taboo and how a quit order is affecting a GH¢5 million investment by Semanhyia Farms [VIDEO]

The Berekum Traditional Council’s decision for the young businessman to vacate the land he is conducting his business on is said to be in line with tradition as the ‘gods’ of Berekum prohibit the rearing of goats in the area.

The Daily Graphic acknowledges cultural practices and traditional values as essential to our identity as a people and paramount in our quest to build a cohesive and unified society based on our norms and values.

However, inasmuch as we respect cultural practices and traditions, we know that culture is dynamic and prone to changes over time in line with the needs of people, as well as the laws of the land.

The supreme law of the land, the 1992 Constitution, guarantees many fundamental human rights, including the right of movement, and the right to work.

Article 21 (g) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that all persons shall have the right to freedom of movement, which means “the right to move freely in Ghana, the right to leave and to enter Ghana and immunity from expulsion from Ghana”, while Article 24 states that “every person has the right to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions.”

The Daily Graphic is of the opinion that the directive by the Berekum Traditional Council for Mr Frimpong to vacate the land could potentially violate his rights to movement and work as guaranteed by the Constitution.

While Article 26 of the 1992 Constitution gives people the right “to enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote any culture, language, tradition or religion, such a right is subject to the provisions of this Constitution.”

What this means is that cultural practices and traditions are actually guaranteed under the highest law of the land, but such cultural practices must not contravene other provisions of the constitution. 

In this regard, although traditional councils have the right to promote certain cultures and traditions, such must not contravene the rights of people and businesses. 

We are not encouraging people to flout culture and traditions, but we are concerned about the situation whereby such cultural rules are inimical to the economic development of the country.

With the country’s economic challenges leading to fewer opportunities for young people, high level of unemployment and growing frustration among many young people, with many eager to leave the shores of the country, the last thing we need is to discourage a young person seeking to invest in his country and provide jobs for the youth.

The Daily Graphic believes that asking a person who has managed to invest in his community and country despite all the challenges, to shut down his business because of culture and tradition, is unfair and would contribute to people losing hope in this country.

We call on the Berekum Traditional Council to see the enterprise in their land as an opportunity and engage the entrepreneur and all the relevant stakeholders to find a middle ground and resolve the situation in a peaceful manner that would not discourage others, but rather promote economic development and assure investors that their sweat would not go down the drain.

It is time for the council and others across the country to assess their customs and traditions and revise those that are outdated and inimical to human existence and progress.

Such draconian practices that do not serve any good purpose in today’s fast moving, modernised and digital age should be brought to an end to enable societies to evolve and serve their members better.