Mad hatters tea party

I now know exactly what is meant by the saying, “I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry”.

Do I laugh or do I cry about the antics of the so-called Western Togoland secessionists?

Back in 2017 when members of the group were arrested, I recall that Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State and President of the National House of Chiefs urged everybody to ignore the people involved in the misadventure.

He said he would have preferred that they had not been arrested as that act had rather led to people hearing about them, who would otherwise never be heard of.

I have wondered whether it was worth saying anything about the group. Mostly, because to borrow the famous words of Margaret Thatcher, one-time British Prime Minister,
I did not want to be seen to be giving the group the oxygen of publicity by writing or saying anything about them.

However, since many people seem to be sending me videos and other paraphernalia connected with the group, I thought I might have my say on the subject.

Western Togoland

I acknowledge that the map that is purported to show the area of Ghana being claimed as “Western Togoland” by the group includes some areas in present day Upper East, North East and Eastern and Oti regions, but the activities of the group is identified mostly with the Volta Region.

I note from the map that the Abutia traditional area is included in the area covered by this map.

Unlike some parts of the Volta Region, which claim to be important paramountcies and have no land, we in Abutia have a lot of land which is not being contested by anyone.

Nobody has asked us if we want to be part of this Western Togoland misadventure, and yet they dare to include our land in what they are claiming.

A certain Mr Charles Kormi Kudzordzi is said to be “President” of this self-declared independent state of Western Togoland.

This Mr Kudzordzi is making me begin to question the uses of the Internet.

I have been anxious that one of these days, the dangers posed by the Internet will outweigh the wonderful new worlds it has opened to us all.

Surely, but for the smartphone, the Internet, WhatsApp, Mr kudzordzi and his colleagues would have remained the type of trivia stories that people tell when they are bored.

Now, because they stage and record a three-minute show by a few people, (ten? twenty? not more from what I saw), purported to be a declaration of independence, and post it on WhatsApp, we are all supposed to take them seriously.

I have no qualifications that would enable me diagnose mental instability.

But I do know that Mr Kudzordzi and his gang look suspiciously to me like they need the services of psychiatrists.

I also know that unfortunately, the history of the world is full of havoc caused by weirdos and ,therefore, we have to take the Western Togoland gang seriously; their flag, currency, coat of arms and all.

Who knows, they might even come up with a National Anthem that would shake the world and we would all find their Mad Hatters Tea Party uproariously funny.

At the moment, however, I just want to state clearly that I find them excruciatingly unfunny and they should redraw their map to exclude the area of Abutia.

T’is the season of awards

I am a great believer in things that stand out from the ordinary. Things that are special and can, therefore, be described truly as excellent.

I have nothing against ordinary and regular things, but then most of us are ordinary and regular and we go through life without causing any waves.

That is why the overwhelming majority of us do not win the Nobel prize in anything.

We go through life doing our ordinary, regular, normal things.

We sew, we write, we paint, we cook, we teach, we do whatever is our lot and keep the world ticking over.

Nothing extraordinary.

We can all sing in the shower, but when you hear someone with a truly sweet singing voice, you stop in your tracks and you appreciate that voice and you are never likely to forget it.

You hear a lot of music but Mozart still manages to stop you in your tracks.

Lots of people paint, but Leonardo da Vinci remains special and there will be the one picture that makes you catch your breath at the exhibition.

This is why there are lots of tailors who make clothes for me but whenever I wear something made by Joice Mills or these days, Tetteh Kwashie, I get voluble compliments. They stand out, they are not ordinary.

I cook or to put it correctly, I can and used to cook, but I doubt that I would ever have been described as a great cook; utilitarian might be the word used to describe my best efforts. But there’s nothing wrong with it.

I have two friends who definitely have a way with food in the kitchen.

Don’t pass up the opportunity if you are offered food cooked by my friend Mary Obeng or my friend Sati.

They stand out.

So, you get the point I am trying to make.

It seems to me we diminish what we call awards when instead of being exclusive, instead of being special and standing out, it feels like we are spreading confetti.

I know it is the season for parties and making people feel good about themselves but I wonder if it is not being overdone.

When you give awards to 100 people at one function, it feels like spreading confetti instead of a recognition of excellence or people who stand out.

There must be something wrong if so many people are special.

I worry some more when I recognise that a few years ago, some people were given special awards for being at the apex of their professions.

The citations at the awards ceremonies were long, verbose and flowery and we were told they were exemplary.

Two years later, the empires of these award winners have imploded.

Are we expected to get excited about this year’s group of award winners?

Then there are some of the awards that sound suspiciously like having been given simply because the recipient has been around for a long time.

Nothing wrong with recognising longevity and persistence, but it should be labelled as such.

Awards for Best This and Best That should be reserved for excellence.

Otherwise it demeans it all.

A few things should be special in this world.