Follow tradition

There is a saying that when you are in Rome, you must do as the Romans do. It, therefore, means that there is the need to follow functional traditions in all the things that we do. That is why I would want to suggest to our local airlines to use some of our languages as part of their in-flight communication.

I have in recent times travelled from Accra to Kumasi by air. What I have noticed is that the in-flight communication is conducted exclusively in English. I have had the privilege of travelling by air in other jurisdictions and during such flights, where the local language is not English, in-flight communication is conducted in both English and the local language.

Accordingly, my suggestion to the domestic airlines is that they should use some of our languages to communicate to their passengers who may not understand English. Thus for instance, on the Kumasi route, variations of Twi could be used, Hausa on the Tamale route and Fanti on the Takoradi route. This is not any extraordinary demand. It is the best practice in international aviation operations. Our languages are not inferior to that of English. Whilst we cannot ignore the use of English to communicate in-flight information, we must not be limited to that language as if we are flying within an exclusive English zone.

Again, another matter of importance to international aviation is the provision of newspapers on board aeroplanes so that passengers could read while in flight. It appears our airlines are not ready to provide this service which enhances appreciation of the news happening around us. We cannot claim to be part of the global village and act as if we are not part of the global community.

It is time we assert our fundamental rights as Ghanaians. In other parts of Africa, for instance, the baggage allowance is far more than in Ghana. Some of the airlines look more at the size of the luggage than the mere weight. Being gentle sometimes works when you are dealing with privilege; but when a right is concerned, there must be no compromise.

I remember a story once told of two Ghanaians travelling to Seoul through Schippol, Amsterdam. They had to wait for more than five hours as transit passengers; and as international aviation regulations provide, they should have been provided accommodation. However, they were denied the privilege. As they embarked on the next stage of the journey, the airline staff apologised and upgraded their tickets from economy to business class. However on their return, they had to sleep overnight at the same airport. Because they were gentle, they realised when they got outside the airport that they were provided a single room with two beds for their stay. The difficulty was that the passengers were a male and female. Stoically, they shared the room and reported their ordeal to the airline staff the next day. They were, however, blamed for not checking on their accommodation before leaving the airport.

I equally remember travelling from Germany on a Lufthansa flight through Lagos. The flight delayed in Germany and, therefore, there was a subtle attempt by the crew not to travel to Accra but return from Lagos although the flight was to terminate in Accra before returning to Lagos for the outward trip. There were a few of us who saw through the ruse and, thus, rushed early to board the plane and refused to vacate our seats. When the crew realised that we were determined not to be treated with contempt, they had no alternative but to continue the flight to Accra before returning to take the passengers from Lagos.

It is imperative that we do not sleep on our rights or needlessly forego any privilege which is due us. That is why I am of the view that the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority must ensure that Ghanaian languages are used alongside English in domestic flights. The choice of the Ghanaian language must be dependent on the route applied by the airline. This is not utopian. It is a very legitimate demand and must be enforced in the name of standard. The willingness of the average Ghanaian to let sleeping dogs lie must not be taken as a licence to cheat them or deny them what is legitimate and is considered normal in other jurisdictions. There are many of the things which happen to us when we fly that cannot happen in Nigeria for example, not because Nigerians are more sophisticated but because they would never allow their rights to be trampled upon nor a privilege due them to be withdrawn so easily.

We must hear and listen to a Ghanaian language in addition to English when we board any of the domestic airlines depending on the route. This is legitimate.