Why Ghanaian statesmen don't write memoirs - Kwesi Pratt Jnr

The fear of destroying relationships with friends and relatives is a disincentive for Ghanaian statesmen when it comes to chronicling their past experiences, the Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has said.

According to Mr Pratt, the balance between contributing to societal development with a book and protecting relationships is too precarious for most Ghanaian statesmen to attempt.

Commenting on the lack of memoirs by Ghanaian statesmen Friday, on Accra-based Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme, he said most of the would-be subjects in such books were likely to still be alive, thereby making it difficult to undertake such projects.

Reacting to claims that, deceased statesman Mr Joseph Henry Mensah declined writing a memoir because of this reason, Mr Pratt disclosed that personally he has been forced to edit and re-edit his memoir which is still in the works at 400 pages for such reasons.

He said: "You, don't want to destroy friends, to destroy relatives and to put people in trouble. Achieving that balance is not easy and you keep fighting with your conscience all the time. Should, I say this should? Why not say this?"

He said he had in his possession a handwritten letter from an unnamed Ghanaian statesman which when published would lower the reputation of the person in the eyes of the nation.

"When I got this letter... I got this letter in 1992... Freddie Blay knows about the content of this letter. I made two copies of the letter. I kept one copy of this letter and gave one to Kweku Baako. I gave him one copy of this letter on condition that this letter will never be published".