Did you see it coming?

I wonder whether you knew? Did the doctors tell you? Were you aware how long you had left? Did you decide to keep going regardless? We will never know. But we will never forget. 

Sometimes i didnt think you really fit in. i found you too calm, too quiet. Very unlike the politicians we are used to. I wondered whether this was a game you should be playing. But you did.

Sometimes i wonder whether you were under pressure. Whether the people around you allowed you to be the President you wanted to be. But it is what it is.

We can only hope that those who come after you will love this nation and hold her interests as closely to their hearts as you did.

i do not know why you didnt resign and rest. Put your health first. Decide to place your interests first. But whatever reasons you have, i hope the ride was worth it.

You gave this nation your dying breath and for that nobody will ever be able to deny your dedication. You were a gentleman and you stayed true to your nature till the very end.

RIP sir. it's finally over.

 

Another customer service cow.

Dear JM, the woman who answers your phone is a cow. Let's just get that out of the way.

On Wednesday, i sent my car to Japan Motors in Tema to get the windscreen replaced. This customer service lady said it'd be ready the next day. On thursday afternoon, she casually informs me that they realized they didnt have windscreens to put on the car so they had to get one from the Accra office. By the time it came it was 4pm and "we had closed". On friday she says it'll be ready by midday. Meanwhile she is unable to give me a bill before midday. Cool.

At 3pm she calls me to say the estimated price has shot up by over 50% percent. Why? "It's not our fault. The dollar." I'm not even mad because i know i'm getting my car back that evening. She says i should send someone to pick up the car and hurry up because they will close soon. Now i'm the one holding the process back? Cool. I send someone over to go and pick up the car in tema.

At 4:15 she calls to say that they have found leakages in the windscreen and hence the car is not ready. So the person shouldnt come and the car will have to stay over becase they cant fix it.They cant fix it "because it's past 4 and we have closed" and "we dont work on weekends".

I suggest that since i've been so inconvenienced and someone is already half way there they could at least spare a few more minutes to finish with my car, She responds "i dont know who will stay here to do that job because we live far away in Accra...". 

This morning i call her - note, i had to call her - and she says, (and this is word for word) "i was even trying to call you... the car would have been ready by now, but when they took it to the washing bay someone used something to hit it..." i exclaim... "yes, it's not serious, someone just used their car to hit the back so we have even decided to fix it for you that's why it's taking time."

And that is how i was informed of the damage to my car. When i asked her to put me thru to a more senior (read intelligent) person, she got offended. Ha!

Anyways, the car wasnt bashed by another car, it had picked up a scratch from someone's carelessness which they were fixing. I'm calm till i see it tomorrow. But the point is, there are obviously more sensible and sensitive staff. So why is this twit the interface between you and your customers?

Why do you smoke?

Dope. Simple.

My second one. Am i officially an addict? So ashamed.

Melanin in your skin

Do Black Africans have innate low self-esteem? No? Yes? Is it caused by Melanin?

Why is Africa still where it is? Why are we still so sheepishly reverent of the White man? Yes, they built the Ships and came here. But when they came why were we so overwhelmed? why didnt we say "ooooh... cool boat, but come this way and check out how we made this tree grow from bird crap... Organic baby!" or something.

It's not all of Africa, just the black bit. Because Egyptians were way ahead. Until recently. But i digress. Why is Sundiata the only guy from Black Africa to have made some sort of early world impact. Why didn't God pick Noah from Black Africa (Theology students, relax... i'm just making a point). 

Why does Christo Asafo whatever his name is, think that by {re}inventing a car, he's achieved something worthy of attention? Why are we intrigued with something that Ford showed us in 1903 and Egyptians showed us even earlier? Wouldnt his time be better spent i dunno... making a fuel that can run my car on cocoa, shea butter and sand? Relevant? I'd say. Especially because he'd have done something that can make the white man wide-eyed. Instead of making TVs that turn on when you clap. How do you watch soccer or an action movie with that?

Why are we so eager to welcome and instantly believe that the White man is more experienced, more knowledgeable, more this and more that? Even at the expense of our own flesh and blood?Ghanaians are hospitable? yeah, to the White man.

Oh wait. because Jesus was white. And we're made in His image. Well, they are. 

More on this later.

 

 

Happy Women's Day,

From the freaks, the ladies, the quiets, the crazies,

the ones we once loved who now have babies...

To the naggers, the playettes, the feminists, the divas,

 the afrocentric fashionistas rocking Davivas...

From the old, to the young, the fair, the dark,

To the tall, the short,

even the ones who play sport...

 

From the smart, the awesome, the downright cumbersome, 

To the A cups, and the D’s, even those who're troublesome 

From the ones who flaunt it and make us quake in the knees,

To those who stare and just say ugh, please...

From the made up, the natural, the woven on, the bald…

To the manicured, the pedicured,

the wont be bothered, cant be cured...

 

From the hard to get, the difficult to maintain,

the long life partners, the hard to explain...

To the bold, the strong,

the ones who keep this world moving along...

 

From all the women who inspire us

even to those who must always get their own way...

here's a note just to say, 

Happy Women's day.

 

Analogy.

55 years ago, Ghana was a start-up and Nkrumah was the entrepreneur behind it. The Patrick Awuah of his day, if you will. He put toil and blood into it and made it flourish as much as possible. He was passionate about his business and he invested in it.

But now the founder has gone away and the business has lost it's soul, inspiration and drive. Now it's being managed by people who dont see it as theis and just want to milk it dry. The've formed unnecessary alliances, there's so much office politics - pun intended - internal power struggles, ass-kissing and unecessary pettiness. Innovation is stifled. Stagnant mediocre groupthink sets in.

New management has no empathy for the employees. Once in a while, the management does something that seems nice, and because the employees are so used to such crappy standards, even the littlest things seem... ahem... gargantuan.. But the saddest part is that these little things aren't perks, they're things that management is supposed to do! But, HR is not too effective, so there.

Management grows detached from the employees. The leaders eventually stop leading and focus on enriching themselves. The employees lose interest, arent as dedicated, and just coast and stop demanding. At least the paycheck is constant. And so it continues. Everybody just dey.

Nkrumah's generation was a much prouder generation of Africans. They believed in themselves. Even the way they spoke was different. Had a tinge of learnedness. They made things happen and became an active force to reckon with internationally. But now this entire generation seems to have low self-esteem. We've dropped the ball. Woefully. But all isn't completely lost. We're 55. There's still time to grow up.