BAFUOR OSEI AKOTO, THE MOVER AND THE SHAKER

MY FATHER, THE MOVER AND THE SHAKER! This year 2012 and September 3rd to be precise, marks the 10th anniversary of my father's passing. He was an enigma! Everywhere he went; every comment he made; every comment made about him; even whenever he sneezed, he created ripples, good or bad. He was phenomenal and profound in his statements. He was wise beyond compare. He did not earn the title of “Asante cultural walking encyclopedia” for nothing. His memory and his mind was sharp till he died at the ripe old age of 98. You could not but be awed in his presence. He had a commanding presence that begged to be respected. He was one of the most handsome men among the Princes in the land. Above all, he hated injustice and was no hypocrite. This was my father Bafuor Osei-Akoto. His compassion and his sense of advocating for the poor, the deprived and the vulnerable led him to be chosen as the leader of the National Liberation Movement (NLM). Oh, this movement has been so misunderstood and ridiculed by his detractors and a war machine propaganda, second to only the one put in place by Hitler in his feeble attempts to annihilate the Jews, was put forth by the opposition in order to re-write the historical contributions he made to the independence of Ghana. But the truth can never be covered. In this world, every person or people who have ever refused to live under slavery and injustice have fought to regain their rightful place to live as free men under the sun. Look at all the countries of the world, the Mau Mau of Kenya, the African National Congress of South Africa. These two were at one point or the other, referred to as renegades and blood thirsty just as the NLM was referred to. The NLM and these two had some things in common: 1. They were known to have originated on tribal lines and this is no surprise since the meaning of nationalism is “... a concept that arose in the 19th c. among peoples who became aware of their national identity without having a national state; in these cases nationalism had first to be affirmed linguistically and culturally, then be given political embodiment.” Wikipedia. So those who referred to NLM as tribalistic should have seen that that is how many revolutions and independence anywhere started so if these 2 countries and others including Cuba have now accepted the fact that the movements helped to bring about liberation, then why can't Ghanaians accept NLM as same but continue to vilify the movement? 2. The three movements had to defend themselves against their opposers, be it the colonialists or otherwise. They did fight back only to defend themselves against those who thought they were rebels and in their effort to crush them, sent armed guards, soldiers and thugs against them. The authorities used every form of intimidation against these groups and whenever these people fought back, they were referred to in many derogatory terms and having the power over the media, the authority at the time would use negative propaganda to discredit the groups. 3. In South Africa and Ghana, many resistant groups were formed against the authorities. In Ghana the minority groups that opposed the CPP government were the Northern People's Party (NPP), Togoland Congress Party (GCP), the Aborigines Rights Protection Society and the Anlo Youth Organization. All these groups came together from the different regions of Ghana proving that people with the same aspirations, be it tribal, religion or otherwise always come together, so why was the NLM singled out and vilified? In South Africa this is how it was described, “During the eight years of negotiations, it became apparent that delegates of the four provinces were determined to forge a settlement that excluded Africans from meaningful political participation in the envisaged unified South Africa. This galvanized different African political formations, hitherto fragmented and each with a ‘provincial’ appeal, to forge a unified political movement that would challenge the exclusion of Black people. The African People’s Organisation, largely a Cape political formation, the Orange River Colony Vigilance Association and the Transvaal Vigilance Association were all formed during this period.” Wikipedia. In Kenya, it was the Kikuyu tribe that led the opposition. 4. In Ghana when the then government wanted to use the 'divide and rule' tactics in order to shatter the groups, they all came together to form the United Party (UP) under the National Chairmanship of Mr. Alex Hutton-Mills. I could go on and on to make comparisons but time will not permit me. The point is, it was not only the NLM that formed a resistance group against dictatorship. It has happened in many countries and recently in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and now in Syria. The government of the day always feel the desire to crush any opposition to their authority and this always result in bloodshed. The NLM was vindicated when Nkrumah became a dictator after turning Ghana into a one party State, something my father had been warning Ghanaians about. He declared himself the sole president after my father Bafuor and 7 others were detained without trial under the Preventive Detention Act of 1959. Mandela suffered the same fate and so was Jomo Kenyatta. All these people paid their dues and were honoured but my father has been left out even in speeches that celebrate our independence. Their names have been etched on monuments in their respective countries. The question is why, why, why? Where were the Big Six when my father with the then Asantehene and other Chiefs debated the independence issue in October of 1943? Where was Busia and Nkrumah when my father, J B.Danquah and others were delegated to present the Joint Gold Coast Independence proposal to the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Oliver Littleton at the Castle, Osu in 1953? I have the pictures to prove it. Point is, the history books are there to verify these statements even though we are aware that some things have been changed to re-write history in order to vilify my father. But Pa has been vindicated by current events here in Ghana and abroad so why won't history in Ghana give honour to whom honour is due but continue to perpetuate the lies and the slander put in place by Nkrumah's propaganda machine? In this the 10th anniversary of his death, I just want the records to be set straight about this great man's selflessness and to honour his achievements. I would wish I had the space to continue with this but I believe that anyone who has the truth ingrained into their natures and hate injustice would seek to accept my father's contribution to this nation. Pa, you were an enigma, a philosopher, a wise counselor, a great linguist, a great husband and above all a great and gentle father. You will forever remain in our hearts because to live in the hearts of those you love is to live forever. Come what may, let it rain, let is shine, let others continue to hide their heads in the sand in order to hide your glory and achievements, but we, your children, will never ever forget you. Be rest assured that your grandchildren and great, great great...........grandchildren will learn of your greatness. You served your country well during World War II when you retired as a Captain, when you participated with delegation after delegation about our independence, when you lost all after being unlawfully detained by the then government to assuage their pride. You were even banned from entering Ashanti Region after your release in 1965 so you went to stay at Tamale till the 1966 coup. But through it all, you stood tall like a Colossus. You would have loved the RE:Akoto Memorial Lectures instituted by the Ghana Law School in your memory and the 7 others as well. Rest In Perfect Peace till we meet again to part no more. “Onipa beyee bi na wammeye ne nyinaa. Your achievements will be written in the sands of time. Peace!!! Rita Akoto Coker