For the past decade, the northern part of Ghana has become synonymous with violent tribal, religious and chieftaincy conflicts. The recent upsurge in violent conflict in the Bawku area in the Upper East Region and the arson in Tamale and Gushegu, otherwise referred to as the “DO ME I DO YOU AFFAIR” are clear cases in point.
Ghana has been reckoned globally as a relatively peaceful nation. But, for the northern part of this country it takes just a shout or little provocation to spark-off chaos and anarchy. This is not to say that other areas in Ghana do not experience violent conflict. But I am particular about the frequency and magnitude of conflicts in and around the three northern regions.
The unresolved menace in Dagbon, the Bimbilla chieftaincy dispute, the Wa chieftaincy dispute, the Buipe chieftaincy conflict, the Konkomba-Bimoba scenario and lately the Tamale and Gushegu arson are clear instances in point. These incidents have put the name and image of the area into question as some now refer to the north as the middle east of Ghana.
Violence and of course armed conflicts have eroded peace, joy and to some extent life out of the area leaving it in a state of perpetual poverty and hopelessness.
In all these cases the class of people actively domineering is the youth. The youth have become subservient to the powers of a bunch of cabals with diabolical intentions whose abiding motivation is political profit, nihilism and mendacity whiles simultaneously denigrating the image of the north.
They forget that all men are created equal and are endowed naturally with certain inalienable rights which include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness such that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution. We should therefore engage in politics of hope instead of politics of cynicism.
Some northerners and some Ghanaian politicians always engage in the amorphous news spin that the area is marginalized, thus continuing a tradition of stereotype and bombast, bias and disdain. These are often the warp and woof of media opprobrium and coverage when any issue about the north is the subject .
I am of the conviction that the bane of the northern poverty are the intra-religious and chieftaincy disputes .The area which already experiences erratic rainfall pattern should have seen its youth who constitute the larger proportion of the labour force channel their energies into fruitful ventures that will provide an effective link in pushing for a positive change in the traditional landscape instead of trying to create lawless and a neo-culture of silence in the north.
It is now time we stood up and say no to selfish politicians who often take advantage of the vulnerability of the youth to employ them as serial callers into radio discussions of the polarized political environment to always launch vituperations and scurrilous attacks on their political opponents whom they consider as foes and adversaries.
Often, hosts of radio programmes particularly on the private radio stations due to lack of professionalism, bias or fears allow such individuals to embark on such scurrility without correcting or putting them on track. As noted in political circles, one of the characteristics of a democratic organization is the capacity to manage opposing views through dialogue, compromise and respect for established procedures. So why do we resort to arson and arm conflicts when we should have been learning lessons from Rwanda, Liberia and Sudan.
How do we resolve this multitudinal conflicts that have engulfed the area. First of all, I must sound home the caution that no outsider and no government or state institution can resolve the problems created by us except ourselves because we know the root causes and how weapons are being moved or smuggled into the land. The people training warriors, hiring mercenaries and trafficking weapons and ammunitions are within us; let’s expose them and stop shifting blame on individuals and institutions outside the northern terrain. In fact, the challenge to change the socio-political attitude of the people of the north in particular may be a messianic one.
The socio-political attitudes of a people determine the way they do things. That is what they do, how they do them and when they do them. Are the youth of the area selfless and willing to sacrifice, do we have a development agenda as northerners, can we co-exist as one people with a common destiny. Granted the elderly have failed us, what are we as the young and upcoming doing? I mean the Haruna Iddrisus, Amin Antas, Alhassan Andanis, Mustafa Hamids, Inusah Fuseinis, Thomas Alonsis, Andrews Awunis, Rashid Pelpuos, Ali Nakyeas and the Adam Sules. Not to talk of the Bawumias and the Mahamas. The time to act is now.
As young educated elites of the area, we need to come together and fight a common cause. Politics and chieftaincy tend to divide us, making many to wonder whether we can unite at all. Politics is directly related to the day-to-day socio-economic development of the people and it is time we became united in diversity. For now we look very disorganized and disenchanted. Most of us the youth need to soberly reflect on and examine our lives and contributions to the area’s development. We must realize that no matter the faith we practice, the language we speak, the ethnic group we belong to, the political party we follow, no matter how much money we have, we all have a stake in one another, we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper.
While we as individuals have different past, upon a cursory look we all share the same hopes for the future.
Moreover, it is high time we discarded the rapidly springing up of religious fundamentalism, especially with regards to intra-Islamic controversies. Young preachers who profess to know Islamic theology launch very serious verbal attacks on their perceived Tijania or Ahli Sunna counterparts especially during Ramadan which is suppose to be the Month of Peace. Let’s bear in mind that religious factionalism will take us no where since it is abhorred by Allah Himself and if we do not take our time the very genuine reasons and goals for which we practice religion would elude us on the day of judgement. Why do we rather use religion to hold ourselves back when it should have helped us to progress? We need to ask ourselves many questions and imbibe the culture of tolerance into our social setting.
Finally, in order for us to effectively resolve conflicts in the north, we ought to as youth break the too much dependency mentality that has been with us for long. We should emancipate ourselves from the syndrome of political manipulations and influences. We have to unlock our own independence before that of our society. When we become independent we can then question the status quo and the injustices in our society. We should be able to identify the pro and anti-development attitudes and try to be vigilant of leaders whether within or without the north who try to misuse us for their own gain. We should learn to stand firm on the truth, for according to Winston Churchill the “truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it; but, in the end; there it is.”
Let me sum up by saying that violent armed conflicts have been unnecessary and have led to catastrophic consequences. The economic costs of conflicts are immeasurable and in conflict areas, poverty sucks the energies of people, malnutrition kills children, illiteracy darkens their minds and forecloses their future. We all as northerners must therefore ponder over the issues raised in this feature and endeavour to take part in effective conflict prevention; management and resolution for the rest of the country may not wait for us while we struggle amidst conflicts.
As we approach December, 2008 General Elections, we as northerners and Ghanaians in general are being called upon to reaffirm our values and commitments to the legacy of our fore bearers who fought through thick and thin for our independence and the promises of generations yet unborn.
Muhammed A. Yakubu,Youth Development Advocate,
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