An article by Nana Yaw Sarpong

In Africa, we have continued to live as a people who do not bite-- although in our collective effort we can more than any other grouping-- not even when we are wronged. When we wrong others, we are quick to make things right, not for fear, but for peaceful co-existence. That has been our way, the way.

Also, part of our way has been reciprocity. Along the line, we have let that essential component of our whole loose. So we now beg. Not the people, but the parasites, the rulers who drink tea with destroyers who once used our coast and predators across the desert. We the people do not hate anyone. But we must guard against those who throw up dust and seek our extermination utterly. We must seek ways to fight the destroyers. For now, those of the way must stay away from the destroyers and predators, even the parasites from amongst us.

As the years went by, so have many of these destroyers and predators adapted, coming in different forms, attacking our very soul, and threatening to improve our morality. Our spiritual self has been under attack, the very thing we may have in common with their damaged selves. A dead slaving god was sold to us, and grievously we bought it. All of this happened. We were a sufficient people who bought into lies and destruction.

In today's world, so much has not changed. New schemes have come to replace the old lies. And the rulers from these parts have not changed.

It is my hope still that that larger portion of Africans will wake up to the call to look beyond things so material. We as a people cherish things more subliminal. There is the need to go back to the way, our way of living; the way that does not worship Profit.

There is the need to teach our people, those of today, those young ones, to look to the way we used to live. It should guard their ways. The perception that everything is profit must be approached carefully; for it is an ideology that threatens the fabric of our society and our way of living. It will not be easy. No good fight has been easy. Let those who choose to associate with the destroyers and predators do while we continue the creative work. We are a people who have inherited a lot of trash which parasites want us to belief are blessings. They are not.

We were once told that our ways were heathen. Our ways were ways of a fictive devil. The preacher then was the devil he said our way was! The preacher, the destroyer, who came from across the oceans, was the devil he said our way was. He sold us a god who will come again. The predator from across the desert also brought us a slaving god. He said his god forces all others to join the worship. Those who refuse are not fit to live. We listened to all these stories that our children will laugh at. But they brought trash also. Shiny things, so superficial, yet the parasites among us will wish to have. So today, the way seems lost to us.

The creative work must resume, it must go on regardless. Those of us who wish to find the way must work towards it. We must read, several insightful authors from Africa await our coming—Ayi Kwei Armah stands at salvation’s door. We must see through the subterfuge, the deceit. We must restore the way. We must restore self-sufficiency and enforce reciprocity. That is the way.

Nana Yaw Sarpong