Wednesday, May 30, 2018



CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF STOOLS

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 -WEDNESDAY, SEPT.8, 1991
Ghana is a small but culturally rich country of 18 million people on the West Coast of Africa bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. When the first Europeans set foot on the soil of this part of Africa they saw that gold was virtually like ordinary pebbles that could be collected on the river banks.

This explains why the place' was then baptised the Gold Coast. And when Ghana was Gold Coast, gold cost nothing. As a result some of the richest kings of the Gold Coast actually adorned themselves with inestimable values of gold ornaments, especially on festive occasions.

Ghana is endowed with magnificent traditional festivals such as "Aboakyer", "Homowo", "Hogbetsotso", "Kundum" etc. celebrated annually throughout the country.
These festivals actually depict the  depth of the cultural heritage of the people of Ghana which leave foreign visitors and tourists spellbound. But today, it must be admitted that gold is a scarce commodity and so expensive that some modern Ghanaian Kings or chiefs cannot even afford a small gold ring to decorate their little fingers.

The story is told of one of the richest ancient Kings, who lived by one of the largest rivers in the country. One day the' King had what could be termed a psychic experience during a brief meditation on the bank of the river. In that meditation there was an unmistakable revelation that the noble King was to embark on a journey of no return. He was also to visit the kingdom of the ghosts, where gold was not one of the  requirements to be a King.

When the "mystic" King awoke from his seemingly blue study, he quickly gathered together his three sons and said: "Beloved sons of my bosom, sooner or later I shall no more be with you; I shall have to embark on a journey of no return, but as to where precisely, I cannot tell. He went on, "while I am away, my kingdom ought to be governed all the same".

Then he brought out some royal regalia and told his three children: "Here are my headgear, made of gold, my sandals, made of gold and my stool,  made of wood. Take one each of your choices and rule when I am no more", he ordered. Without much ado, the eldest son picked up the golden headgear; the second rushed for the golden sandals, leaving the wooden stool for the last son, who like a beggar, had no choice. Seven days after the distribution of the royal paraphernalia to his sons, the King slept and never woke up again.

He had crossed the river into the Great Sea. Another seven days after the King's transition, another King had to be installed, according to customs. So the kingmakers summoned the three sons of the departed King and told them that according to customs and tradition he who has the stool is destined to be the next King and he shall be ens-tooled.

There again, the last son had no choice but to be ens-tooled as his father's successor. His eldest brother's headgear was collected for his head; the second son's sandals transferred to his feet and on his wooden stool he was authorised to sit and a new King he became.

Indeed, in Ghana, the stool constitutes the foundation of chieftaincy. In other words, without a stool no installation of a chief can take place in many parts of Ghana, especially the southern part of the country. In the North, the Skin plays the same important role in the elevation of chiefs. The stool in Ghana is equivalent to the throne in England. And it is the importance and value of stools and skins that give rise to the adoption of a stool or skin name by every newly installed chief or queen in Ghanaian society. 
          
It is worthy to know that besides its real meaning as a wooden seat, the actual significance of a "stool" is to denote the office of a King or Chief for  the Akans and he Ewes, as well as other ethnic groups in southern Ghana. For instance, the Ashantis, one of the major ethnic groups in Ghana, reputed for their rich traditional culture heritage, the Ashanti Stool is called  "Asante Akondwa". The Ewes call theirs " Fiazikpui".  This simply means the same as saying the "English throne".

Furthermore, in Ghana, we have terms such as 'Stool Land', 'Stool Money' or 'Stool Farm" meaning the land, money or farm attached to the chieftaincy or kingship of a particular kingdom or traditional area. This is a property for the current ruler as he has charge over it while in office. When the ruler passes away, the incident is referred to as, "the Stool has fallen".

It is relevant to explain that there are basically three kinds of stools in Ghana. They are the domestic, ceremonial and ritual stools. Unlike the ceremonial and ritual stools, ordinary stools are usually unadorned or decorated. Ghanaian ethnologists find it difficult or even impossible to establish a chronology for stools although it has been presumed that "they were probably invented to serve the needs of the increasingly complex society, which evolved in Ashanti and other ethnic groups in the nine-teenth century". (Ghana Museums).

Ritual Stools for many years, clans have had stools which were linked with personalities or even deities and spiritual status of their owners and were cleaned before any major ritual involving individual clans or households. Examples are what is known as the "Adae rituals" or soul cleaning ceremonies, referred to in the local dialect as "Kradware" which takes place among the Akans.

Again, shrines of gods were placed on stools in which the seat was supported on a carving for example, a "crocodile with a mud-fish in its mouth" depicting the amphibious nature of the deity in the world and yet out of it".

As a matter of fact a stool is thought to receive some spiritual element from its user, and the' Ashantis often explain their habit of tipping stools on their sides when not in use as a precaution against a stray bad spirit (sunsum bone), possibly from an executed person or an accident victim entering the stool.
Ceremonial Stools the Akan or Ewe chief in Ghana, the stool is the most important item of his regalia. The ceremonial stool is the focal point of the national culture.

In the Ashanti region of Ghana, for instance, the "Golden Stool" is more important than the Asante King himself as a person is. This was demonstrated in practical  terms when one of the Ashanti Kings known as King Prempeh was exiled by the British in 1891.

History has it that in 1891 there had not been any rebellion when the said Ashanti King was exiled to the Seychelles. But when the British Governor Sir Francis Hodgson ventured to sit on the "Golden Stool", the Asante uprising of 1900 occurred in reaction to what was seen to be an act of sacrilege.

In Ghana, as well as in other parts of Africa where chieftaincy exists, ceremonial stools are the prerogative of kings and other high ranking persons. Some are handed  down from one chief to the other, but at some places a new one is commissioned when a new king assumes office. When a major ancestral ceremonial stool is taken away in war by an enemy, it means the state has lost its independence. A chief is ens-tooled and destooled by the ceremonies around the Great Stool.

Furthermore, ceremonial stools like the linguist's staff of office, are used to communicate to a gathering. For example, when a chief sits on "Obi-te-obi-so" (someone-sits-on-the-other) stool, it signifies that that chief is superior to others at the gathering or meeting And when many ceremonial stools are assembled, the user of "Obi-te-Obi" Stool is the supreme ruler.

As a matter of fact, ceremonial stools are often adorned with 'gold or silver strips, bells, belts, beads, cowries, fetters and amulets. These beautiful art objects attached to them do not only add to their cultural .values but to the spiritual powers of the owners of the stools as well.

 In Ghana today any foreign dignitary or diplomat who visits the country or finishes serving his duty tour and pays a farewell courtesy call on the Head of State, that person is presented with a traditional stool as a symbol of reverence arid authority. The importance of stools in the traditional leadership therefore, cannot be taken for granted.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic in September. 1991


Thursday, May 3, 2018



TELECOM SECTOR MAKES PROGRESS
By Mawutodzi K. Abissath
Saturday, June 10, 2000 No. 147931. Price   ¢800
IN the 20th Century, when: Ghana was Gold Coast, gold, cocoa and timber were regarded as the economic saviours of the country. But today, at the threshold of the 21st Century, one can brag without fear of exaggeration that the telecom industry of the nation is the rock upon which Ghana can build its economic development infrastructure.

In other words, for Ghana to progress and prosper economically in the new millennium, it must invest in knowledge and skill rather than gold and cocoa. This knowledge and skill is what is technically known as Information and Communications Technology.

If you tell your 15-year-old child that, just about five years ago, there was only one place in Accra, called the P & T External Section where any human being in Ghana who wanted to speak with someone abroad ought to go, the child will look at your face with open mouth. Even then, you would have had to book your call for at least three days or more in advance.

As for obtaining your own phone line in your private house, you would need to be on the waiting list for at least ten years. If you are fortunate, you would get your phone in 20 years’ time. If you are not lucky, you might cross the great sea into the other side of heaven before it would be your 'turn to be connected,
However, today, your five-year-old child, even in your absence, can pick up your phone, either fixed or mobile and call his classmate in Kasoa and tell him: "Hello, Kofi; Mum has bought Fanta, for me; will you drink some?" Today, you can receive a call in your bathroom from your cousin in Japan that he has remitted you something you must go and collect at the Ghana Commercial Bank.

Today, a student in Bolgatanga Secondary School can call his mother at the Keta Market that he needs some Keta Schoolboys and gari. 'Today, an, investor in Chicago in America can communicate directly with a Paramount Chief at Amedzope and inquire about tourism potential of the Amedzope mountains, etc. Even though we still have a long way to go as a nation, we should not take this progress in the country's telecom industry for granted.

Records show that Ghana's telecommunications sector restructuring programme started in February 1997, with a principal aim at increasing private sector participation in the establishment of modern communications infrastructure and the provision of a variety of services.

According to telecom experts, the strategy adopted by the government was the creation of two major nation, all operators, namely Ghana Telecom and the Western Telesystems Ghana 'Limited (WESTEL) following the sale of 3D per cent share of the then Post and Telecommunications Corporation (P&T).

Government still has 70 per cent shares for future use for the benefit of the nation. Statistics indicate that as at 1994, Ghana could boast of only 5,000 telephone lines. This means that after almost 40 years of independence since 1957, when the nation's population hit almost 18 million only less than 10 million people had access to telephone facility. Thus, with the privatization of the telecom sector, the two national operators were tasked to increase telephone lines from the 5,000 to 50.000 by the 'year 2000. Telecom experts term this as increasing telephone penetration from three to over 10 percent of the population.

It is reassuring to learn that, as at the time of writing this piece, Ghana Telecom and WESTEL have managed to increase tele-density to nearly one per hundred as compared with about four per 100.0. of the population in early 1997, according to the Telecom Adviser to the Minister of Communications. Ghana Telecom and WESTEL have also increased access to telephone service through the availability of thousands of paid-phones provided countrywide 'since 1997, and 1999 respectively. It must be explained that WESTEL actually started operation in 1999.

Another telecom company which has been .licensed by the National Communications Authority to operate as a national operator is Capital Telecom. What is unique about Capital Telecom is that it is mandated specifically to provide telecommunications services to the rural and underserved communities in the country. So far, its services delivered to the - southern sector of Ghana is covering five regions including Western, Central, Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra.

Besides, the above-mentioned fixed telephone operators, there are three major - cellular mobile telephone operators who have contributed a great - deal to make Ghana's Telecom Sector-an enviable one. They include Millicom (Gh) Ltd., operators of Mobitel, Scancom Ltd. Spacefon, and Cell Tel Ltd. operators of Celtel phones.

On Wednesday, May 17, 2000, when the World Telecom Day was celebrated throughout the world, almost all of these telecom operators both fixed and mobile under the coordinator ship of the National Communications Authority mounted an exhibition within the premises of the Ministry of Communications as part of activities marking the Day.

It was amazing to know that apart from providing telephone services to the public, some of these telecom operators have been engaging in tremendous charitable development projects and goodwill services that deserve emulation. It is relevant to mention that Ghana Telecom and WESTEL are mandated to opera CSM Mobile Services and before long; Ghana Telecom will take off and rural Ghana will not be the same again. 
         
Even though the focus of this article is on the telecom industry, one cannot fail to mention in passing the wonderful work the private sector in the Information Technology IT in general is doing.

According to the Telecom Adviser to the Government, in spite of relatively limited access to computers, the Internet services providers in Ghana today are doing a wonderful job. Data telecom operators in the country cannot be ignored for their contributions towards the advancement of the telecom industry. And if one should attempt to broaden the communications sector in its entirety to rope in the print and electronic media, the story will be different.

The simple truth is that communications has influence on economic development, supports manufacturing and agriculture, helps to promote export, projects tourism, attracts investment and facilitate banking, health and education.

Having said this it must be pointed out that, for Ghana's telecom industry to do better than what pertains today, there will be a need for the regulatory aspect of the industry to be handled professionally to create an environment of peace, harmony and trust. But Ghana's telecom experts, technologists, scientists and engineers must also not be satisfied with mere importation of foreign communications equipment only.

They must be creative and endeavor to manufacture simple telecom gadgets at affordable prices for rural dwellers to improve upon their economic development.  In his World Telecom Day message to the world this year, the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan stated: "In the new millennium, let us make telecommunications the engine of development and integration that it can be. Only then can we capture the promises of globalisation while managing its adverse effects."

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic Saturday, June 10, 2000.