AU SUMMIT 2007: PRAISE GHANA, ALLELUIA!!!

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic, Friday, October 26, 2007

Long, long, long ago - long before Leonardo da Vinci of Italy flew the first air craft from a mountain top and crushed in a valley and got hurt badly, the legendary African Lizard had fallen off the tallest tree in the world and crushed on the ground without being hurt at all!

Then, while still on the crushed spot, the lizard looked up, down, left and right, expecting people around to applaud him for a great feat. But then when the Lizard realised that nobody was minding him, he declared: “If nobody will praise me, I will praise myself!”

So too, if nobody in this terrorist-infested world and highly coup d’état prone-continent of Africa will praise Ghana for having successfully hosted a terrorism-free AU Summit in the capital city of Accra from June 25, to July 3, 2007, with over 50 Heads of State, numerous Ministers and high-powered diplomats and other dignitaries in attendance, I will praise Ghana on behalf of all Ghanaians.

Commendation

There is no speck of doubt that Ghana as a nation deserves commendation for ensuring that not a single mosquito touched even the smallest toes of any of the African Heads of State who participated in the just-ended historical A U Summit in our country. Even Ghana Parliament has documented in its Hansards that there are incalculable mosquitoes in Accra and these mosquitoes do not need passports and visas to board a plane from any part of the city to the Accra International Conference Centre? This is why we must be grateful to the Creator and sing Praise to Ghana..! So Praise Ghana..! It was not an easy feat at all. Our ancestors coined a proverb that: “If you did not take part in the warfare, you would have the luxury to fume that people did not fight enough.”

Whether we like it or not, the 9^th A U Summit Accra, with focused on the Grand Debate by the African Heads of State on the Union Government of the Continent has come and gone. I will prefer to call it a Golden Jubilee African Union Summit because it took place in the year that Ghana celebrated her Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary. More importantly, the seed of the United States of Africa germinated in the fertile womb of a son of Ghana in the African personality of the 20th century, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who never dies. Over 40 years ago when he was wide awake, and dreaming during day time, his peers were snoring in the night – ‘hrorrrr- hrorrr- hrorr…!’

Dr Nkrumah’s soul

As a matter of fact, the invisible soul of Dr Nkrumah took his seat in a corner behind the 52 African Heads who locked themselves up in the dark room to engage in the invisible Grand Debate. Why wasn’t the debate telecast live for the over 800 million other Africans to see “feelee-feelee?” If the Grand Opening Ceremony could be broadcast live, why not the Grand Debate? It would have made the drama more exiting indeed! And the Heads of State would have even earned the sympathy and an understanding of their citizenry in Africa and the Diaspora instantly.

Can you imagine an African Cup of Nations match in any country in Africa where only the players are allowed into the stadium? Are they playing for themselves or they are playing for the people of their respective nations? Now the African media, African civil societies and individuals citizens on the mother continent and the Diaspora, have also fiercely engaged themselves in another Grand Debate arguing the merits and demerits of the outcome of the “secret” debate - the “Accra Declaration” as the communiqué of the Grand Debate is known.

The purpose of this write-up is not to join the debate but just to look at how Ghana as a nation prepared for the event in terms of accommodation, vehicles and other logistics which made the summit worthy of attending. I will also touch briefly on how most delegates or visitors who came to Ghana for the first time saw our beloved country.

Philosophically, let us first and foremost be honest with ourselves that, as human beings, we are still treading in the forest of errors. Thus, nothing we do on this material plane can be perfect as such. We should therefore, not pretend that everything at the summit was like angels singing and dancing in the kingdom of heaven. And there has never been any perfect human endeavour any where in the world. There can only be a degree of excellence at best or outstanding.

Apology

We must be humble enough to admit our mistakes and say sorry for our shortfalls. This explains why Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mrs. Oboshie Sai Cofie, deserves commendation for coming out boldly to apologise to the media for the problems encountered with some security officers at the event. That apology was indicative of humility, maturity and wisdom on the part of Government and people of Ghana to the rest of Africa and the world. All those who felt offended in one way or the other must accept that apology in good faith.

The truth is that the original arrangements made for the media coverage under the direct command of the AU Commission Headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, supported by the Ghana Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), was fantastic. But for the last minute security re-arrangements requested by some participating Heads of State, which protocol demanded Ghana Government to comply with, there would have been no much problems at all as far as media coverage of the event was concerned.

Again another factor that made things a bit difficult to accommodate the over 600 foreign journalists including local ones who descended from the media planet unto our land to cover the Grand Debate was less than the 2000 sitting capacity of the Accra International Conference Centre itself. Space in the Conference Centre became such a scarce commodity that GJA had to adopt a rationing strategy for the benefit of media personnel.

Whatever discussions and arguments we engage in now after the event is but a postmortem analysis or a review of the summit; which is very healthy for our democratic growth. This writer will therefore, humbly assert that we focus more on the positive aspects of the summit and pick up some lessons from the negative aspects so as to move forward not only as a nation but as a continent as well.

Let us also bear in mind that: “Darkness pervaded all before light came. But light came not from darkness. For darkness is the absence of light.” Therefore, as a nation we must endeavour to embrace light and shun darkness. Is there any Ghanaian of good will who will not wish only the best for Ghana?

Positive views about Ghana

Now listen to some positive comments made by most delegates about Ghana. Generally speaking, some foreign journalists whom this writer interacted with at the Media Centre confessed that they could not believe their eyes that they were in an African country. Two young Kenyan female journalists told me they were visiting Ghana for the first. Then when I asked them how they saw Ghana, they looked at each other’s faces and laughed. I wondered why. Then they exclaimed: “Your country is WAWO!” According to them, they found the city of Accra very “sparkling,” I felt flatted. And I was proud to be a Ghanaian. But inside me I knew most of the delegates did not have the opportunity to visit the Korle0 lagoon and the Sodom and Gomorrah areas of Accra.

One Cameroonian journalist put it this way: “I never knew that apart from South Africa there is another country in Africa which is so neat, clean and beautiful like Ghana.” Then he added, “Little wonder the World Bank and the IMF have always cited Ghana as a shining star of Africa.” Despite the problem with the media, some delegates at the Media Centre could not help it but to be dancing to the tune of highlife music being provided by the Global Media Alliance’s stand.

The Ministry of Information and National Orientation mounted a magnificent semi-photo exhibition of tourism pictures which attracted so many delegates. They collected all kinds of brochures and pamphlets about Ghana and wanted more. Some of them were snapping photographs of themselves, their shoes, belts and hats from January to December non-stop. They were enjoying the happiness of being in Ghana “keke,” as the Ga will say.

Another positive aspect of the Summit for which Ghana must be praised to the blue heavens was the splendid accommodation facilities made available for delegates ranging from the poorest messenger to the richest Head of State who came to Ghana. The Government and people of Ghana must be commended for sacrificing a little to make the august visitors feel at home away from home. It is these little, little basic things that add up to give Ghana a global branding as hospital and Friendliest people in the world.

The AU village at La Wireless area in Accra was a tourist attraction in itself. Coupled with the magnificent numerous three to four star hotels and others in the sparkling city of Accra made lodging and boarding enjoyable for the august visitors. In fact, Accra is on the way of becoming the neatest and cleanest city in West Africa if it is not yet there. However, the street lighting at night in the city is not good enough. We must do something about this street lights business before we ‘die eh!’

Again, another successful aspect of the Accra Summit which must not be taken for granted was the harmonious and smooth fashion the delegates were conveyed in luxurious cars from their hotels to the Conference Centre and other venues for various activities such as the African First Ladies meetings, the Fashion Shows, the State Lunches, Dinners and Ghana’s Senior Citizens’ Party Gala with African Heads of State.

People who deserve commendation in this regard are the Ghana Police, the traffic wardens, the drivers who drove various delegates including the Heads of State, the young Ghanaian men and women who served as conductors, or guides and other security officers into whose hands the immediate safety of these delegates were entrusted while in Ghana. Sometimes, such officers had to spend long hours with these delegates to ensure that they safely returned to their lodges before they went home only to return the next moment to conduct them round again. The vital roles played by these ordinary officers must not be taken for granted. When the Big men and women are in the Paradise, they should not forget these small men and women on earth, oooo!

African First Ladies

Oh, less I forget! I have observed that most of the African First Ladies who came to Ghana including their host could participate in any beauty contest in any part of the world and they would win hands down. You see, the Creator Himself molded African women in a special way with their unique shapes from the toe to the head. Black beauty is always charming, soothing, graceful and consoling. On the Ghana Television, we saw that one of the African First Ladies was a gentle man. Something extraordinary happened at their meeting on Monday, July 2, 2007. When their Ghanaian Master of Ceremony was introducing them one by one, one of them was represented by a gentle man.

When that particular First Lady from a West African country was announced and a bearded-man in three-piece-costume moved to take the seat, the entire Parliament House where they were meeting burst into uncontrollable laughter. Was he a First Lady or First Gentleman? He himself could not help it. He laughed and laughed until tears started streaming from his eyes. It was fun. That is how life should be. Once in a while someone must create a situation where everybody will forget about their woes and laugh. Laughter is good for human beings. That is why of all creatures on earth only human beings have the gift to laugh haw-haw -haw- haw!

On a more serious note, I can vouch that African First Ladies are not only physically good-looking but their heads are impregnated with wisdom, intelligence and sense of purpose. They are bold, courageous and fearless in their outlook. At the time some of their husbands put their tails in-between their thighs and covering their faces so that television camera will not look into their eyes, their wives stood up with chests high and decisively declared war on HIV/AIDS on the continent.

As mothers who go through the actual pain of labour, they reasoned that they could not sit down with their hands in their laps for HIV/AIDS to be robbing them of their babies at random. Consequently, they have adopted a resolution to drastically deal with HIH/ AIDS here and now and not wait until January, 2008 or so.

The First Ladies’ resolution was so vital that it constitutes the foundation of the very survival of the future of Africa. How can there be United States of Africa in 50 years’ time if today’s African babies cannot live beyond the ages of five? Did African Heads of State embody the First Ladies’ resolution into the Accra Declaration? If not, why not? African Women’s Rights Activists are you there? No further comment!

Frankly, there have been so many positive achievements of the Summit. I have not mentioned the economic gains such Dollars, Euros, and CFAC cash that poured into to the hospitality industry of our country during the period of the summit alone. But for purposes of this article the final one I should like to mention is the special website Ghana created for the event.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Information and National Orientation developed a unique website which was devoted solely for online information dissemination on the Accra AU Summit 2007. The website address was: www.ausummit-accra.org.gh This site was located within the premises of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation and managed by the Information Services Department (ISD).

It must be admitted that, perhaps the publicity for the site was not adequate. But it was through this site that, in addition to publishing news stories on the summit on daily basis, speeches, communiqués and other papers presented at the Summit were dispatched online to the AU Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In fact, the AU Headquarters was very appreciative of the services received through this site. They admitted that but for the Accra Summit website, AU itself would have been totally out of coverage area of Ghana. As you know, Africa is still struggling in the forest of technology and power crisis. But we shall overcome someday.

Suggestion

Shall I make one small suggestion for the consideration of the nation? Alright! Ghana must embark, as a matter of urgency, upon the construction of a new International Conference Centre. The new Conference Centre must have at least 10.000 sitting capacity. In the main hall, provision must be made for a Press gallery of at least 3.000 sitting capacity. The Conference Centre must no longer be squeezed in the already congested city centre of Accra. It must be sited either at Dodowa or Kokrobite near Accra. ‘Twah, twah, twah- Omanye abaa! Yaoo!!!’ Praise Ghana!

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

NB: This article was firs published by the Daily Graphic, 26/10/2007.