A couple of days ago, Ghanaians were treated to a social media post of two male adults engaged in a kissing session at the Independence Square in Accra.
The post was attributed to Kofi Okyere Darko aka KOD, the man in charge of Diasporan Affairs at the Office of the President, Jubilee House.
Of course it prompted questions about the reason behind the post, given the position of the source as somebody responsible for facilitating and encouraging tourism in the country, especially by people of Ghanaian descent.
Was KOD telling gays out there in the diaspora that Ghana is ready to host them when they felt like coming down?
Be it as it may, KOD would do his compatriots justice by giving them more details about the nasty spectacle.
The ‘Who Are They?’ question on top of the post at the time of composing this commentary remained unanswered, and it does not look like it would be answered anytime soon.
The subject of homosexuality is a sore one in this country, and when it pops up in anyway including the manner under review, it has the tendency to generate public conversation.
Soon after the images made it to social media, they prompted conversations on radio. Some felt distraught because, according to them, the Independence Square being a sacred location in our country should not be desecrated in such a manner.
We are in a country where during the heyday of NDC propaganda, the passage of the LGBTQI+ bill was used as a major pawn in the chess of local politics.
The then opposition party babies with sharp teeth said all manner of unprintable things about Nana Akufo-Addo, the bottom-line of which was that he did not want to sign the bill.
With the entry of President John Mahama, we would have expected a certain heightened speed in signing the bill. That has not been the case, and there is no doubt that it is going to be signed anytime soon.
We are therefore tempted to think that there is a subtle acquiescence between the corridors of power and the adherents of the unusual human habits. Otherwise, how can we describe the delay in signing the bill when the NDC while in opposition used the subject as a major election rhetoric?
We shall remain calm and await the Diasporan Affairs Director’s response to determine whether he was testing the waters to determine whether gays can have free access to Ghana. Perhaps he is preparing a response which would go a long way in addressing the worries of Ghanaians who saw the post.
Homosexuality is a practice which is at variance with our local values, and so to even watch on helplessly as it is taken to the sacred location of our country sounds suspicious and demands explanation from not only the Diasporan Director but those in charge of the security of the Independence Square.