Social change in the world is generally triggered by incidents, which society finds unacceptable.
Some of these events or occurrences help to shape social policies and initiatives. Some of the incidents are bitter but we must learn from them with the aim of making lives better.
By the definition of sociologists, Ghana is partially modern and partly traditional. Some of the cardinal characteristics of traditional societies are communal interdependencies, strong social cohesion and collectivism. These are positive social values.
Even though modernity is eating away these traditional principles, majority of Ghanaians still exhibit these characteristics or at least believe in them. It is common to see people running to the aid of accident victims and many people are often willing to come to the aid of those who may be under attack. The difference between us and the developed countries is that the developed countries have strong institutions that are responsive to incidents. For example, in the event of an accident, it takes a few minutes for an ambulance to appear and if anyone is under attack, the police are quick to respond.
In Ghana, the reverse is the case. When someone is ill, you cannot call an ambulance and expect immediate response. People tend to rely on the benevolence of neighbours, people in the streets and those we usually call “good Samaritans.”
Unfortunately when there is crime, people feel they cannot rely on the police so they have to use alternative means to punish the victims.
On Monday 29th May, 2017, something terrible happened that rocked the social foundation of this country.
A military officer was killed under unbelievably horrible circumstances. This incident really shocked the nation so much that people are beginning to take a second look at the description of the Ghanaian as peaceful and friendly.
It is increasingly becoming common to hear stories of mob attacks, lynching, beatings and mob destructions at the least provocation and very often without any provocations at all.
It is one of these unprovoked attacks- the killing of the military officer Captain Maxwell Mahama that has shocked the entire country, leaving many people numb with shock and paralysed with fear.
The entire story is so shocking, the narratives so bizarre and the process of killing so gory. It is a story that defies any logic and beats everyone’s imagination.
People have asked several questions and the key one is “how and when did we get here”.
Many have argued that we got here long ago.
This is because this particular incident, though very sad and traumatic, seems to be a frequent occurrence in many communities. All it takes is for someone to scream, hey “dzulor”, “ewi” “fiafitor” or “barawo” then you will find people pouncing on someone without finding out whether the person was indeed involved in the act they are accusing him or her of or if it’s a false alarm. In fact people don’t care what it is. They just have to act.
What is even more worrying is that when something bad happens onlookers now love to videotape and take pictures rather than help.
We have recently heard serious mob attacks and killings. Indeed, in the very week that the nation was trying to come to terms with what had happened, there were news of series of mob attacks.
In the Upper West Region, a woman accused of being a witch was lynched. That same week we heard about a man that was lynched in Kumasi. These unfortunate incidents are just a few of the reports.
Not only that, we have also heard about indiscriminate killings of people suspected to be armed robbers by police.
Many of these incidents have been reported but not much has been heard about the investigations.
There has been countless attacks and deaths in many communities that never caught the attention of the media. So we can imagine what happened to the victims and their families. Were any conclusive actions taken?
When I was a child, I lived in Tudu and I heard and saw a lot of suspected thieves who had been arrested or attacked. Many of these suspects were usually beaten brutally and by the time they were taken to the police station or left on their own they were half dead. One thing the men in the community did was to make sure that they give the suspected thief a good beating that left him totally broken but they never wanted the person to die in their hands.
The situation is not the same again. It appears these recent mob attacks are intended to kill their victims. These attacks have gone on for far too long and today we are mourning one that involves a high ranking young boisterous military officer, who had been assigned to an important national project.
So how did a country that appears so exceedingly calm and religiously religious become like this? How does a country that wears the tag of a peaceful country explain this unimaginable desire for such indiscriminate killings? How does a country that prides itself as a democratic country accommodate such behaviours?
Perhaps most people seem to portray some form of godliness yet are clothed in cruelty. It raises the question of who we really are. Perhaps we need some sociological and psychological perspectives.
When the unfortunate incident of Capt. Mahama’s murder happened, social media platforms were buzzing with several questions about the true nature of the Ghanaian. I was totally shocked for many days and could not participate in any form of discussions. My husband stated on a certain platform, “When people tout the peaceful nature of Ghanaians, I often tell them to wait until something as terrible as a civil war (God forbid) happens, then we will see the true nature of Ghanaians. If you doubt it, see how we treat suspected thieves and robbers. Or consider how Ghanaians have treated their follow nationals in areas where there were ethnic conflicts. Ghanaians are not more peace-loving and kind than Liberians, Sierra Leoneans and perhaps South Africans. With these incidents can we conclude that a great number of Ghanaians are peaceful until something ignites a different trait in them?
The basic conclusion we can make is that many people don’t value human lives; if they did we will be more careful with how we treat other humans.
It is time for authorities to begin to make our institutions work and not offer mere lip service. We need to re-orient the minds of Ghanaians to respect the rule of law and have confidence in our institutions. It is also time for everyone to begin to influence the people around them and to ensure that these attacks do not happen again.
We must stop this cruelty and allow the law to work. We must restore the values of togetherness, peace, love and respect for one another.
I pray for the family of Captain Mahama and all other families, who have lost their loved ones through such attacks. We pray that this incident sparks off some positive legal and social reforms in our society.