The relationship between men and women has existed possibly as far as humans were created. The biblical story of Adam and Eve typifies the existence of such a relationship. Such relationships have existed during the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic evolutions of human existence.
This relationship normally can either be between a husband and wife, a brother and sister, or between a man who has a wife and other concubines and or between a non-married man and other women. Relationships between men and their concubines have existed time immemorial and the degree of acceptability of such relationships vary from society to society.
In the advanced countries ? especially USA and Europe ? the relationship that exists between married men and other non-married ladies are heavily frowned upon and has legal implications when such men are found out by their wives. However, in our part of the world, though not legally and culturally acceptable, our society doesn’t necessarily place punitive sanctions on a married man who decides to have a mistress.
Kan-Dapaah Vrs Chief Video
In recent times, two videos have gone viral on social media ? and that has got most Ghanaians talking about them. The first was the leaked video between Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah, who is the current National Security Minister which went viral on the 12th or 13th January 2020. The content of the video appeared to be a private conversation between him and his alleged ‘side chick’ but unfortunately got its way into the public domain. The second viral video emerged on or about the 19th or 20th of this month. In this particular video, a naked chief is appeared to be showing his manhood to his alleged girlfriend.
Morally, I do not hold any code or yardstick with which to measure anyone’s behaviour, but for a chief to cheapen himself to the extent of showing his manhood to his girlfriend in a video chat is below the belt in my opinion. An action that hitherto has brought the name of his stool into disrepute and that may warrant him being destooled as a chief. The action of the chief in the video is very abominable and highly denigrating to his person and very disgraceful to his subjects.
When issues of this magnitude sprout, I tend to ask myself questions; why would a man of his reputation show off his manhood to another lady in video chat? Why would the ladies also want such videos from men of high repute? Are they the same person who leaked the videos? What is their purpose? Why would a married man of high social standing decide to share his naked image with his ‘side chick’?
In the Hon. Kan-Dapaah’s video, there is nothing too denigrating about it, but I was quite surprised why a lady could order a whole National Security Minister about and record the conversation. When the video went viral, most people suggested that Hon. Kan-Dapaah should resign from his post. I was one of the few persons who supported that he should not resign. In my candid opinion, it was a private conversation between a man and his alleged girlfriend, which is a normal occurrence between men and women across the globe.
I was of the opinion that once the conversation bordered on his personal life and had nothing to do with his job, resignation to me meant that men would become engendered species. His resignation, therefore, would embolden other women to emulate same and that could make men engendered species. As long as such conversations are private, if any woman decides to blackmail or sell such videos for whatever reason, and the videos go viral, such men should not be made to resign unless the content of the conversation undermines their integrity and job function.
Historical examples
Great men have fallen because of their association with women and history is replete with such stories. Adam, the first man, according to the Bible, was deceived by his wife Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and thereby going against God’s will and the consequent punishment associated with it. King David, a man after God’s own heart, is said to have lusted of his army officer Uraih’s wife, got attracted, ensured that his officer was sent to the battlefield to fight at the front line just to get him killed and annex his wife. He was punished by God for that. Another great man who was fooled by his wife was Sampson. The story is told that he revealed his secret to his wife Delilah. She subsequently used that against Sampson and he lost his strength, was arrested and made blind ? and he died afterwards.
By D. C. Kwame Kwakye
The writer is a broadcast journalist