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Barima’s Beefs IV. The dangers of a single story: why the chattering classes need to sit up

The problem is not that we Ghanaians are incapable of holding our leaders to account, but that the chattering classes must engage with others who have different opinions and experiences

We have all witnessed the #EndSARS protests that have occurred in Nigeria. In the words of Yinka Adegoke, fed up with the continuous harassment from the elite police unit, “Young Nigerians are now pushing back with a focus and determination that has flummoxed the often complacent government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

The level of efficiency, organisation and tenacity which has characterised these protests has buoyed civic engagement among Nigeria’s otherwise apolitical young population, and this has impressed many across the world, including activists in Ghana.

The chattering classes, as I call them, have “oohed” and “aahed” as they have looked at the events in Nigeria and disparaged Ghanaians for not being “demanding” enough. These individuals – mostly corporate professionals, academics, staff of civil society organisations and select journalists – believe that Ghanaians do not have the backbone to demand accountability.

Yet it’s quite amusing to note how some members of the public believe that the chattering classes, too, have fed into this spirit of “not demanding” accountability from our public servants.

“Pure” resistance

You see, people have watched as these individuals have cobbled together a cabal of know-it-all prophets from among themselves, pontificating from their ivory towers and laying into anyone who disagrees with their point of view by calling them party hacks even if they are not. This shuts down any form of debate or discussion that is crucial to developing citizens’ consciousness.

To add insult to stupefying complacency and condescension, genuine concerns from other sections of the public about the rhetoric of the chattering classes are shut down, either by maligning and insulting the individuals or by blocking any form of communication with them. They reason that these actions are undertaken to “filter out the noise” and “preserve our peace of mind”. Yet not only do they inadvertently create echo chambers for themselves but, to borrow Carlos Lozada’s words from his book What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era, “the intellectuals of the resistance seem to deliberately alienate prospective foot soldiers, prioritising the purity of resistance over its expansion”.

This is quite alarming. In a political culture where the supporters of a party are mandated to be supportive to a fault, without voicing the slightest hint of criticism/dissent, it is crucial for a mass of people to keep the government on its toes.

The fourth estate should be doing this. However, most media houses have degenerated into nothing other than fighting arenas for politicians from opposing camps.

Expecting them to keep the government on its toes is akin to believing that Opoku Ware School is better than my alma mater, the superior Prempeh College. Hence, this class of people, who are not necessarily in the business of keeping the government accountable full-time, but keep a keen eye on the government and call it out on unsavoury actions, is crucial to Ghanaian democracy.

Open to debate

With the media barely fit to demand accountability from our public servants, Ghana cannot afford for its activist classes to remain unchanged.

A restrategising must take place immediately. The chattering classes must focus on demystifying themselves and making themselves open to discussion and debate with their fellow citizens, not just the same old members of their own circles.

It is through awakening the conscience of the ordinary citizen that the fight for accountability will gain momentum.

Once momentum is gained, that is when the work towards a better Ghana can begin in earnest.

Deo volente!

Barima Peprah-Agyemang

Barima Peprah-Agyemang is a Sunyani-bred writer. Follow him on Twitter at @fremebarima

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