I Share The Pain Of Ivor Greenstreet

Per the facts I have, the Presidential Candidate of Convention People’s Party (CPP) was not born crippled.

I don’t think he wished it upon himself. It was a disaster that converted him into a person with disability.

However Ivor Greenstreet contested a national delegates’ congress, and beat people standing on their two feet without clutches, to win the favour of the delegates.

Is his disability a contributing factor behind the dwindling fortunes of the CPP? What the hell went wrong for an Octogenarian to opt for an abled person to lead the CPP rather than a person with disability? I find the logic behind the suggestion very bizarre and tasteless.

It is amazing how people could categorise others as good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable. People’s perception could drive you mad if you do not toughen yourself towards the sometimes needless, dubious and insensitive speculations. It could be irritating and very painful.

Unlike Greenstreet I am standing on my two feet, but my problem is my history and the DNA running through my blood.  

One of the number of examples I could give was that I was invited to a Christian programme in Accra in January this year, and to my surprise the main guest speaker, an International Evangelist, introduced me to the audience as an Editor from Ghana News Agency.

That was not bad but his conclusion was ruthless and had an embarrassing effect on me, when he dropped a bomb that I am the son of the Head of a fetish church. I am not in anyway condemning fetish worship but I don’t fall in that category.

While standing on my two feet with anxious people watching the reaction of a fetish journalist, he asked: “Nana Kodjo what is the full name of the church, and is the church still fetish?

My answer was that “It is not a fetish church”, but what was more graceful was the response of a stateswoman who was organising the programme. She aptly said it is a spiritual church and not fetish. How relieving and nice; former Minister of Information.

A popular Lawyer in Tamale and a friend to my late daddy also had the same view of Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC), and at a meeting where six or seven people had gathered, he said with a plain face that MDCC is an idol worshipping mission.

Prejudice would always let people ask me is the church a disco? They would not ask the meaning of Musama or Christo; they are always interested in the disco and always in a sarcastic manner and I have lived through this nightmarish experience all my life.

The fact is that the church was established in 1917 and registered in 1922 by my Grandfather, who fathered my Father on August 24, 1924. I am not very old and senile. I am still in active service as a journalist and so I did not create the history society is making me pay dearly for it.

I am not engaged in public relations for MDCC but I don’t have evidence of idol worship and I would be happy if those who have it confront me with it.

As a young journalist having the first experience to travel to Germany in 1994 to pursue a course, I was confronted with another fetish- my colour. People laughed at me, pointed figures at me and a group of hooligans even had the courage to ask: “Monkey come for banana!”

Whilst boarding a bus in Berlin a white lady yelled: “Go home we don’t want you hear.”

I suffered the same experience of racism in Italy and the list is very long. What the hell is wrong with society? I did not create the colour of my skin.

Let us drop our prejudices and think right about people, professions, ethnic groups, religions and ideologies. I am not an atheist so I believe God is not stupid to create me, my colour and history for nothing just happens.

Ivor Greenstreet I share your pain but God knows better.

Source: GNA