01/02/2025
Born Again Africa
1 - Just as stars are born in the heart of nebulae, so too was corruption conceived and christened at the very onset of democracy in Ghana, and indeed, across much of Africa. From the very foundation of our governance, it has lurked in the shadows, intertwining itself with the very systems meant to uplift our people.
2 - The evidence is undeniable. It strikes us in the face each day. Roads left unfinished, hospitals without needed equipment, schools under trees and without what is required for a real education, yet we choose the comfort of whispered complaints over the courage of decisive action. We pretend to be concerned, but our concern rarely extends beyond hushed conversations in the safety of our own spaces.
3 - And when brave souls dare to step forward, when they dare to challenge the entrenched forces of corruption they often find themselves abandoned, ridiculed, or betrayed by the very people for whom they fight. The records of history bear witness: those who rise against corruption often become its victims, not just by the hands of the corrupt, but by the indifference of those they seek to liberate. And even more troubling, some who once wielded the banner of justice and reform have, in time, been swallowed by the same system they sought to dismantle, unable to resist the temptation of self-preservation.
4 - Our democracy cannot continue on this trajectory. It is in urgent need of a rebirth—a renewal of its very DNA. The revolutions that once shook our lands should have ignited this transformation. But instead of reform, we have allowed the flames of revolution to cool into the embers of complacency.
5 - We must ask ourselves: Will we be the generation that allows corruption to define our democracy? Or will we be the generation that redefines democracy itself?
6 - The rebirth of our governance will not come from rhetoric alone. It will come from leaders who do not seek power as a means of wealth but as a sacred trust. It will come from citizens who reject the small comforts of silence and demand integrity, not just from their government, but from themselves. It will come from a culture that values accountability more than political loyalty, service over self-enrichment, and the courage to act over the ease of inaction.
7 - Democracy in Africa cannot remain an inheritance tainted by corruption. It must be reimagined as a force for transformation, a force that lifts its people not just in words, but in reality.
8 - I write this not only to condemn, but to challenge. To challenge our leaders. To challenge our institutions. To challenge each and every one of us who has ever sighed in frustration yet done nothing to change the course of this history.
9 - The time for gossip should be over with. The time for action is now.
Rise and let us renew. Let us give birth to a democracy that is truly by the people, for the people, and worthy of the people.
Ah Well,
Kogbe
How We Go Do Am
