Part 2 - 35 years on

Educated Dagombas

1.Thirty-five years on, it is regrettable to say that Dagombas are still suffering from the same DCC because we are still refusing to behave, think, and act like educated folk, according to my late father's, or layman's understanding of education and the purpose it was envisaged to serve in Dagbon in those days.

In 1970, a respected source puts the breakdown of educated Dagombas at various levels as follows: Dagbon had produced about thirty-five(35) university graduates, just as many teacher training graduates, around four hundred (400) secondary school leavers, and approximately two thousand (2000) middle school leavers.

These estimates include those right in Dagbon and in the diaspora. (I have to admit that these particular figures are not official statistical estimates; rather they are estimates given to me by educated elders who had already matured back in 1970).

In sharp contrast, today, in 2005, the number of Dagbon indigenes with university degrees or equivalent and post-secondary qualifications are probably over ten thousand (10,000), about fifty thousand secondary school leavers. Again, these numbers include Dagombas living right in Dagbon and in the diaspora.

(I have to admit that these particular figures are not official statistical estimates; rather they are estimates based on an educated guess). One might ask, so what is the point behind this analysis?

The point I am attempting to unveil here is the fact that, today, despite the almost exponential growth in the number of "Krachis"(educated fellows) of Dagbon origin, compared to the educational indicators of 1970, our level of functional understanding of Dagbon issues and how they fit into the purpose of education, according to the layman's definition by 1970s standards, has sorrowfully remained virtually unchanged, if not diminished.

When I go to bed at night, I ask myself questions such as: why are we Dagombas still unable to resolve the chronic chieftaincy crisis we have been living with since time immemorial in spite of all our educational achievements?

Is education a friend or a foe to the Dagbon Kingdom? Are we a bunch of educated fools or are we a generation of uncivilized intellectuals? Several decades of education seem to have no progressive impact on our faculty to depart from primitive ways in favour of modernism.

We, the educated Dagombas, should no longer blame the continuous disunity of Dagbon on the uneducated Dagombas, because today, we have enough educated fellows to influence the illiterate folk to navigate Dagbon toward perfect peace and unity.

The blame has shifted from them (the illiterate Dagombas) to us (the literate Dagombas) and so has the burden of proof. Back then, in 1970 and earlier, the vastly illiterate Dagbon elders spoke, and the infinitesimal number of literate Dagombas listened and carried out their wishes, but today, in 2005, we, the large number of educated Dagombas speak, and the uneducated Dagombas listen and carry out our wishes.

You may remember in the preceeding story in the last edition, my oldman stressed that the prime enemy of Dagbon in those days was the lack of many educated Dagombas, and because of that 'nasaara'(Government/Colonialists/Politicians/The Establishment) took advantage of our uneducated status to divide, disunite, cheat, and set Dagomba and Dagomba on collision course.

Put in another way, why the hell is education serving a dysfunctional role in Dagbon, always setting us in a crabwise direction instead of promoting progress, peace, and unity? After all, aren't we all brothers and sisters from the same Naa Sitobu-Naa Nyagse-Naa Zangina ancestry?

Basically, education is supposed to develop our character and mental powers, through the moral, social, and intellectual teachings we receive in order to enable us make positive and developed change in the societies we live in. Thus far, we Dagombas are not doing so with the education we receive.

2. Thirty-five years on, a lasting peace and total unity is still an illusive dream in Dagbon, in spite of our academic advancement. Peace and unity is still a far away dream for Dagombas because we are still grappling with the question of who should be the King of "All Dagombas" and not just a faction of the Kingdom.

The Agricultural Sector in Dagbon

3.Thirty-five years on, non-cooperation by the feuding factions has stifled and held back needed development initiatives for Dagbon, thus encouraging neglect of the region by national governments vis-a-vis socio-economic policies. Without peace, security, and cooperation there can not be any meaningful socio-economic development in Dagbon.

The agricultural sector in Dagbon, the lifeline of the DTA, has seen nothing but continuous stagnation and plummeting productivity to the bone, in respect that productive agricultural policies which were put in place by previous governments were dismantled in compliance with the conditions set out by the Bretton Woods institutions.

The World Bank/ International Monetary Fund granted loans to Ghana under the Structural Adjustment Programmes(SAP)/Economic Recovery Programmes (ERP), which were implemented in the 1980s/90s by the Rawlings regime without any alternative policies to mitigate against the impact of the policy vacuum created by the dismantlement.

Worse still, with less than 5 per cent of all new national investments in the industrial/manufacturing sector reaching the northern half of Ghana since the implementation of the SAP/ERP in the 1980s/90s with the attendant inflow of funds and foreign direct investments from abroad, Dagbon has been one of the worst casualties of the fallout emanating from the deliberate, colossal neglect by nineteen years of P(NDC) and so far, four years of NPP governments.

In the same period, it has to be mentioned though, that the national power grid was brought to Dagbon and a few roads constructed, both to the credit of the P(NDC) regime, and similarly the construction of the Tamale-Yendi road, which was started and constructed up to half-way, from Tamale to Jimli, by the NDC regime, and completed last year, Jimli to Yendi, by the NPP government, and credit is due to both governments for that piece of good work.

My view is that, all those projects on roads, power, and the like are fine; nevertheless, the lifeline of Dagbon, the agriculture sector, should and must never be neglected and/or compromised by any government, because if I am faced with the choice between food and roads, I will choose food anytime and all the time.

For that matter, all governments, since the mid 1970s, are guilty as charged, for accelerating deterioration in the agricultural sector in Dagbon. Evidently therefore, the zero-cooperation among Dagombas themselves owing solely to the Dagbon Virus, coupled with over three decades of substantial neglect by national governments have led to mass migration of Dagbon youths, mostly girls, from the Dagbon traditional area to the major cities in the south to render support services in the logistics sector, called 'kaayayo,' and it has to be said that these hardworking girls are often victims of scorn by the very people they service and are sometimes seen as pests by many.

We probably have to ask some Sociologists to study and research into the long-term impact of this mass Dagbon-South migration of Dagomba girls on the demographic trends of the tribe and the host cities as they remain victims of sexual abuse and misuse.

The fact is that, prior to the dismantlement of the productive agricultural policies, most of the youths in Dagbon were employed in the agricultural sector: crop cultivation, harvesting, after-harvest food processing, and foodstuff trading activities, and none of them wished, back then, to leave their comfortable homes in Dagbon for the hostile streets of Accra and the like.

4. Thirty-five years on, the ugly impact of the DCC still transcends the boundaries of Dagbon. Other traditional entities sharing the Northern Region with us are still suffering because of our unwillingness to resolve the DCC. The Mamprusi, Gonja, Nanumba kingdoms, which are stakeholders in the economic policy planning of the Northern Region at the national level are held to ransom by the DV, hence encumbering progress in their socio-economic development.

Dagbon is the sickman of Ghana and whenever he sneezes his virus (DV) out, his innocent and peaceful neighbours catch the cold. I, in my right as a Dagomba, take this opportunity to register, on behalf of all Dagombas and on my own behalf, our very sincere apology to our neighbours in the Northern Region for hampering their socio-economic progress as a result of our tribal troubles, the DCC/DV.

On behalf of my fellow Dagombas I say sorry to all of you and share with you the hope and aspiration for a peaceful and progressive Northern Region for you and us.

5. Thirty-five years on, Dagbon has seen a dilution of his tradition as homage and allegiance to the Ya Naa are paid only by his sympathizers, not by all Dagombas.

A vulnerable kingdom

6.Thirty-five years on, Dagbon is a less strong and even more vulnerable kingdom in the face of continued disunity and in-fighting, and in recent years, has become the laughing stock in Ghana.

History is a good teacher; but we Dagombas seem not to be good learners/pupils. As our history tells us, no tribe, kingdom, empire, or even the colonialists dared attack the Dagomba kingdom when we were totally united.

In contrast, all attacks on the Dagomba kingdom by outside forces occured at the death of our disunity and in-fighting. For instance, during the last three centuries the Dagomba kingdom was attacked thrice by outside forces during periods we were conspicuously divided because of the usual Yendi chieftaincy crisis:

I. During the reign of Naa Gariba (circa 1700 to 1720) the Dagomba Kingdom was once again deeply divided owing to the usual fight for the Yani (Ya Naa) skin.

A disgruntled Dagomba chief who was unsuccessful with his bid to become Ya Naa invited the Ashantis to take advantage of the divided state of the Kingdom by attacking Naa Gariba and Yendi.

Honouring the invitation, the Ashantis, under Ashantehene Osei Tutu, attacked Yendi and captured Naa Gariba. As his captors were taking him to Kumasi, some Yanabihi (Royal princes of the Yani skin) led by Nabia (Prince) Nasalan Ziblim, met with the Ashantis at Yeji and successfully negotiated for his release.

In return, the Ya Naa and Dagombas for that matter, were to send slaves and cattle to the Ashantehene every year. The annual payment occured until the last quarter of the nineteenth century when the British took control of Southern Gold Coast (Ghana).

II. Again, during the brief reign of Naa Darimani (1899) following the death of Naa Andani II, the Dagomba kingdom was once again in disarray due to the usual Yendi chieftaincy crisis, which was centred around the hotly disputed enskinment of Naa Darimani who stayed on the throne for only seven weeks and abdicated.

In that year, 1899, just weeks after the enskinment of Naa Darimani and on the heels of the Yendi chieftaincy disputes, another disgruntled Dagomba chief went to German Togoland and invited the Germans to capitalize on the division of Dagbon and attack Naa Darimani and Yendi (Dagombas for that matter).

The Germans honoured the invitation and to revenge for their defeat at the hands of Dagombas in 1896 in the battle of Adiboo under the reign of Naa Andani II (circa 1876 to 1899).

The Germans launched a surprise attack on Yendi in 1899 and took our traditional capital, leading to the partition of the Dagomba kingdom into German Dagbon and British Dagbon (commonly referred to as Eastern Dagomba and Western Dagomba respectively).

Naa Alasani (1899 to 1917) ruled the partitioned Dagomba kingdom until the fall of German Dagbon to the British in 1914, just as World War I was raging across the world. III. As recently as in 1994, during the long period of continued division of Dagombas as a result of the usual Yendi chieftaincy crisis: enskinment and deskinment of Naa Mahamadu IV(1969 to 1974) in 1969 and 1974 respectively, and the subsequent enskinment of Naa Yakubu Andani II (1974 to 2002) in 1974, the Konkombas saw the weakness of Dagombas and ventured an attack on us in what was called the "Guinea fowl war", the most prominent of all the clashes between the Konkombas and us.

No one ever attempted attacking us during our periods of solid unity and strength. The sooner we learn a lesson out of this pattern the better for us as a kingdom.

7. Thirty-five years on, to a large extent, Dagbon's culture has lost some of its value as the major, famous cultural festivals such as the annual Bugum (fire festival) and the Damba (dance festival) are observed on different days by supporters of the rival Yani Gates.

8. Thirty-five years on, age-old inter-Abudu/Andani Gate marriages are still being severed and family structures shattered. Even today, just as decades ago, some young Dagombas from the opposing Gates who fall in love and want to marry are barred from doing so by their parents/elders and are normally issued with threats of curses and parental disclaim/disownership.

These young men and women were not even conceived by their mothers when this DCC started about fifty years ago, but today, they are victims of the virus, the DV. Which of the rival Gates does love and marriage belong to?

Love has no colour, religion, tribe, race, creed, and nationality, because love is just love. It knows no boundaries. The older generations should allow the younger ones to foster unity among themselves in a way the older ones failed to, and should stop trying so hard to pass the virus on to the younger ones.

What a shame that we still have this phenomenon going on today in Dagbon!

9. Thirty-five years on, deep, relishable friendships among Dagombas are still being destroyed by the virus, giving way to mistrust, ill will, and a culture of taciturnity.

10.Thirty-five years on, Dagbon is still the political football of Ghanaian politics, normally used by politicians to advance their selfish political ambitions and in the process ferment disunity, bitter hatred among our fold.

The question I pose to fellow Dagombas is: should we continue to allow non-Dagombas to fool us? I think we can do far better than that!

11. Thirty-five years on, our national politics is still being blemished by the DCC as Dagombas do not "freely" elect national leaders they think will best develop Dagbon socio-economically.

Rather they choose leaders they think will either award them victory in the DCC or will sit on the problem and not find an eternal resolution to the crisis.

Similarly, highly competent Dagbon intellectuals with burning passion to contribute toward the development of Dagbon, and Ghana for that matter, are sometimes bypassed in favour of less competent opponents at the parliamentary political level because of their alignment with the rival gate, thus denying the nation some of the best talents in our democratic institutions.

Basically, as it stands today, it is apparent that "Politics is Dagbon and Dagbon is Politics". Over the years, politics has turned out to be the lifeblood of some Dagombas actively involved in the DCC, because their economic, and in some cases, their very lives and continued existence hinge on politics as those in the opposition are being threatened by their rivals in power.

Furthermore, national attention and resources are being diverted from critical national issues and projects to deal with our tribal problems.

12. Thirty-five years on, we are still called derogatory names such as: the "Primitive People," the "Barbarians," the "Bush People," "Sheep," and many more, to which we are totally defenceless.

My hope is that we can vindicate ourselves and prove to the world that we can change and become civilized, humble, peaceable, united people and put our ominous past behind us.

13. Thirty-five years on, very sorrowfully, precious Dagomba lives are still being lost as a result of the DCC/DV in massacres, targeted liquidations, and random killings.

14. Thirty-five years on, property loss and financial loss are still incurred owing to destruction: a direct side effect of the Dagbon Virus(DV).

15. Thirty-five years on, the DCC is still raging on as the two royal houses are still against each other and more and more mainstream Dagombas are becoming sick and tired of the constant feud between these gates and the attendant negative consequencies on their lives.

The Yani skin is losing his respect, sacredness, strength, pride, and myth at a fast pace as the problems surrounding this proud Skin are always put in the open for the whole world to laugh about.

To be continued in the next seceral editions…