FREEDOM FOR SAFETY

Ghana is a beautiful and peaceful country in Africa, she shares boundaries with Togo, Nigeria and Burkina Faso in the West of Africa. She is rich in natural minerals and has great farmlands. The people of Ghana are noted for their great hospitality and rich culture, the beauty of tradition is brought to light during festivals like Homowo, Hogbestosto, and Aboakyere just to mention a few for the people of Ga, Ewe, and Fante ethnic groups respectively.

Since the fourth Republic, Ghana has enjoyed stable democracy a mist pockets of violence during parliamentary and presidential elections and a few tribal conflicts. That notwithstanding the people move freely and enjoyed protection from state security. For this Ghana had been one of the first destinations that come to mind when any tourist thinks Africa.

Growing up, as a young girl living in a compound house, I looked forward to playing with my neighbour's kids and others from adjoining houses. We could play late into the night till our mothers came screaming at us to come to bed. Not too long I finished university and started working and have travelled the length and width of Ghana, irrespective of which part of the country one was at a particular point in time all you needed was to know where the action happens and off you go to have fun.

We have also watched the news and wondered how we would survive the restrictions imposed in other countries due to electoral conflicts, civil war among others and prayed it never happened to us at least not in our time nor in the days of our children. Life was good and peaceful till December 31, 2019, when the world anxiously looked forward to ushering in the New Year 2020 but little did we know that the unseen enemy riding on the back of 2019 in China had jumped ship into 2020.

With just a few weeks into 2020, the unseen enemy announced its self to the world, warning of a possible World War II but before we could breathe or plan a rebuttal it's launching its first attack killing thousands of people in Asia through to Europe, American and Africa must take a cue. By the third month of 2020 Africa had resulted to curtail the freedom of movement of her people not because of electoral violence to save life nor is our government restricting people on an ongoing civil war but it is to deprive the unseen enemy power to reach the poor majority.

Today, one needs to be an essential worker to move about in many African countries; even that, one is restricted to some parts of the country. People who wished to visit friends and family are unable to do so because such is not necessary, to say the least, who would think that a world where staying and dying together was the highest of show love had for the first time in human history resolved to stay apart for the survival of the world.

I had tears in my eye when I drove out about a week ago headed to the Dodowa market a suburb of Accra to restock after being locked down for over 14 days just to secure my family ahead of a possible lockdown extension by the government of Ghana which is aimed at containing and stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus.

My tears were not because I did not have enough money to shop but the number of security checkpoints I had to go through and explaining why am out and where exactly I was headed to all this time I was showing my identity card to prove that I am an essential worker and therefore had the right to be out there even though I had been asked by my company to work from home.

Though it is acceptable to say that people must be free to work together, it will be irresponsible to forget that freedom comes with responsibilities and therefore all must be willing to accept the consequences of our choices, respect and protect each other’s freedom while we consolidate our effort in the fight against the unseen enemy the COVID 19.

However, since not everyone will acknowledge these responsibilities voluntarily, thus the need for our security personnel to enforce the state directives, I therefore, encourage us all to observe laid down protocols to keep safe and stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Always remember we are in this together!