Letters Readers’ views
otherwise explain the fact that Akua’s article started out with the line “two Chinese women came in [to the beauty salon] to have their hair corn-rowed”?
Stephan Brenner Kumasi, Ghana
Akua is losing her soul unnecessarily My first reaction to Akua Djanie’s col- umn, “Losing my soul,” is that I am per- sonally so completely over the statements of African women not being comfortable with their natural hair. Wearing Brazilian hair is not an African phenomenon, it is a global one. Most peo- ple just like long hair, they appreciate how it makes them feel and on a personal level it contributes to their perception of beauty. African women who don’t weave their hair usually have it chemically straightened, like I can see Akua has done herself, from the picture she uses on her column. So what is the difference between the two looks then? However, what makes my blood really
boil is her comments about Christianity. I am by no means a religious person, but I see and know people who go to church every Sunday. I see them worship and pray in their homes, and to criticise how people choose to praise God has nothing to do with being African or not. I doubt these people are losing anything just because of the way they choose to pray. And how can anyone lose his or her
soul by celebrating Christmas, which they believe is the birth of Christ? What is so un-African about that? Christmas brings about high levels of excitement – it is a time of sharing with your family, friends and neighbours. And in South Africa where I am from, we work hard for the entire year, but while we have bills to pay and not enough to spare, every December we take that opportunity, no matter how little extra money we have left, to spoil ourselves and those we love in the spirit of celebrating Christmas. How is such a gesture un-African?
Akua Djanie, whose reflections in the March issue have led to an especially full postbag for the month
I lose my soul when I hear people rant
about how African culture is falling by the wayside – well, it’s all nonsense. Te African culture we are being called
on to embrace has evolved, it has always been moving forward. African culture as it was before the continent was col- onised, was different from what it was during and after colonisation. African people have gone from being nomadic to settling down and building home- steads. It would be an insult to our ancestors if
our generation chose not to move forward in the name of maintaining “our culture”. Our ancestors had no problem moving forward, why can’t we? Who would benefit from our stagnation? It is an insult to me and every other
African, in particular African women, to assume that we have failed in holding on to “what makes us who we are” because of our hair, and the fact that some of us African women enjoy being pretty and doing things to enhance that (the same as my ancestors did). Personally, I know who I am, I know
where I am going and I am yet to refer to myself as not being African. Ms Djanie, you are losing your soul unnecessarily!
Mikhaila Cupido Kigali, Rwanda
ATTENTION READERS: FULL ADDRESS PLEASE Letters for publication should bear the full name and address of the writer, whether sent by post or email. We can withhold your name and address on request but we cannot publish letters that do not bear the full names and addresses of the writers. Could you also please keep the letters short and straight to the point (maximum length: 300 words).
6 | April 2011 New African
CORRECTION In the March issue, we mistakenly included the photo of the Nigerian musician Tony Oladipo Allen in Philippe Sibelly’s travelogue “The Other Africa”. Allen’s photo was not taken by Sibelly and we apologise for the error.
Issues with Ghanaian football In his article “Reaching for the stars” (NA, March), Osasu Obayiuwana writes a very complimentary piece on Ghanaian foot- ball, the country’s football association and its president Kwesi Nyantakyi. But in a separate article for an online magazine by the same writer, in the same month, Osasu is scathing about the state of football in Africa. Is Ghana not in Africa? It can- not therefore be excluded from problems within the football administration on the continent, despite the fact that Ghana has achieved some notable success in the game. In any case, there still remain serious issues with sports in Ghana and football in par- ticular. Wasn’t it only last March that the offices of the Ghana Football Associa- tion (GFA), were raided by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), on suspicion of malpractice within the organisation? And the fact that a great football-
loving country like Ghana engages national coaches for at least the last three world and African tournaments, from countries that have not accomplished much in terms of football, is a fact that should cause worry about the state of Gha- naian football. In addition, the situation in Ghana is that although we have a football association chairman basking in the glory of the nation qualifying for two successive World Cups, the local football league, which should be one of his main concerns and responsibilities also, is sadly dying. I believe the time has come for some
drastic measures and changes to be intro- duced in Ghanaian football. For example, celebrated and retired Ghanaian foot- ballers like Ahmed Polo, Abdul Razak, Osei Kofi, Abedi Pele, Anthony Baffoe, Anthony Yeboah, and many others should start getting more involved in the coun- try’s football administration, and the same should apply across the rest of Africa. Afrikatu Kofi
Prague, Czech Republic
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