Nyaba,

I am sorry that I have to start this letter without the usual courtesies.

I am not happy.

They say a man never realises the value of what he possesses until he loses it. Our chiefdom possesses an enormous amount of peace, unfortunately, however, it appears we don't value. It appears that collectively, we have all agreed to lose it so that we may be able to value it.

Nyaba, on the last day before the first moon of the new year, went to sleep, our chiefdom organised a mini thumb printing festival to select a new elder to sit on the vacant chair left in the house of lawmaking elders of our land following the demise of the one who used to sit on it.

This festival was to be organised in what many people believe to be the most elitist community in our chiefdom.

For in this community, we are told that the high and mighty the rich and affluent dwell and the most educated inhabit. So naturally, we all expected that these highly educated, rich, and high and mighty people, will, on the day of the thumb printing festival, walk to the festival centre, dip their thumb into some ink, and then proceed to thumbprint against their preferred candidate.live,

Nyaba, we were all so wrong!

Right there at the heartbeat of our chiefdom's most civilized community, we heard very primitive gunshots. We saw very primitive slaps. Yes, a lawmaker was unlawfully slapped, not once, not twice. A lawmaker was slapped by someone who was expected to be a law keeper.

Nyaba, it all started when a rumour went around the villages square that some members of the umbrella clan had converged at a point to discuss how to "protect the ballot". When this rumour reached the ears of some mask wearing people, who we are told we're operatives of our chiefdom's security, they quickly moved in to stop the meeting of the "ballot box protectors". In the melee, guns were shot, and people were injured.

The "national security" had through their action, cause a huge dose of national insecurity.

Nyaba, following this, the chairman of the umbrella clan emerged from the house of the umbrella candidate and announced to gossips that the umbrella clan had decided to apply the "withdrawal method" of contraception in the thumb printing process because the other party, the elephant clan had started using rape tactics.

Thereafter, a press conference was held by the umbrella clan to announce to the world, the factors that had led to the decision of applying the withdrawal method.

Halfway through the press conference, some macho men stormed the room and stopped the head of the umbrella clan from making any further comments. According to them, the electoral rape happened on the streets, so if they must withdraw, the withdrawal must also happen on the streets.

Almost simultaneously, the elephant clan was also talking to gossips and explaining how the allegations of electoral rape by the umbrella clan were false. According to them, the umbrella clan had applied the withdrawal method because they had nothing to "release". The withdrawal method was applied just to save the face of the umbrella, they claimed.

Nyaba, as for allegations of electoral rape, we hear them all the time. It is usually the same script and the same words. The only thing that changes are the actors. When the umbrella is power the elephant accuses them of electoral rape. And when the elephant is in power, the umbrella is accused of electoral rape. And they both justify or condemn the rape depending on which chair they sit on.

Nyaba, do you remember the recent partial thumb printing festival that took place in Talensi? Do you not see how similar the events of the Ayawaso West Wuogon are to that of Talensi? Do you not see that the complainers at Talensi have become the defendants of Ayawaso? And do you not see that the complainers of Ayawaso were the defendants of Talensi? Do you recall the infamous "violence begets violence" statement?

Nyaba, this is how far umbrella and elephant politics has brought us.

We move forward once and move backwards thrice.