(I sincerely apologize for this write up that you are about to read. It is a bit long but if you do make an effort to finish reading it, you will enjoy it)
Animal Farm
is fable and political satire by George Orwell which was published in England on 17 August
1945. Animal Farm tells the tragic story of what happens when oppressed
farm animals’ rebellion drive out Mr. Jones, the farmer, and attempt to rule
the farm themselves on an equal basis. An instant conflict ensued between two
pigs, Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon wants to sit around and be in charge of
everything, while Snowball wants to teach the other animals and build a
windmill. What the animals seem to have aimed at, was a utopian sort of
community, where each would work according to his capacity and respecting the
needs of others. The pigs exploit the other animals shamelessly, breaking all
the rules that they had established after the rebellion. Things fall apart:
life on the farm gets worse.
About Ghana
During
the colonial era, the present-day Ghana was made up of independent kingdoms such
as the Gonja Kingdom, the Dagomba Kingdom, the Ashanti
Kingdom and the Fante Kingdom. In the year 1482, the first European fort was
built by the Portuguese at Elmina.
Trade commenced in the costal sector between the indigenes and the Europeans,
largely in gold and slaves.
In the Gold Coast, nationalist activity strengthened
after the World War II. Kwame Nkrumah emerged as the leading nationalist figure.
In 1951, Britain granted a new constitution, which had been drawn up by
Africans, and general elections were held. The CPP won overwhelmingly and
Nkrumah became the premier.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African
country to attain political independence from Great Britain on 6th
of March 195. In 1966, Nkrumah was ousted
by a military coup. The newly National Liberation Council (NLC) was set up to
rule until the restoration of civilian government. The NLC transferred power to
the government of K. A. Busia in 1969, who had been elected under a new
constitution. Busia's regime was undermined by labour problems, an unpopular currency
devaluation and serious inflation, and in the year 1972, it was dethroned in a
bloodless coup led by Col. I. K. Acheampong. Acheampong was later ousted by his Chief of Defence Staff, General F.W.K. Akuffo.
However,
in 1979, Akuffo was forced out of office by a group of military officers
led by Flight Lt. J. J. Rawlings
who overthrew the government and purged the country of opposition, then turned
the government over to an elected president, Dr. Hilla Limann.
Rawlings
seized power again in 1981 and stiffened his political mechanism throughout the
1980s. In 1992, the government promulgated
a new constitution. Rawlings won the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. However, Rawlings could not run for re-election
in 2000. John Agyekum Kuffour
was elected as president during the 2000 December elections. In December 2004,
he won the re-election and his New Patriotic Party held majority in the
parliament. The National Patriotic Party led by Nana Akuffo Addo lost the elections
to Prof. Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress during the 2008
general elections. Prof. Evans Atta Mills died in July 2012 and hence his successor
John Dramani Mahama took over as President from July-December 2012. John
Dramani Mahama was re-elected as president in December elections amidst
controversy which is currently before the Supreme Court of Ghana.
Animal Farm and Politics in Ghana
Animal
Farm, classic and
timeless piece can be related to modern day politics in Ghana and other parts
of the world as well. Animal farm is still relevant in the politics in Ghana
from the first president, Kwame Nkrumah (1957) to John Dramani Mahama (2012).
Here some events and occurrences in the book that that can be related to
politics in Ghana.
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism
is a form of government in which the state seeks to control every facet of life.
For instance, Mr. Jones runs Manor Farm based on the idea that human domination
of animals is the natural order of things, while Napoleon and the pigs run
Animal Farm with the claim that they are fighting for animals against evil
humans. In Ghana, under the Kwame Nkrumah administration in 1960, Nkrumah
transformed Ghana into a republic, with himself as president for life. By a
1964 referendum, all opposition parties were outlawed, and many critics of the
government were subsequently imprisoned. In addition, after Rawlings’ seizure
of power again in 1981, he tightened his political control throughout in the
1980s. Leaders who hold power in
totalitarian regimes such as Nkrumah and Rawlings care only about one thing:
maintaining their power by any means necessary that is what the pigs did in the
Animal Farm.
Revolution
The
revolution in Animal Farm, like all
popular revolutions, arises out of a hope for a better future. It is
enlightening to look at the characters of Animal
Farm and the events that occur on the farm after the revolution, and relate
those characters and events to the political situation in Ghana after the coup led by FI. Lt. J.J. Rawlings on June 4,
1979. The revolution tried to clear up corruption in all walks of life,
especially the kalabule system (black
market) which had affected the cost of living and suspected to be responsible
for the escalation of inflation in Ghana. Under this rulership, public executions of 3
former heads of state and other senior officers without trial were carried out.
Similarly, this can be related to the execution that took place at the Animal Farm. “Then a sheep confessed to
having urinated in the drinking pool--urged to do this, so she said, by
Snowball--and two other sheep confessed to having murdered an old ram, an
especially devoted follower of Napoleon, by chasing him round and round a
bonfire when he was suffering from a cough. They were all slain on the spot.
And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile
of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of
blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones”.
Corruption
The
first illustration of corruption among the ruling class appears shortly after
the revolution on the Animal Farm.
The pigs, the new rulers of Animal Farm
after the exiling of the tyrant Mr. Jones, milk the cows to relieve them from
of their discomfort. The animals, remembering how Mr. Jones would mix some of
the milk into their mash, look forward to at least similar treatment from the
pigs. However, the milk soon disappears and it is discovered later that the
pigs have mixed it into their own mash without sharing it with the other
animals, just as the windfall apples have been consumed exclusively by the
pigs. Squealer, justifies this to the other animals by saying that the pigs
need the extra brain energy, and then bolsters his argument with some fear mongering:
“Do you know what would happen if w pigs
failed in our duty? Jones would be back!” The revolution assured education, housing, and
pension plans, as well as jobs for the animals. The animals did receive some of
those features while Snowball was with them. The animals worked hard so that
they would share equally in the benefits of production. The government (pigs),
regardless of demand, determined supply.
All animals were forced to work, so there was no competition for jobs.
The true costs of production were not known. Wages were completely uninformed,
as well as prices of goods. In Ghana, corruption is gradually eating away the
moral fabric of the society. From Nkrumah to Mahama’s administration, public’s officials
have been accused of various degree of corruption. Tax payers’ money cannot be
properly accounted for.
During Nkrumah’
led administration, the Ghanaian Times
exposure of Krobo Edusei, a cabinet minister in his government for corruption
led to his dismissal. The minister’s wife had bought a golden bed at a cost of
€3000 in London. The newspaper raised alarm at what it considered clear case of
ostentatious living by a minister in a government that proclaimed to be
Socialist in orientation and outlook. Who
can forget Alfred Agbesi Woyome? The businessman entangled in a GH¢51 million
judgement debt payment saga in connection with the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
Our country still wallows in corruption just like the Animal Farm.
Dictatorship
In Ghana from 1957 to early 1966, Nkrumah made
it more of a dictatorial control state. Nkrumah had an absolute and imperious
control just like Napoleon in Animal Farm.
“Napoleon
was now never spoken of simply as "Napoleon." He was always referred
to in formal style as "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon," and this pigs
liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals, Terror of
Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings' Friend, and the like.” Just
like Kwame Nkrumah, the Makola women would chant “Kwame Nkrumah - Show Boy”, “I want to see
Kwame Nkrumah – Show Boy!” when they saw him in person or heard his
speeches. The Young Pioneers (Nkrumah’s Youth Supporters) which can be likened
to Squealer in the Animal Farm would cheer “Nkrumah never dies!” In the case
of charismatic Rawlings, he was christened Junior
Jesus. Although Kwame Nkrumah and Napoleon did very well in attaining
liberation and economic growth, it is worth mentioning that, their good works
blinded much of their dictatorship personas.
Propaganda in Animal Farm
Animal
Farm efficaciously presents how the mechanism of propaganda and brainwashing
works in political setup, by showing how the pigs could make the other animals
believe practically anything. Propaganda is used by people to falsify or
distort the truth. In the book Animal
Farm, propaganda was used as it being used in Ghana now. First of all,
Napoleon and the pigs used propaganda to tell lies the animals would believe.
For example, when Boxer was taken away in the knacker truck, Squealer got all
the animals to believe that the truck had been bought by the hospital, but they
hadn't taken the writings on the side off yet. Also, when Napoleon first
drove out Snowball, Napoleon told the animals that the windmill was his idea
and he just pretended not to like it to get rid of Snowball. The animals all
believed him because they were ignorant. And finally, when the windmill was
first destroyed, Napoleon used propaganda to make all the animals believe that
Snowball had destroyed the windmill himself and had been a traitor from the
beginning. Responsible for the propaganda was Squealer, who "could turn black into white".
Today,
propaganda has become perhaps the most popular and commonly used word in
political oration in Ghana. Political parties and personalities are always
quick to attribute any bad press they get to the propaganda of their enemies.
The Seven Commandments and 1992
Constitution
“These Seven Commandments would now be
inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the
animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after.” These are the
commandments or constitution the animals conscripted to guide them rule their world.
These commandments were periodically altered to suit the needs of the ruling
pigs. As the pigs transitioned to rulers, changes in the commandments became
necessary when they desired to do something the commandments deemed they should
not do. When the pigs began to sleep in the beds, a clear violation of
Commandment number 4, the following occurred. Nevertheless, some of the animals
were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the
kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also slept in the
beds and drank alcohol. Squealer managed to change the rule from "all animals are equal" to "all animals are equal but some
animals are more equal than others"
The preamble to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana
starts with the following words: “in the
name of the almighty God we the people of Ghana…” It declares Ghana to be a unitary republic
with sovereignty residing in the people of Ghana. The constitution is designed to
protect fundamental human rights and is dedicated to the protection and
promotion of a wide-range of rights including civil and political rights as
well as economic, social and cultural rights
One
controversial provision of the 1992 Constitution indemnifies members and
appointees of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) from liability
for any official act or omission during the years of PNDC rule just like the
commandments were altered to suit the needs of the ruling pigs.
Conclusion
One distinct feature about political satires is that, it’s much easier to accept them after a political moment or regime has passed or when it is still in progress. Orwell describes how power turned the pigs from simple "comrades" to ruthless dictators who managed to walk on two legs, and carry whips; Orwell's prophetic vision of the results of totalitarianism. George Orwell through his story about Animal Farm exposed some of the tactics political leaders in Ghana use to manipulate the electorates, gain control and to remain in control. These are not new tactics though; they have been employed throughout history.
One distinct feature about political satires is that, it’s much easier to accept them after a political moment or regime has passed or when it is still in progress. Orwell describes how power turned the pigs from simple "comrades" to ruthless dictators who managed to walk on two legs, and carry whips; Orwell's prophetic vision of the results of totalitarianism. George Orwell through his story about Animal Farm exposed some of the tactics political leaders in Ghana use to manipulate the electorates, gain control and to remain in control. These are not new tactics though; they have been employed throughout history.
Reference
·
Adedeji
JL (2001). The Legacy of J. J. Rawlings in Ghanaian Politics. African
Studies Quarterly 5(2): 1. [online] URL: http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v5/v5i2a1.htm Accessed on 6/6/2012
·
Dzisah, S. Wilberforce, History of Journalism
in Ghana. Lecture Notes
·
Jonah, K. (2007), ‘Political Parties, Democracy and
Development in Ghana’ for the Institute
for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Accra, Ghana
·
Otchere Darko 20th February 2010,
Indemnity Clause of 1992 Constitution ghanaweb.com/Ghana Homepage/News Archive/artikel.
Php ID=83836) Accessed 8/6/2012
Youre Truly
Akosua Deli.ciouz
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