"THOSE WHOSE PALM KERNELS WERE CRACKED FOR THEM BY A BENEVOLENT SPIRIT SHOULD NOT FORGET TO BE HUMBLE "

"THOSE WHOSE PALM KERNELS WERE CRACKED FOR THEM BY A BENEVOLENT SPIRIT SHOULD NOT FORGET TO BE HUMBLE"

Essentially, this write-up is a response to Manasseh Azure Awuni's attempt to rationalise and justify the guff of Multimedia. He in fact, wants all to accept the move by the News File's team that derogatorily denied an NPP youth the opportunity to rep the party on their flagship programme. If we allow this to go un-condemned, it will be a very big blow;  an indictment to the youth of this country and of course an affront to our intelligence. 

Manasseh's reaction to this fellow on Facebook in my view was not the best and more over unappreciative of his benefactors. For the purposes of fairness here are the fellow's question and Manasseh's subsequent response. Halid Blewusi: Today you are here talking about standards and referring to others as "anyone at all". Remember where you were and grace found you. Until you won the journalist of the year award and people like Sefa Kayi interviewed you, where were you? If you don't believe people should be given opportunities to develop, then you don't deserve the grace you have enjoyed so far.

Manasseh Azure Awuni: Where was I? I was doing journalism with impact. Kwame Sefa-Kayi interviewed me because I was worth being interviewed for that purpose. Or? Why have you not been celebrated by him so that you can become a star or?

If Manasseh cannot be humble enough but finds answers in rhetorics as appropriate, then, there are so many of such. So, don't you; Manasseh think the interview granted you by Mr. Sefa-Kayi presented you some opportunities and attention for which you are what you are today? 

Let's learn to give opportunities to the young ones to grow their capacity. Is intelligence about the individual or the position of the individual? Like president Nana Addo said in his so-called plagiarised inaugural speech, "Our success or failure should be judged by the quality of the individual, by his knowledge, his skills, his behaviour as a member of society, ...". In this statement, I reckon;  the individual's ability should be measured by his skills, intelligence and quality. Mind you, you are not Mr. Manasseh because you're a journalist in Multimedia, but because of your intelligence and your capacity in that profession. And, you will agree with me that, your standing in journalism didn't happen out of the blue but by years of practice, hard work and determination brought to fruition by the magnanimity or good-will of others. Remember, no matter how good you are, you still need the platform of others to stand on their shoulders to showcase what you got. Did you just burst into the media scene at the time you were a rookie? No! You passed through a process to where you are today. So what do you want to deny others?

I remember in one of your Facebook write-ups, you talked about how you literally went on your knees for television stations to play your news works which eventually won you awards. If opportunities were not granted you, would you have become the Manasseh that we know today? Haven't those indulgence and people's 'obligeness', be them on merit or not, developed your capacity?  Before I go on, let me remind you of a saying from one of your favourite authors - Chinua Achebe in his evergreen book; "Things Fall Apart" and this should be our watch word, "Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble" 

Once again, let me remind you of the recent happening in your outfit since you talked about not lowering standards of your flagship programmes. Where were you when the issue of someone's response to your Facebook message about African leaders having economic submits in Geneva became a topic of discussion on the "Super Morning Show"? I hope that wasn't lowering of standards in Multimedia! Was that not trivializing your programmes? The Super Morning Show to be precise. I in particular jumped to your defence on WhatsApp group platforms. 

You should understand that it is one thing to talk about someone not being the appropriate discussant due to the issues tabled for discussion and another thing to talk about the person not meeting standards. I would like to find out the standards you are talking about? In any case, what are the minimum standards for choosing panelists for News File. Tell us to see whether people like Sam George, Felix Kwakyi, Otokonor, David Annan and the likes met those standards at the time they were been paraded on New File. How exceptional are these guys from Nana B? The electronic media in Ghana are fanciful of parading individuals with big titles meanwhile, the ideas and views they express are not exceptionally different from the ordinary Ghanaian's. 

We say the youth are tomorrow's leaders. So, how can they lead tomorrow when they are not given chance to develop themselves today? How will they lead if the old folks do not afford the new ones some room to operate. How will the youth handle the mantle of leadership tomorrow when today's leaders decimate young ones' initiatives? 

I believe in the youth of Ghana and I challenge the News File team to give the youth wings of political parties the chance most especially, the gentleman in question and he will prove them wrong. I do not even understand where this supposedly lack of confidence in the gentleman comes from. Didn't some of our current leaders namely Haruna Idrissu, Mustapha Hamid and the rest passed through this show? The recent crop of young politicians who are doing very well such as Sammy Awuku, Sammy Ablekwa just to mention a few all passed through this programme. So what is changed about the programme that, young ones can no more participate in the programme? If the News File's team takes this stance then, I am not certain that, after four or five years that programme will exist any longer. For the benefit of doubt, I challenge the News File team to empanel Nana B. in their subsequent editions and I strongly believe that, he will put his critics to shame.

You and my cherished media personality - the vintage Samson Lardi Anyenini benefited from people's benevolence to become the brands you are today and not just only by sheer dint of your hard-work, determination and intelligence. I remember the first time I heard of Mr. Samson on radio was as a reporter of Joy FM. Though, by then, a host on Luv FM - a subsidiary media outlet of Multimedia. So how did he arise to become the host of the number one sociopolitical programme (The News File) in Ghana. I know, at the time the job of a host for News File became vacant, they were equally competent and more qualified media personalities who could have handled this most respected programme the same as Mr. Samson if not better. There were media giants who were more positioned and well known in the media circles and to the Ghanaian public than Samson Lardi Anyenini. But, grace found him and he was preferred against all those guys by the employer. Many were the doubting Thomases. A lot of News File's external publics sat on the fence to see whether he was going to pass the test. Because, the bars and standards for the show were already raised to its apex by media gurus such as Kweku Sackyi Addo  and Matilda Asante. So, any personality who wears their shoes was expected to walk in their space if not talk with their pace. Mr. Samson as fallible as human, made some mistakes in the course, but no one can take it away from him that, he improved over the years from experience and has grown to become the finest and in that regard, the best talk show host in Ghana. I believe all will concur with me that he has covered more miles in that journey than even his two predecessors put together. So if he, a first timer for such a gigantic programme has been overwhelmingly successful, what shows that a first time panelist will not be creditably good for News File programme? 

I think Multimedia should give chance to others especially the youth and they will grow to become the kind of persons they want to empanel on their programmes. If this is done, it will help break the monotony of voices on the electronic media and also avoid the monopoly of the usual politicians/journalists. Let the public have variety no matter how novice their submissions will be. We all learn from practice! 

I faintly remember a well known programme on either DW TV or Aljazeera which one time empaneled Kwamena Ato Dadzi from Multimedia then. Not to berate his capability, but they were senior media persons DW TV/Aljazeera could have invited for that programme because, he was not the best of all in the Ghanaian media but at least, it indicated that, the Ghanaian media is made up various kinds of personalities and not only the famous ones.

Lest I forget, Mr. Manasseh might be better informed than me on this matter. Bernard Nasara Shaibu was Manasseh's senior colleague in Multimedia. But he left Multimedia because favour and grace did not either stretch their boughs to him or did not find their way to dawn on him by the powers that be in Multimedia. But we all know that in the run-up to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah's exit from Multimedia, Bernard was paired with Kojo on the Super Morning Show for several months in a bit to groom him for a take over. He even single handedly handled and some times co-hosted the show with Francis Abban for a couple of weeks before Kojo Yankson came. No single listener of the Super Morning Show doubted Nasara's ability to host it, but he was not given the opportunity to challenge himself and develop his capacity. Though, he is making it on a different platform which is not substantially different from what he would have been doing in Multimedia. But, the fact is that, if he were to be hosting the Super Morning Show, he could have performed far more perfectly and better build his experience and capacity than where he is, due to Multimedia's brand. I think this scenario gives us a better reason and more forceful understanding why people, especially the youth should be given opportunities to exhibit what they are inertly made of. 

My humble advice to Multimedia is that, with the advent of social media, the mainstream media should understand that, the power of media today is in the hands of the consumer ie, the reader, listener or viewer and not the journalist, editor or the owner. And to my brothers in Multimedia, permit me to say as a Northerner, I see you as our torchbearers and for that matter, I employ you to  be more reflective of your decisions, actions and reactions.

Thnx!
Naa Gbewaah Sidiq's Folder.