Prof. Adams Bodomo
In the wake of the neglect of the Ga language on the billboard at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, a move that has stirred controversy among Ghanaians, several prominent figures have voiced their opinions. The issue has brought fresh attention to the place of local languages in Ghana’s public and national spaces.
The controversy surrounding the omission of the Ga language on the billboard at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra continues to take new turns. After public backlash, it is alleged that the board has been replaced with only the Ga greeting “Oobakɛ” and the English “Welcome,” removing earlier greetings such as the Akan “Akwaaba” and the Ewe “Woezor.”
Renowned Ghanaian linguist, Professor Adams Bodomo, has waded into the debate, insisting that while Ga deserves to be highlighted on Ga land, sidelining Akwaaba is unacceptable. He said this on his Facebook account:
“This signboard must be rewritten a third time, with Oobakɛ, Akwaaba, and Welcome (three languages). Don’t throw away Akwaaba… it has over time become a very Ghanaian identity expression,” he stressed.
Prof. Bodomo, who lectures at the University of Vienna in Austria and also serves as a CIPSH Chair in Linguistics and Biodiversity at the University of Ghana, Legon, further noted that the attempt to eliminate Akwaaba seems to be “a very slick strategy by some anti-Akwaaba folks to engineer its removal.”
He also argued that the dominance of Akan in national life cannot be brushed aside.
“Akan in all its varieties is our most widely spoken language. While respecting local languages in all parts of Ghana, Twi will always be present. Every young Ghanaian is advised to be proficient in at least three languages, including their local language, an Akan variety like Twi or Fante, and English. Akan is our de facto national language! Let us stop this neo-colonial argumentation that English is a neutral language so we should keep it and not project Akan,”.
Already, the Ga Union has taken the discussion further onto social media, raising fresh concerns about the removal of “Akwaaba” at Ghana’s national airport, Kotoka International Airport. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the group questioned why such a symbolic Ga expression (Oobakɛ) should be sidelined for an Akan expression ‘Akwaaba’ on a Ga land.
Prof. Bodomo suggested that if Ghanaians cannot settle on which major lingua franca to feature alongside Ga, then a pan-African option such as the Swahili “Karibu” could be considered. What do you also suggest? Have your say on this growing topic.
Editor: Ama Gyesiwaa Quansah
