Ghana's Traditional Values: A Consistent Approach to Freedom of Expression and Social Harmony

Key Takeaways

• The debate surrounding the arrest of TikTokers who allegedly insulted elderly politicians raises questions about the role of traditional Ghanaian moral values in contemporary society.
• Traditional rulers could play a constructive role in addressing disrespectful speech by summoning individuals, hearing both sides, and counseling them.
• A distinctly Ghanaian approach to balancing freedom of expression, accountability, respect for elders, and social harmony is necessary.

The recent controversy surrounding the arrest of TikTokers who allegedly insulted elderly politicians has sparked a heated debate in Ghanaian society. While opinions are often divided along partisan lines, a deeper cultural and moral question arises: What does our traditional Ghanaian moral culture teach us about respect for elders, responsible speech, and the proper way of resolving conflicts?

The debate surrounding same-sex relationships in Ghanaian society highlights the importance of traditional moral values. However, in the current controversy, the silence of many champions of traditional moral values is noteworthy. If we were to invoke traditional values so forcefully in the LGBTQ+ debate, should we not also be prepared to invoke those same values when dealing with disrespectful, abusive, or threatening speech directed at our elders and public figures?

Background & Context

The debate surrounding same-sex relationships in Ghanaian society highlights the importance of traditional moral values. Traditional institutions, communal values, and the moral authority of ancestors were repeatedly invoked to argue against same-sex relationships. However, the current controversy raises a deeper question about the role of traditional moral values in contemporary society.

The chieftaincy institution in Ghana possesses a unique resource: moral and communal authority. Traditional rulers often know the families, communities, and social networks of those under their jurisdiction. This authority could complement, not replace, the constitutional institutions of the Republic.

Key Findings

Traditional rulers could play a constructive role in addressing disrespectful speech by summoning individuals, hearing both sides, and counseling them. This approach would not mean giving traditional rulers powers that belong exclusively to the courts or the police. Rather, it would allow traditional institutions to contribute meaningfully to the conversation about the balance between freedom of expression and social harmony.

The challenge is to maintain a healthy balance between freedom of speech and responsibility for one's speech. Public figures must be prepared to tolerate criticism, including strong and uncomfortable criticism. However, freedom of expression cannot reasonably be understood as a license to threaten, intimidate, harass, or deliberately humiliate others.

Broader Implications

The larger issue is one of consistency. If traditional Ghanaian values are sufficiently important to be invoked in debates about sexuality and family life, they should also be taken seriously when questions of respect, responsibility, communal harmony, and the dignity of others arise. Traditional values should not be selective weapons deployed in one cultural debate and abandoned in another.

Perhaps the present controversy offers Ghana an opportunity to ask a broader question: Can our traditional institutions help us develop a distinctly Ghanaian approach to the difficult balance between freedom of expression, accountability, respect for elders, and the preservation of social harmony?

Looking Ahead

A distinctly Ghanaian approach to balancing freedom of expression, accountability, respect for elders, and social harmony is necessary. Our chieftaincy institution remains sufficiently respected and influential to contribute meaningfully to this conversation. Rather than simply asking whether TikTokers should be arrested or whether politicians deserve respect, perhaps we should ask a more fundamental question: How can Ghana combine constitutional democracy and freedom of expression with the best elements of its traditional culture of respect, communal responsibility, dialogue, and reconciliation?

That, in my view, would be a far more constructive way of bringing sanity to our public discourse without sacrificing either our democratic freedoms or our cultural values.