Cleanliness is next to godliness!

The saying that “cleanliness is next to godliness” does not appear in the Bible.  The expression is an archaic proverb found in Babylonian and Hebrew religious tracts. Its debut in the English language in a modified form is found in the writing of the philosopher and scientist Sir Francis Bacon. In advancement of learning (1605) he wrote. “Cleanness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God.” Almost two hundred years later, (1791), John Wesley made a reference to the expression in one of his sermons in the form we use it today. Wesley wrote, “Slovenliness is not part of religion. Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness”. 

Ghanaians and filth!

Ghanaians claim to be God-fearing people or to be precise godly people, but to me, I see most Ghanaian’s as mere God- worshippers. Ghana as a country, there are filth and garbage everywhere, Accra, Kumasi, Tamale etc. If cleanliness is next to Godliness is the yardstick to determine whether God resides in a country then I believe God does not live in Ghana.  Ghanaians behave as if they own God, as if God is our bona fide property, God is at the beck and call of Ghanaians, and we can command Him to do anything we want. We do not sow but we always want to reap, even, if we are not following the principles of God.

We believe God is a Ghanaian, so God will provide toilet and urinal facilities and also dustbin and waste containers for us.  When we create and generate waste and filth, everywhere, God is the garbage collector ‘bola man’ who must sweep and dispose all these waste for us.  Therefore, when it rains, then God will do the sweeping of the waste materials from our streets and the corners, markets, faeces in black polythene bags dump in the gutters into the rivers.  God is tired of being our “bola man’ doing our job for us. 

To me Ghana is typical idol worship nation, if you take a look at the inside of church building and that of the native doctors or the fetish priests abode, there is a sharp difference.  You will see that the church building is very tidy and very bright but the fetish house very untidy and not good for normal habitation.

Open defecation

Professor Chris Gordon, Director, Institute of Environmental and Sanitation, University of Ghana Legon, on Thursday said ‘open defecation cost Ghana 79 million dollars per year, where as it would require less than one million latrines to eliminate the practice’.  He said open defecation led to epidemic disease outbreaks like cholera, especially when human excreta and urine enters water bodies and called for concerted efforts and strong political will to address the problem and with definite solution to these challenges. 

Professor Gordon said 16 million Ghanaians used unsanitary or shared latrines while 4.8 million had no latrines at all and defecated in the open.  The poorest is 22 times more likely to practice open defecation than the richest.  He mentioned political will beyond lip service, attitude and behavior, education and research, infrastructure including appropriate technology and funding as some of the antidotes to the problem. 

The source is GNA date 17^th January, 2013. 

Professor Samuel Afranie, provost of the college of Arts and Social Science K.N.U.S.T., contributing on slums and peri-urban development cut across the urban landscape.  He said large proportions of population according to 2001 statistics 4.1 million Ghanaian lived in slums.  The number increased to 55% in 2008.  Prof Afranie said 51% of Ghana’s population lived in the cities and if the trend continued it would rise to 58.5% in 2020. 

The good, the bad and the ugly side of waste materials

If Ghanaians claim to be the children of God, then let our abodes and our environment depict that, but not just our mouth from the Presidency to the last person, let us rise and eradicate waste and filth from our systems, well done is better than well said. 

Let us change our social, cultural and traditional way of not taken good care of garbage.  We as a people need new change and the thorough education about the need and the urgency of taken good care of clean environment. Through the technological innovation and the massive awareness of the waste management right from our various homes and houses, communities, villages, towns, suburbs, cities and the entire nation. 

There was a report that, Sweden runs out of garbage, forced to import from Norway, Norway pays Sweden to take its trash, Sweden gets the heat and the electricity, and Sweden exports the burned debris back to Norway.  Swedes aren’t producing enough garbage for their successful waste-to –energy programmed. 

In a country where only 4% of waste goes to landfills, have had to start importing trash so they can keep making heat and electricity. The Scandinavian country runs a wildly successful waste to energy program, generating 20% of the nation’s district heating and generating electricity for a quarter-million homes. - Source: www.nydailynews.com 27/12/2012. 

A big food for thought for Ghana our motherland, we have a different story here.  We are seriously engulfed with all kinds of waste and there are huge heap of filth all the places: especially the markets places and our various communities brewing mosquitoes and the result is mass malaria. Rodents like mice have taken over the markets with its long term effect very unhygienic environment. We expect God from heaven to clean and eradicate the waste for us. The environmental pollution from these stenches is very pathetic.

We are indeed jokers, let us rise up and all and sundry team up with the Zoom Lion and the other institutions in charge of waste to deal drastically with garbage like the way Sweden and Brazil are doing in a typical scientific and the technological approach. The filth situation in Ghana without any idea to control and curtail it is an affront on leadership.

With the help of K.N.U.S.T., and the other high institutions in Ghana, and the government coming out boldly to solve these waste issue once and for all, so that Ghana will have waste free environment . Does God live in filth? The answer is capital NO, God does not dwell in filth, but Ghanaians behaviour show that God live in filth. What do you think and say about this piece, let us continue to ponder about this.

The bio-gas electric power generating system introduced by Prof. K. Frimpong Boateng and Pt. Dr. Mensah Otabil and the Central University College, with human excreta in the abundance, let us make good use of these natural waste. It is known that, Hon. K.T. Hammond is making good use of the excreta at his constituency.   

***********************

Kwaku Minkah Sarkodie –Holy

Tamale

05/07/2013

0244-608542 / 020-8091457

Charles.minkah@yahoo.com   Kwakuminkahsarkodie@gmail.com