10 W/Men Strong can Shift Power towards Tomorrow

“Those who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of those already doing it”

When I spent time with the Occupy Movement at St. Pauls and Finsbury Square in 2011, I learnt one thing that has guided my activism till date— caring is everyone’s business no matter rich or poor, free or oppressed; because a time comes in everyone’s life that you will need someone to fight for you. The moment we stop fighting for ourselves is the moment we lose our humanity.

So when #1SimpleStep was birthed to fight for ourselves, I didn't only think it was just, I thought it was only ethical for me to join.

The only thing that gives credibility to any movement is the same one thing that ensures its sustainability— the grassroots. So on 19^th April, 2013, when 10 of us walked in front of the Flagstaff House into the building to deliver our letters and concerns to the Presidency and leadership, it wasn't about getting masses of people to take that step, it was about that simple step being taken by a community of the masses. We were not 10 strong w/men; we were 10 w/men strong.

What #1SimpleStep achieved was building trust that healed our fears and sharing our struggles that built a community.  To put this into perspective, every grassroot movement that has ever shifted power has been built on the foundations of trust and a sense of community.

That said, corruption is not the cause of our poverty and mess in this country, it is just a symptom of it. The cause is not even apathy which is always on trial in our mouths. The real cause is LETHARGY. We ritualize the ballot box and elect people to represent us in various leaderships without demanding accountability, transparency and sustainability. We do really care but we don’t care so much, we don’t care enough.

#1SimpleStep didn’t only break the spiral of silence; it proved that the only 3 things we need to shift power in this country are faith, love and persistence, which are heavily grounded on a conscience. And by being peaceful in nature, we are a conscience and hence we are stronger. This is the first evidence that we shouldn't just walk the talk; we should also talk the talk and walk the walk.

Organized dissent and peaceful protest are the mother of all transformational change and so we are at the right side of history, change will come as we press on. We don’t only need to talk about hope in dire circumstances, we always have to pursue, practice and preach it.

History was written last Friday and when it is re-written in future, @GHANAmomoni, @MutomboDaPoet, @Kwabena, @attigs, @wrathymarcel, @kinnareads, @ghanabakwabena, @Ek0wMaIsSe, @ganyobisaki, @MawuliTsikata and Sowah would have shifted power towards tomorrow. Keep shifting power!

“Hope is not a matter of personal psychology, in the midst of uncertainty it is the most strategic response, the need to be optimistic is the most important political decision anyone can take”