Are Ghanaians afraid of blood?

“Ghanaians themselves are peace lovers, they talk more than they act,” an officer with an organization that advocates on behalf of slum dwellers told me.

“We talk, not act,” the boy cleaning the owner of my hostel’s Lexus told me in response to why Accra is a safe city. “We fear blood.”

“Ghanaians are just happy, peaceful, democratic people,” my Twi professor who teaches at Harvard lectured to me. “It’s deep in our culture.”

It seems like all the people who I have met who have had interactions with Ghanaians say the same thing. What joyful people. Always smiling. Pleasure to be around. Ghanaians seem to attribute this to their religion. “We are god-fearing Christians,” a woman told me.

It’s hard to argue with this non-violent assessment when on the streets of Accra. Just today, I saw a cocky teenager knock down food from a man selling fried buns. The man jumped off his cycle and started chasing the kid, pissed. A crowd gathered and the kid simply threw some money in the air and fled. Afraid of a confrontation. Everyone else just stood around and smiled.

I remembered constantly feeling uncomfortable and unsafe in South Africa. Jamaican cities were no better. But I have not had a single problem in Accra, and people always just leave me alone, unless I have a question. Then they are more than willing to help.

But Ghanaians are not passive, or non-confrontational. Amartya Sen wrote a book called The Argumentative Indian, explaining that arguing has been part of Indian culture for thousands of years, and that this democratic trait has been well institutionalized in India for many years. He argues that this is one reason democracy flourishes in the country. Could the same be said for Ghana?

It seems like Ghanaians are always arguing about something: the price of the tro-tro, the price of bread, business, directions, etc. And this isn’t just a male quality: men argue with women, men with men, and women with women. Voices are always raised, people get very close to one another, but never is there a physical confrontation. If a woman is involved, the argument ends with the Ghanaian “Umph.” If men, the loser of the argument walks away, still arguing, shouting. Laughter and smiles always seem to break out.

Far and away, people argue the most about politics. Americans learn that during business you never bring up politics or religion. Not the case here. There is always squabbling about NDC versus NPP. People are never content with the government, no matter who is in power, and they let their frustrations flow. Talk radio is the most common outlet to vent, but you don’t even have to call in: go anywhere; you will hear complaints about politics.

It is commonly assumed that this type of political engagement is good for democracy. Everyday citizen engagement tends to spur political participation, which in turn helps hold the government accountable. For “deliberative democracy” theorists, this interaction is the key to a healthy, democratic society. But is this activity really good for democracy?

A researcher at a top democracy think-tank told me, “There are plenty of phone-in shows, but no constructive collective action. This has always been the case in Ghana.” He attributed this to a culture of deference steeped in the deep history of traditional authority, “You don’t question the Chief.” While people are always squabbling and expressing their disillusionment to one another, they have not figured out the proper way to turn this into positive political action and hold their leaders accountable.

But Ghana’s history has not been all peaceful. Kwame Nkrumah imprisoned many political dissidents. There have been several coup d’états. Military leader turned President Jerry Rawlings ruled Ghana with an iron fist. Even during the recent national elections there were many violent skirmishes.

I asked my contact at the organization that advocates on behalf of the urban poor about these clashes. He responded with full honesty, “The problem we have in Ghana is the Northerners. In the South we are peaceful and tolerant.” Ironically, he continued, “It is because they are Muslims. Islam just is not peaceful.” He continued to tell me that these people do not send their children to school, and like to make lots of money and drive nice cars. They don’t care how they make their money, even if it is criminal. “In fact,” he responded, “the Northerners only fight amongst themselves.”

Perhaps it is only the Southern, Christian Ghanaians who are afraid of blood.

Of course, I disagree, but clearly ethnicity and religion still cause deep divisions in Ghanaian society.