Queen Mother advocates equal playing field for women in the diaspora

Story written by: Bright Philip Donkor

Mr Patrick Cobbinah and Mrs Nehanda Sankofa-Ra (Queen Mother)

A Queen Mother of the Okogyeaman Tete Kwame Asona Royal from Ahwerase Akuapem in the Eastern Region, Ankobeahemaa Nana Akosua Sekyiaabea I, has stressed the need for African leaders and the African diaspora, and in fact, the world leadership to move along with women – creating more opportunities and levelling field for women to bring to the fore, their sterling leadership qualities.

In an interview with The Daily Statesman at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Elmina, the Queen Mother, who is called Mrs Nehanda Sankofa-Ra said women play a vital role in the survival and sustenance of this world. She stressed that “their contribution to the development of the human race is inestimable”.

“There should be equal playing field for women. And I will give you an example, when I became a Police Officer, there wasn’t any woman on the job. My first training officer told me “I have never worked with a woman; I don’t want to work with a woman, and I don’t think you should be here. So, of course, I thought I was going to get fired,” she stated.

The Queen Mother said all that never dampened her spirit, revealing “I learned being a woman on the police department, and was able to calm people down when tempers were high”.

“I have that natural skill so when people got irate, I was able to calm nerves down. For instance, the slightest of things, the male policemen are ready to fight. But I was just coming in and I never got into a single fight. That’s in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is serious, so I never got into altercation with anyone because I verbalize and that’s what women are good at,” the Queen Mother stressed.

Given opportunity

She explained that women were naturally endowed with wisdom, knowledge, skills and could contribute their quota to the growth and development of the country, especially at the political levels and other fields when given the needed opportunity.

Mrs Nehanda Sankofa-Ra also observed that the nation’s quest for accelerated socioeconomic growth and development would be a mirage if women participation in governance and decision-making processes continued to be low.

“So when it comes to politics and things like that we need to have more women representing. This is because women bring their energies together to create our future. We should bear in mind that when we grow up, our first teacher is our mother, and everything that we do comes from her and her nurturing,” she noted.

The Queen Mother noted that getting the voices of women heard would require the collective efforts of all, particularly women leaders. This is why, she indicated that Ghana and Africa as a continent need many more women in key leadership positions – both at the political offices and in corporate administrative portfolios.

Role of women

She explained that the role of women leaders goes beyond just the positions they occupy. She said women leaders inspire hope of many young women, who see hope in their future in these women leaders, who have defied the odds to challenge the status quo of men-dominance in leadership roles.

It is based on this that, she also emphasised need to make sure that women are equally represented in every avenue and field in order to propel development.

“Now, as a police officer, I’m not stronger like the men and that’s why I’m using my voice. Women have a lot of power in communications, and placing them in such fields go a long way to help our society. We have used such skills for years,” she reiterated.

Crossing path with Councilman

Touching on how her path crossed with Curren De Mille Price Jr., Los Angeles City Council Member for District 9, she disclosed that the Councilman and her belong to this powerful organisation, which was started by a Nigerian brother and Jamaican sister.

“And it was aimed at unifying Africans in the Diaspora. It is called ‘African Focus’. So what we do, is every year, we fly and achieve from different African country to enstool Africans in the diaspora to our African family, which is very powerful. And then we give awards to people who are doing well in the African diaspora.

The Queen Mother added that: “We hold that awards ceremony every year and we attract thousands of people. The Councilman himself is a pan Africanist, that’s why he is here and I’m very proud of him. The reason being that a lot of our politicians do not strive for those kind of things; the African-American politicians and I’m proud of the Councilman.”

She added that women should not be seen by men as competitors but rather, they should be seen as critical partners for development. In her view, it is only when women are seen as “critical partners and key players in our collective wellbeing that we can progress as a nation, as a continent and as a world”.

Hard work pays

On his part, Mr Patrick Cobbinah, husband of the queen mother, indicated that there are no shortcuts for the progress and prosperity of the country. He pointed out that “only hard work, creativity, innovation, a sense of enterprise and unity in the nation can produce the accelerated economic development that we all yearn”.

He said hard work is critical in ensuring that success is achieved. According to him, it pays for one to endeavor to execute task diligently and adds to their reputation as a reliable figure in any given space.

Mr Cobbinah urged the youth to work hard in addition to knowing God and not concentrating entirely on religion.

“When you are breaking your back, people don’t see it. It is when you are showered with the fruits of your hard work that people who did not care about you to even think you are worth something start poking their noses into how you got to where you are. As long as you are working hard and leaning on your God, you can only do well.

“Go on, work hard, rest when you need to, but make sure you don’t stay at one place for long. The fruits of your labour shall surely be a reality. But then again, don’t forget that when success comes, some people will raise eyebrows. In all of that don’t be discouraged, keep at it. You can only do well,” he added.