Ɔtan Bɛba Awiei Da Bi?

SƐ WOATE nsɛm ho amanneɛbɔ kakraa bi mpo wɔ television so a, wunim nea ɔtan kyerɛ. Ɔtan ne ade titiriw a ɛkame ayɛ sɛ ɛma wokunkum nnipa bebree hwie mogya gu da biara wɔ wiase yi mu. Efi Belfast kosi Bosnia, Jerusalem kosi Johannesburg no, wokunkum nnipa a wogyina wɔn baabi kwa.

Mpɛn pii no, ntuafo no nnim wɔn a wokunkum wɔn no. Wɔn “bɔne” ara ne sɛ ebia na wɔwɔ “ɔfa foforo” no. Wɔ akodi a ɛyɛ hu mu no, ebia owu a ɛte saa no yɛ kan atirimmɔdenne bi a obi tua ho ka anaasɛ “mmusua bi ho awerɛdi.” Basabasayɛ a esi biara ma ɔtan a ɛda akuw a wɔreko no ntam no mu yɛ den.

Ɛte sɛ nea ɔtan a ɛyɛ hu a esisi toatoa so yi renya nkɔanim. Akodi rekɔ so wɔ mmusua, aman, ne nyamesom akuw ntam. Wobetumi ayi ɔtan afi hɔ? Sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ na yɛabua ɛno no, ehia sɛ yɛte nneɛma a ɛde ɔtan ba no ase, efisɛ wɔanwo yɛn sɛ yɛntentan yɛn ho.

Ɔtan Aba a Wogu

Zlata Filipovic, Bosniani abeawa bi a ofi Sarajevo no, nnya nsuaa sɛnea ɔbɛtan obi. Wɔ ne nhoma a ɔkyerɛw nsɛm a esisi da biara wom mu no, ɔkyerɛw abusua ntam basabasayɛ ho asɛm a emu da hɔ yi: “Mekɔ so bisa sɛ, dɛn ntia? Ɛkyerɛ dɛn? Hena na asodi no da no so? Mibisa, nanso minnya mmuae. . . . Wɔ me nnamfowaanom, yɛn nnamfo, yɛn mmusua mu no, Serbiafo, Croatiafo ne Nkramofo wom. . . . Yɛne nnipa pa na ɛbɔ, na ɛnyɛ nnipa bɔne. Serbiafo, Croatiafo ne Nkramofo bi ka nnipa pa no ho, te sɛ nea ebi ka nnipa bɔnefo no ho no.”

Nea ɛne eyi bɔ abira no, mpanyimfo pii nsusuw saa. Wogye di sɛ ntease wom sɛ wɔtan afoforo. Dɛn ntia?

Atɛnkyea. Ɛda adi sɛ nneɛma titiriw a ɛde ɔtan ba ne atɛnkyea ne amim. Sɛnea Bible no ka no, “amimyɛ bɔ onyansafo dam.” (Ɔsɛnkafo 7:7) Sɛ wodi nkurɔfo awu anaa wɔyɛ wɔn ayayade a, ɛyɛ mmerɛw sɛ wobenya amimfo no ho tan. Na ɛwom mpo sɛ ebia ɛbɛyɛ nea ntease nnim, anaa “abɔdansɛm” de, nanso wɔtaa fa kuw bi nyinaa ho tan.

Ɛwom sɛ atɛnkyea a ɛkɔ so ankasa anaa wosusuw sɛ ɛkɔ so no betumi ayɛ ade titiriw a ɛde ɔtan ba de, nanso ɛnyɛ ɛno nkutoo na ɛde ba. Ade foforo ne afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ.

Afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ. Afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ taa fi abusua anaa ɔman mu nnipa a wonnim wɔn ho biribi mu na ɛba. Esiane atesɛm, ɔtan a wɔwɔ fi tete, anaa biribi bɔne a wɔahu wɔ abusua anaa ɔman bi muni biako anaa baanu ho nti, ebia ebinom bɛka sɛ wɔn nyinaa wɔ subammɔne. Sɛ afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ gye ntini pɛ a, ɛremma nkurɔfo nhu nokwasɛm ahorow. Engresini nhoma kyerɛwfo Charles Caleb Colton kae sɛ: “Yɛtan nnipa bi esiane sɛ yennim wɔn nti; na yɛrenhu wɔn esiane sɛ yɛtan wɔn nti.”

Wɔ ɔkwan foforo so no, ebia amammuifo ne abakɔsɛm akyerɛwfo bɛhyɛ da ahyɛ afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ ho nkuran esiane amammuisɛm anaa ɔmampɛ nti. Hitler na na edi ne hene. Georg, a na ɔyɛ Hitler Mmofra fekuw no muni no, ka sɛ: “Nasi nsɛm a wɔde sɛe adwene dii kan kyerɛɛ yɛn sɛ yɛntan Yudafo, ne Russiafo, ne ‘Reich no atamfo’ nyinaa. Sɛ abarimaa no, migyee nea wɔka kyerɛɛ me no dii. Akyiri yi, mihui sɛ wɔadaadaa me.” Te sɛ Nasi Germany ne mmeae afoforo no, wɔkyerɛ sɛ abusua anaa ɔman foforo ho adwemmɔne no teɛ, denam ade foforo a ɛde ɔtan ba, ɔmampɛ, a wɔkyerɛ sɛ wɔnna no adi no so.

Ɔmampɛ, kasa a obi ka ne honam ani hwɛbea. Peter Gay ka nea esii wɔ wiase ko a edi kan no mu ho asɛm wɔ ne nhoma The Cultivation of Hatred mu sɛ: “Wɔ nokwaredi ho akodi mu no, ɔmampɛ daa adi sɛ ɛyɛ den sen nokwaredi afoforo nyinaa. Ɔman ho dɔ ne n’atamfo ho tan a obi wɔ no ne ntease a ɛsen biara a wogyina so dii ako a efii ase wɔ afeha a ɛto so dunkron no mu no.” German ɔmampɛ honhom no maa akodi dwom a wɔfrɛ no “Hymn of Hate” no gyee din. Gay kyerɛkyerɛ mu sɛ atamfo a wɔwɔ Britain ne France no bɔɔ wɔn tirim kaa nsɛm a ɛkyerɛ sɛ German asraafo to mmea mmonnaa na wokunkum nkokoaa. Siegfried Sassoon, Engiresi sraani, no ka Britaniafo ɔko mu nsɛm a wɔde sɛee adwene no mu nneɛma atitiriw ho asɛm sɛ: “Ɛte sɛ nea wɔbɔɔ onipa sɛ onkum Germanfo.”

Te sɛ ɔmampɛ no, ma a abusua anaa ɔman bi bɛma ne ho so dodo no betumi ama mmusua anaa aman foforo anya ne ho tan. Abusua mu nyiyim kɔ so kanyan basabasayɛ wɔ Afrika aman pii mu, bere a honam ani hwɛbea da so ara yɛ ɔhaw wɔ Europa Apuei Fam ne Amerika Kesee Fam no. Ade foforo a ɛde mpaapaemu ba a wobetumi de afra ɔmampɛ mu ne nyamesom.

Nyamesom. Wiase no mu ntawntawdi akɛse a wontumi nyɛ ho hwee no mu pii fi nyamesom titiriw. Wɔ Ireland Kusuu Fam, Mfinimfini Fam Apuei, ne mmeae foforo no, wɔtan nkurɔfo esiane ɔsom a wɔwom nti. Bɛboro mfeha abien a atwam ni no, Engiresini nhoma kyerɛwfo Jonathan Swift kae sɛ: “Yɛwɔ ɔsom a ɛdɔɔso sɛnea ɛsɛ a ɛbɛma yɛatan afoforo, nanso yenni nea ɛdɔɔso sɛnea ɛsɛ a ɛbɛma yɛadodɔ yɛn ho yɛn ho.”

Wɔ 1933 mu no, Hitler ka kyerɛɛ ɔsɔfo panyin a ɔwɔ Osnabrück no sɛ: ‘Ɛdefa Yudafo ho no, meretoa nhyehyɛe koro no ara a Katolek Asɔre no gye toom mfe 1,500 ni no so ara kwa.’ German asɔre akannifo no mu dodow no ara ankasa antia nnipa bebree a ɔtan nti okunkum wɔn no. Paul Johnson kae wɔ ne nhoma A History of Christianity mu sɛ “Asɔre no pam Katolekfo a wɔkae wɔ wɔn samansew mu sɛ wɔpɛ sɛ wɔhyew wɔn afunu no fii asɔre no mu, . . . nanso ansiw wɔn kwan sɛ wɔbɛyɛ adwuma wɔ nneduaban anaa awudi ban ahorow mu.”

Nyamesom akannifo bi akɔ akyiri sen ma a wɔma ɔtan ho kwan—wɔayɛ no ade kronkron. Wɔ 1936 mu, bere a Spain Ɔmanko no sii no, Pope Pius XI kasa tiaa Kwasafoman no Akyidifo ‘tan bɔne a etia Onyankopɔn no’—ɛwom mpo sɛ na Katolek asɔfo pii yɛ Kwasafoman no akyidifo de. Saara nso na Ɔsɔfopɔn Gomá, a na ɔyɛ Spain sɔfo panyin bere a na ɔmanko no rekɔ so no kae sɛ, ‘sɛ wɔamfa akode anni ako a, asomdwoe rentumi mma.’

Biribiara nni hɔ a ɛkyerɛ sɛ nyamesom mu ɔtan no rebrɛ ase. Wɔ 1992 mu no, nsɛmma nhoma Human Rights Without Frontiers kasa tiaa ɔkwan a Greek Ortɔdɔks Asɔre mpanyimfo no nam so rekanyan ɔtan atia Yehowa Adansefo no. Ɛkaa Greek Ortɔdɔks sɔfo bi a ɔsamanaa Adansefo baanu bi a wɔn mu biara adi mfe 14 no ho asɛm sɛ nhwɛso ahorow pii no mu bi. Dɛn na ɔsamanaa wɔn wɔ ho? Ɔsamanaa wɔn sɛ ‘wɔrebɔ mmɔden sɛ wɔbɛma wasakra ne som.’

Nea Efi Ɔtan mu Ba

Wɔ wiase nyinaa no, wɔregu ɔtan aba na wɔnam atɛnkyea, afoforo ho adwene a ɛnteɛ, ɔmampɛ ne nyamesom so regugu so nsu. Aba bɔne a efi mu ba ne abufuw, ntua, akodi, ne adesɛe. Asɛm a Bible no ka wɔ 1 Yohane 3:15 no boa yɛn ma yehu aniberesɛm a eyi yɛ: “Obiara a ɔtan ne nua no yɛ owudifo.” Nokwarem no, beae a ɔtan wɔ no, asomdwoe—sɛ ɛwɔ hɔ koraa mpo a—ɛnyɛ papa.

Elie Wiesel, a onyaa Nobel Akyɛde na onyaa ne ti didii mu wɔ Okunkɛse no mu no kyerɛw sɛ: “Nea onyaa ne ti didii mu no asɛyɛde ne sɛ obedi nea esii no ho adanse . . . Ɛsɛ sɛ wobɔ nnipa kɔkɔ sɛ saa nneɛma yi betumi aba, na wobetumi adi nsɛmmɔne. Abusua ho tan, basabasayɛ, ahonisom—da so ara nya nkɔso.” Afeha a ɛto so 20 mu abakɔsɛm de adanse ma sɛ ɔtan nyɛ ogya a ɛno ankasa bedum.

Wobeyi ɔtan afi nnipa komam da bi? Ɔtan sɛe ade bere nyinaa, anaasɛ etumi yɛ ade pa? Ma yɛnhwɛ.