Unless one is  far from the shores of Ghana or just returned to the country from Neptune, the current trend of suicide in the country wouldn’t be a news.  It’s disheartening and threatening to witness the new paradigm of self inflicted death in the name of suicide.
We thought all were swept away after the demise of the one Adwoa who is believed to be the Daughter of an MP from the  ruling party in Ghana.

 I don’t know whether this is a new form of venting out the frustrations caused by emotional pain and self rejection. What will make a certain 18 year old girl take her life suddenly? What will make a final year student of a reputable community in Ghana take her life? Your guess is as good as mine.

In our part of the world , laymen are quick to play the ‘yese yese’ game and quickly attribute such a sorrowful phenomenon to unjustifiable causes-heart breaks, financial difficulties, emotional and psychological trauma and what have you.

In most communities, people are tempted to blame the victim for his/her woes. When the first part broke up at KNUST, the phrase ‘Arhhh MP ba  Paa’ ( Daughter of  an MP shouldn’t have died in such a shameful way) became so familiar. And I ask, who should have died?
However, in my egoistic view, I think the remote cause of suicide is yet to be considered by the many people.

The most common form of suicide in communities like  the middle East,  is altruistic-the death of an individual / a group emanating from too much integration or solidarity to a particular group (ISIS, Alshabab etc).

 In the Durkheimian theses,  so to speak,  I can say that the current trend of suicide in Ghana is egoistically inclined-no or little form of social integration that results in self death. This is as a result of self denial and societal rejection.

 According to Emile Durkheim ( 19th century Sociologist) , society is made up of social ties that hold the social elements together, if this is anything to go by, then there isn’t any room for doubt that what ever affect the social bonds does affect the social elements-individuals and groups within the society.

Taking into account the two  recent  pathetic suicidal incidents in the country-KNUST and Legon, it is obvious the victims involved were completely or partially out of the reach of societal bonds. The death of the former was initially attributed to ‘a failed course’ which was later debunked and the current evidence available attributed her death to ‘broken heart’- a loose form of social bond.
The latter , who happens to be a final year student of the University of Ghana is alleged to have taken her life after jumping off her balcony-so unfortunate.
On a blind side of the ‘Tertiary’s’  share of the recent acts of suicide, there has been reports of other school children (apparently teenagers) boarding the bus to their ancestral abode through the same means. You may ask, why?

In my subjective view, I believe suicide is highly volatile and everyone could be a potential victim.  As a student of social science, I use this platform to call on all stakeholders of religious, social , educational and corporate institutions to make matters of social cohesion a priority.
Let’s educate the public about dealing with emotional and psychological issues. The fight is not a one man (generic) fight. Relationship is inseparable from social beings and  it’s high time parents take it upon themselves to talk  to their wards about their social lives in and out of campus.
It’s time to break away from the hypocritic chains that prevent the older generation from discussing matters of sex and relationship with the younger generation.

These things are really going on in and out of the various campuses yet some stakeholders are silent about the matter all because it is assumed that, it will make the younger generation more promiscuous than previously.
I remember a Pentecost Elder recently raised an issue that the section of the youth that cannot control their sexual  urges could use condom. Hey! in this country, the dust on his reputation and that of the church is yet to fade away! You dare not speak of such issues in the public space.

Suicide as a social consequence of loosened societal bond is no respecter of Age , sex, social status, ethnic affiliations , intelligence level,  religion et al. Maybe you think the victims were insane and just took their precious lives for no apparent reason. It could have been a brother , a friend or family member , you or even myself. Just understand that suicide is real and we are all vulnerable .

#Let’sSayNoToSuicide