By Andrew Keili
Party colours have always evoked emotion. I recall attending a top SLPP meeting where my beloved Uncle, Dr. Sama Banya asked me jokingly- “Andrew, did you look at yourself in the mirror this morning? I was flustered, thinking perhaps that I was a bit dishevelled. But it was not that- He had taken umbrage to my wearing a shirt with a colour bordering on red. Parties are fussy about their colours but some people have taken things too far. Western Area Rural District Council (WARDC) Chairman, Kasho Holland Cole, exasperated at the division brought about at school sports events by party colours has suggested that green and red colours be banned from school sports. He may have a point. Parents try to influence what houses their children should belong to based on the house colour. School sports events are fast becoming political campaigning grounds. Poor teachers are caught up in this melee which has resulted in problems in schools and communities
We have heard of green kekehs allegedly being attacked by APC supporters. There is a newspaper story of a Chief who ordered a new bridge whose railings had been painted orange for safety reasons to be painted in another colour as this was too close to “the dreaded APC red”.
Sometimes this colour business can border on the bizarre. There is the story of a top SLPP operative who got recruited to the APC and taken to the APC party office in his new red attire to be introduced to a throng of supporters, When it was time for him speak, he shouted “One country”!. He realised his mistake when nobody shouted back “one people”. His sponsor helped him out by shouting “Osai, Owai”. He gave his speech alright, but there were mumblings here and there -“Dis wan ya, we nor believe am!.
A top politician of another political party was campaigning in his village in the SLPP heartland of Kailahun. His hired “Goboi” masked devil had been dancing all day and needed to take a breather behind a house. When he took a peep later to see how the unmasked devil was doing, he noticed to his chagrin that he was wearing a green SLPP vest! I would not in my widest dream have gone to the house of my favourite uncle, BC of blessed memory wearing a red shirt. He was a serial inmate of Mafanta prison, the last incarceration being for “careless talk” when he said “We will die in SLPP”. Some APC neighbour reported him and when the police arrived he recanted- “We will no longer die in SLPP”. But it was too late.
An APC friend used to tell me- “Red is a favoured colour. A red carpet is used to welcome important people. When you really want to enjoy yourself, you say “I am going to paint the town red” A die-hard supporter told me- “Just look at the traffic light. Green stands for go through, red stands for stop- that is why APC is always static”.
Let us however get educated on this political colour business. Political parties thrive on the use of attractive, albeit specific colours, slogans and symbols whose main objective is to mesmerise the potential voter and galvanise him/her into action. The colours, slogans and symbols, as a form of branding, are indispensable to the life of any political organisation.
The colour green, which is also associated with nature and the environment, has been associated with the so-called green parties in Europe. The colour red, which represents radicalism and revolt, has for a long time been appropriated by leftist organisations. To them, the colour, which is also the colour of blood represents life. Those liberation movements which adopted the red colour, understood it to be the colour of struggle. Many liberation movements in Africa adopted the colours red, black, gold and green. It was thought these colours encapsulated the ideals and aspirations of the struggling masses of the African continent. Black represented the people among the more Pan-Africanist organizations. The green and gold colours, which represented natural resources in the form of vegetation and minerals, were also popular among pre-independence liberation movements in Africa who saw independence as a chance to achieve economic control over the countries’ resources. The black star, which is common in the flags of pre-independence political organisations, is linked to Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Liner, a commercial shipping company whose goal was the economic liberation of blacks. The orange colour (PMDC colour), is generally associated with reform.
It is unfortunate then that the colours red and green for our two major political parties have led to violence and lawlessness. The decline of family life and the exposure of our young people to different lifestyles has not helped the situation. All over the country it is easy to notice that hundreds of thousands of young people basically have nothing to do. Meeting places for young people have now become places of violence. A whole host of reasons may be responsible for community violence. These include unemployment, the economic situation and lack of community cohesion which lead to problems of indiscipline and immorality. Several groups who should have a role to play to address this issue including religious, community organisations and government need to do more.
We can certainly take a leaf out of the Christian religion to see how various colours could be so useful. Colours used in the Bible are rich with meaning and are intended to convey something important. In the Old Testament red was always associated with blood, which was used in ritual sacrifices that cleansed people from their sin. However, red is now most commonly associated with the blood of Jesus Christ that He spilled as the bond price for our Salvation. Green, being the colour of vegetation, symbolizes life, restoration, and new beginnings. Green is also the colour of resurrection. Consider a few more colours. Gold was considered a symbol of personal purity and often symbolized the refining and sanctification of God’s chosen people. It often points to God’s deity and holiness. Most specific examples of the use of violet or purple in the Bible revolve around the priesthood. White is always used to symbolize purity, holiness, or righteousness.
In real life, however, we often have a great propensity to create boundaries. There are gender lines, age lines, religious lines, class lines. It is so hard to let go of our lines. There are walls everywhere. It is in the interest of those wanting to pursue their selfish motives of perpetrating their stay in power or wanting to take power to keep people divided for their selfish parochial motives. It is not only in school sports events that we see this division. Putting paid to these divisions goes considerably beyond just banning red and green colours. Let us be proud of our various colours, but respect those who may choose other colours. Let’s get back to basics, break down those walls and leave those children alone.
Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you about my nice green jacket suit. I have only worn it once to go to town but got really exasperated really exasperated at the incessant comments people made- “Bra, you don go back? Luk way di green fit you! I have now put it back in the wardrobe and may only wear it when I buy a red pair of shoes-not easy to come by!
Ponder my thoughts