You can’t characterized us as being in a culture of silence – Audrey Gadzekpo

Associate Professor of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo has said Ghana cannot be characterized as being under a culture of silence in the current media landscape.

According to her, it would be very difficult to practice the culture of silence with many alternative voices in the media space together the powerful tool of social media.

She revealed unlike the PNDC era where the media was under the control of government, today, traditional media and social media has become a robust avenue through which many calls out the President, politicians on issues affecting their lives and the country in general and for those reasons the country cannot be said to be in a culture of silence.

“The last thing I want to say is that, actually it will be very difficult to have a culture of silent because of the media terrain.. Why do I say that?, we have a lot of media houses right now, in the PNDC time, we were de-facto state media country. Few newspapers but certainly all of the electronic media was under state control so there were very little alternative voices.

“Today, we have a lot of alternative voices and we have the powerful tool of social media and you should only go on social media, I get my on whatAsapp, where people actually are robustly criticizing, in fact calling out the President, calling out politicians, insulting them, using all manner of things, you know and I think that that is just the nature of the beat and I think for those reasons, I don’t think you can characterize us as being in a culture of silence,” she said.

Prof Gadzekpo was speaking on JoyNews PM Express on Monday, May 31, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

She was commenting about Sir Sam Jonah’s assertion that the country had returned to the culture of silence some and the President’s response over the matter.

The culture of silence has returned – Sam Jonah

Mr Jonah, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Anglo Gold Ashanti in an epistle said it seem the country had returned to the culture of silence.

“In the past, when all had failed, academia was the last vanguard. We all remember the role that the Legon Observer played. Under the hallowed cloak of academic freedom, men and women of conscience could write and speak words that penetrated the halls of power,”.

It appears to me that in recent times in our fourth Republican dispensation, the courage to stand up for the truth and the determination to uphold the common good is lost. In our dark moments as a nation, it is concerning that the voices of the intellectuals are receding into oblivion. Sadly, it is a consequence of the deep partisan polarisation of our country such that everything is seen through the lenses of politics.

It appears to me that the culture of silence has returned. This time not enforced by legal and military power but through convenience, parochialism, hypocrisy and lack of conviction. Where are our Adu Boahens and PV ANSAHs?”.

There is no culture of silence – Akufo Addo

Speaking at a special congregation held in his honour at the University of Cape Coast to confer on him a honorary doctorate degree the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rejected the culture of silence assertion.

 “A radio station is currently running a campaign against Free SHS,” he observed.

“Would a spirited defence of the Free SHS policy constitute an attack on press freedom? I wonder. It cannot be that everyone has a right of reply except members of the government and officialdom nor can it be the challenge or the opinion expressed by a journalist constitutes an attack on press freedom.

“What I believe may be solely lacking in our society today is the need to listen to each other more. Knowledge has never been a gift granted exclusively to one group.

According to him, he was the most vilified President in the forth republic and quizzed how it was possible for him to preside over the culture of silence.

“We must listen and hear each other more and for me personally I find it ironic that the presidency of a man who has been and continues to be daily the most vilified political figure of his generation can be accused of presiding over a culture of silence,” the President added.