Department!!!

As we drove through Mankesim on our way to Accra from Cape Coast, a passerby shouts- "Department". Myself and most of my course mates who heard this laughed and we still laugh when we remember this. Is it that he forgot to add the rest or did not know how to pronounce the rest?

Also on reaching Abeka Lapez, on the same trip, a man in a truck bored from being in the traffic for hours on seeing our bus shouts- "Architects look at how you have made Accra." We began to look at each others face. But some oblivious people decided to laugh and giggle to this disheartening statement. 

It is great that architects are being recognized and also being associated with the physical development of this country. But what sort of image are we creating? A painter has the privilege to exhibit his good paintings and hide the bad ones in his closet. But an architect can not do so- he lives with his errors and even after his death when and wherever his ill ventilated building is mentioned his name goes with it. 

It about time we stepped up to do our work and also put right all the wrongs. Architects in this country should show signs of maturity. We can not sit down for foreigners to develop our country for us. What do they know about about our Culture, Climate and Commodity? The populace should know the relevance of paying tax to train architects. If not the draftsmen will always collect and tarnish our image-(literally).

                                                  "Ahwene3pa 3nkasa"- good beads do not talk. (Twi adage)

So next time someone sees our bus let him shout- "Department of Architecture."