In
the previous year before 2023, my grandmother once went for evangelism at the
Kumasi Central Prison. She came back with tears so I thought she was
exaggerating. Well, a year after I had the privilege to go for an
evangelism/health screening over there. I must say, it was sorrowful. I sat
down quietly observing the environment and the state some of the inmates
were in. It was then that I got to understand my grandmother.
After all, my old woman wasn’t exaggerating. To start with the positives,
I was thrilled and very elated to see these inmates worshipping Jesus Christ.
They have preachers among them, the choir, instrumentalists and the rest. I was
very surprised at how they knew the Bible and their willingness to do the
Lord’s work. I asked myself, “how much more we who have the freedom and have
made ourselves so busy to do the Lord’s work?” The inmates radiated so much energy,
positivity and joy. Charlie! there were the handsome ones and of course the
old ones. Some looked very young, probably in their early twenties. I
wondered what at all did they do for them to be brought to the prison. And I
must say that before that experience I thought the prisoners were locked up in
a place that they can’t even see the sun. They have a compound where
they freely walk about, all enclosed by strong tall walls. We had a
beautiful but short church service where we all danced and listened to sermons.
One particular inmate who happened to be the preacher for the day shared
his experience. He had been given 20 years sentence. A good 20 years.
You heard me, right? He is likely to be in his early thirties and stated
that he has left behind a wife and 4 children. I just wondered how much time
would have passed by the time he is done serving his 20 years. How would
his family be like after that? The precious time he could have used to attain
something in life is all being locked up in cells. One interesting thing is
that regardless of the situation they find themselves in, they are full of joy
and energy. I just wondered what kept them going? They chat, laugh heartily,
listen to music, dance and a lot more. And OH! they do a lot of hard work.
From washing bowls, carrying firewood, sweeping, scrubbing, weeding and
the rest. It will amaze you that we have a lot of business men
amongst them who sell airtime, and others. I must say that it was an
interesting experience. I was sad but I learnt a lot of lessons. I learnt how
to appreciate life and freedom. The little things we do bring so much
joy to these inmates. I learnt most importantly to spread the love of God into
our prisons. I would encourage you to one day pass by the Kumasi Central Prison
either as an individual or as an organization. They would be glad to
have you. Just the little things we do every day go a long way to transform the
lives of these inmates. You’ve heard of this novel, “In the chest of a woman” a
popular story book in Ghana about some years ago. If you ever had your senior
high school in Ghana, I believe you will know about it. In the chest
of a woman lies so many secrets and potentials that she herself may not be
aware. Similarly, behind the giant walls where your freedom is being stripped
off lies so many truths and potentials. Truth,
they say, comes to the limelight and potentials are unearthed or refined. Is
that the case in our correction facilities? To some degree, I will say it is so
and I believe your thought wouldn’t be so far from mine. If you have a
soft heart like mine, there would definitely be the sad and innocent faces in
the prison that will melt your heart: the disabled, the weak, the young and the
very old. But innocence is not an indelible mark written on our faces. The
police officers who are supervising the inmates are not moved by their
appearances, faces nor their demeanor. I wouldn’t judge them: it’s part of
their hard training, I think. If you have a close relative in there,
please do check up on them. Coming to terms alone with the reality that the
prison is going to be your abode for this number of years is a hardcore
processing. People are brought in there because of marital problems, land
disputes, minor thefts and lies people told on them. Some are still in there
because they have no money to hire lawyers to defend them. Others have spent
years in there waiting in hopes that one day their cases would be addressed and
they will start their sentence. There are women in there but they are not
mixed with the men. They have a separate place. One interesting remark
made by one police man is that the prison has every profession in there. You
heard me right! From our highly esteemed doctors and professors to our
silver-tongued lawyers and teachers not forgetting our business men, the
skillful and talented artisans and of course students. The list goes on
unabated. And oh! we have soldiers and police men in there too. So, you
see! Behind these strong tall walls are these beautiful people with amazing
potentials that are being “wasted” away. Nevertheless, some come out as
better people as they are being taught useful skills like sewing, and
auto-repairs whilst in there. Others may come out just as they went
in. One thing I realized was that none of us outside there is far from
being brought there. That is the solid truth. We just have to be extra careful
in our activities out there. We went with an agenda, that is to do some
health screening. We executed our functions as requested of us, shared some
food together with some dental hygiene products. Efforts are being put in
place in terms of the health needs of the inmates. We have police men and women
who double as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who are taking care of the sick
amongst them. To sum it all up, I will say it is an interesting experience
with an interplay of emotions and so many lessons for humanity. You may have
absolute freedom today; it could be taken away the next minute just as the
hospitals have people perishing just as new ones are being born. It’s a
beautiful world out there but it will only continue to be so if we are extra
careful and conscious with the passing of every minute.