Editorial: When a Pastor Calls God’s Gift of Tongues “Nonsense” - A Dangerous Precedent.
A language may die if there are no people to speak it. Ghana is home to over 80 indigenous languages, with Twi spoken by nearly half of the population as either a first or second language. Nevertheless, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, a respected televangelist, has declared that establishing a radio or TV station in Accra that broadcasts in Twi is “absolute nonsense.” This statement, captured in an interview with UTV over the weekend, is not merely an offhand opinion. It is a reckless provocation that dismisses the linguistic identity of millions of Ghanaians and threatens the fragile threads of national cohesion. I firmly and unreservedly declare: Rev. Dr. Tetteh’s comment is divisive, elitist, and dangerous. By labeling the use of Twi -- a language spoken by the Akan ethnic group and understood across all regions - as “nonsense,” he directly insults the heritage, dignity, and daily reality of countless citizens. Such rhetoric, coming from a man of God, does not stay within church walls. It...