On October 25, a certain record was set straight when the Lebanese won a war against Israel. It was a ‘boomless’ war. No bombs were dropped. No tankers were used. No shots were fired. No one died in this war just for crossing the street. No innocent child was maimed whilst playing with friends in the neighbourhood. No centuries-old exotic buildings were crushed into rubble in the split of an eye.
The war that was won is not a brick and mortar war; not a blood and flesh war. The war was over hummus, a well-known Middle Eastern dish. And the Lebanese won; they whipped Israel! So Israel, the previous proud holder of the world record, lost. Ouch!
For years, the national pride of the Lebanese had been hurt over hummus, something they consider to have originated from their culture and therefore their property. Specifically, the Lebanese claim that they invented hummus but Israel stole it. Who is to judge? The hurt is rendered deeper because Israel packages and exports hummus throughout the world as if to perpetuate the ownership claim. In places where the Jewish Diaspora abound, hummus is literally claimed as Jewish.
So last weekend, the Lebanese had the unique chance to set the record straight by setting a world record. With over 300 Lebanese chefs assembled, mixing and working hand-in-hand around a gigantic tray, they made the largest plate of hummus. What they prepared was more than two tons of hummus, a dish made from beans (chickpeas), olive oil and lemon juice. Yes, it is the same olive oil we use in pray-for-me prayer camps throughout our land.
By that award, the Lebanese broke the Guinness World Record for hummus, an enviable record originally held by Israel. It was a sweet victory. By that feat, they reclaimed ownership of what they consider to be their national birthright and pride. The fascinating aspects of this delicacy dish win included the celebrations that accompanied the event. One billboard that promoted the event read, “Hummus – 100% Lebanese.” In the emotion-filled celebration, a Lebanese official proclaimed: “The world should remember that this is our cuisine. This is our culture.”
On the surface, the hummus matter sounds so funny and inconsequential. But beneath the surface, this is a serious Lebanese national matter. We have our own hummus too. We just call them by different names.
There is the rich exotic Kente, the fabric of kings and queens. Woven intricately with lots of love, the colours are mind-blowing and to die for. When you hold a Kente cloth so closely to your chest, you can’t help but realize that the people who invented the Kente had their heads screwed on properly. But more than that, a feel of the Kente clearly unravels the creative power of the brains inside those heads. These must have been talented artists like no other. These must have been colour lovers and great designers. No less a conclusion makes any sense.
It is therefore at once shocking and annoying when you’re outside Ghana and find out that even some black people in the Diaspora, including Jamaica and America, who love the Kente and view it as a symbol of black pride, do not know that it is uniquely Ghanaian.
And then there is also the matter of Adinkra symbols. Even the most well-known of them, the gye nyame, is making it onto different artefacts and marketed in general and specialty shops, and on jewellery and assorted home décors in different parts of the world without any indication that they originated from a small West African country known as Ghana.
It is as if we have donated these designs to the world. Since we don’t need acknowledgement or need to make any money from them, we do not therefore care what anyone does with any of our collective intellectual properties.
A major leg to stand on as a grown up country is to lay a firm claim and grip over the things which without a doubt, belong to us exclusively, to our 52 year old nation state. We should claim them loudly as our own. Imagine that a grown up acquires properties like cars and houses but does not register them. Then someday, someone appears to take them away. On what basis does the person scream, “Thief! Thief!”? We should feel the same way about Adinkra symbols, Kente and other national intellectual properties.
Periodically, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) expresses hurt over the manner in which FM radio stations in particular, use GNA news without giving any credit to the source. News generated from GNA is its own hummus. GNA owns it. They appreciate it when their material is used. All they ask for is the nice mention that the news was produced by the sweat and hard work of GNA staff.
As we talk about branding Ghana, we should also identify the components of our national brand, those things which are uniquely Ghanaian and brand them also. We should name and claim them, affirming their proper place in the world’s memory.
If we do not claim what is rightfully ours, someday, Ghana would have to enter into global competitions to establish claim and national or ethnic ownership of intellectual assets including Kente, kelewele, Adinkra symbols and red red. These are the products of our national collective intellect, the nurtured intellect of our forebears, generated through painstaking thinking and creativity, and of hard work.
The way the world is changing very fast, with all this talk about the diminishing global village, when everything is closing in on us through technological advancement, if we don’t do the right thing to protect our national intellectual properties, one day one day, they’ll be stolen from us.
One day, we’ll wake up to realize, without any grain of a doubt, that the Chinese are making Kente in large quantities and exporting it world wide – for really good money. Or, that Adinkra symbols are patented as Chinese, Indian, Angolan or Jamaican. Or, it is already happening?
If you’re interested in going Middle Eastern exotic, and want to prepare hummus, here is a recipe. Note that it’s not like your typical banku and tilapia dish. This is only a snack, an appetizer; a dip for pita bread.
The preparation time for hummus is about ten minutes. The ingredients are: 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans; 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas; 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste); 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1/2 teaspoon salt; and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the centre of the hummus. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional). Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread. There are various variations of hummus. Visit http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm for additional information.
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