The Rastafari Council of Ghana has appealed to the Ghana Education Service to bring the Headmaster of Ebenezer Senior High School to order after he prevented Samini from interacting with the students due to his dreadlocks.
The Council in a statement copied to zionfelix.net which was signed by its President, Ahuma Boscoe Ocansey described the Headmaster’s action as discriminatory.
They lamented that many of their members who wear locks face a lot of discrimination on their line of duty at both public and private institutions in the country.
The group, therefore, called on authorities to rebuke people who look down on their members publicly.
The statement also urged Samini “to petition the Ghana Education Service and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (C.H.R.A.J) to bring the repulsive character of the Ebenezer Senior High School to book. “
Read The Full Statement Below.
BRING EBENEZER SHS HEAD TO ORDER, RAS TAFARI COUNCIL, GHANA DEMANDS
The umbrella body of the Ras Tafari Community in Ghana; Ras Tafari Council Ghana wishes to empathise with the ace musician Emmanuel Samini who was denied access to senior high school students at Ebenezer Senior High School by the Headmaster. This is highly condemnable and the Council is appealing to the Ghana Education Service to publicly make a statement on this .
Ebenezer Senior High School is not a private institution and the headmaster cannot be allowed to exhibit such discrimination towards people who wear locks. We will like to refer Article 12,17, 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana which guarantees ;Protection of Fundamental Human Rights, Equality and Freedom from discrimination and Cultural Rights and Practices.
Ras Tafari openly identifies with wearing of locks to manifest our spiritual and cultural purviews. In the light of these; many of our members are always being stigmatized and hounded by such characters like the Ebenezer Headmaster.
It is not uncommon to have our members who work in the Ghana Education Service notably and other public and quasi institutions go through such discrimination due to their religious beliefs. It is high time such characters are publicly rebuked and made to know that Ghana is a country of liberties guided by the 1992 Constitution and no individual can decide to trample on such liberties based on their whims and caprices.
The RasTafari Council will support Mr Emmanual Samini to petition the Ghana Education Service and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (C.H.R.A.J) to bring the repulsive character of the Ebenezer Senior High School to book.
SIGNED President of Ras Tafari Council, Ahuma Boscoe Ocansey (024 3382474)
Sista Safi Naj (0549895559) Womens’ Commissioner
Kofi Asante Mireku (0244039347)
Acting PR.
FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
12.
(1) The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and all other organs of government and its agencies and, where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in Ghana, and shall be enforceable by the Courts as provided for in this Constitution.
(2) Every person in Ghana, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual contained in this Chapter but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest.
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17. Equality and Freedom from
(1) All persons shall be equal before the law.
(2) A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status.
(3) For the purposes of this article, “discriminate” means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or are granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description.
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26. Cultural Rights and Practices
(1) Every person is entitled to enjoy, practice, profess, maintain and promote any culture, language, tradition or religion subject to the provisions of this Constitution.
(2) All customary practices which dehumanise or are injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person are prohibited.
GHANA 1992 CONSTITUTION (REV 1996)
