CHRIS-VINCENT Writes: Jon Benjamin. Ghanaians. Harmattan. Free Speech.

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”–Evelyn Beatrice Hall, sometimes wrongly attributed to Voltaire.
Perhaps, Ghanaian social media users do not understand the essence of freedom of speech and they obviously think the offensiveness of a message rests in the nationality of who is saying it.
What is even offensive about a Harmattan joke that somewhat seems to imply president Mahama, who commissioned many projects during his last minutes has magically commissioned the season?
Apparently, Jon Benjamin has been trolled and forced as a diplomat to delete a tweet that to me puts John Mahama’s plenty commissioning and harmattan in focus–this will pass for satire!
As someone who writes satire and parody for part a living, this is a beautiful art of satire—and it’s so relevant that even if he did not mention Mahama’s name, we all know who he was referring to.
What is fundamentally wrong about what he said?
If I said the exact words; no one would have gotten angry–because those words are not offensive. Even if they are, I have a constitutional right to be offensive—to some extent.
Yet because Jon Benjamin is a British diplomat, some think he ought to forfeit his right to engage in even the least harmless jokes or satire.
I am not American or Zimbabwean and many of you are not too, but we run several annoying, absurd and sometimes offensive pieces on President Mugabe, Obama, Trump even the people of United States.
Who comes after our heads?
Free speech is for all; not for just citizens or non diplomats.
If anything at all, the strength of our free speech tolerance as a people can be measured by how far foreigners are allowed to take a jab at us and our leaders.
Ironically, it does seem like Zimbabwean social media users are more pro-free speech than Ghanaians.
-Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri