Dear Chris-Vincent,
The ALS ice bucket challenge was meant to be a simple and fun way of raising awareness for a debilitating and terminal illness. Ever since the campaign started, a lot of money and awareness has been raised for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The ALS research center at Johns Hopkins University has reported over 80% increase in its endowments. We all hope to hear of a cure for this debilitating and terminal illness soon.
The purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness and MONEY for ALS research. That’s exactly what the challenge has accomplished. Yes, a lot of people have used the challenge as nothing but a popularity stunt, but it does not withhold the fact a lot more people know about ALS now than they did a month ago.
Back in our neck of the woods, things are completely different. All over Instagram, countless of Ghanaian celebrities have uploaded pictures of videos of themselves, pouring buckets of ice cold water on themselves. A lot of these local champions wear weaves. I always thought the number rule for wearing weave was: Never get it wet! I guess that’s beside the point. After pouring ice cold water on themselves, these “celebrities” claim they plan on donating money to a local NGO in Ghana because there is NO ALS society in Ghana-as if we did not know that already. As much as I’d like to congratulate them for being abreast with current affairs and helping fight a good cause, I cannot pretend. How many of these local champions support a local charity?
Our love of everything Western is shameful and crippling. Joselyn Dumas took to twitter to bash her fellow stars for their “ignorance.” A lot of people were proud of her. These same people who did not agree with Ama K Abebrese’s skin bleaching campaign, but who am I to judge?!
Joselyn’s campaign, although a good start, is an impractical solution to a serious problem. Cholera is caused by filth! Everywhere you look, our gutters are filled with garbage and feces. Instead of starting a campaign where individuals post pictures of themselves with their mouths covered, and the inscription, “I’d rather starve than eat contaminated food.” How about I suggest something practical? CLEAN THE FILTH AROUND YOU.