It is not the best at all when would be leaders (members of parliament, teachers, farmers, CEO’S etc) engage themselves or should I say decide to use their youthful exuberance in this manner. Not only does this shameful act tarnish the image of the people and halls involved but also our reputable and the only university of choice in the whole of the world.
I describe myself as a hybrid affiliate to these great halls because, though I was officially affiliated to the Atlantic Hall (Mariners) and still am, I spent my first UCC year at the Casely-Hayford Hall (Gentlemen) due to this same clashes they engaged in a year before my admission into the university. Let me at this point congratulate the security guards and the school authorities for their proactive and swift response. This is what we need. I wouldn’t want to go much into details the issues of this matter since a committee has been setup to investigate the occurrence. My humble plea therefore is for them to try as much as possible to be fair especially to casfordians.
Sunday 25th of April 2010 saw the hall of gentlemen organize the usual ‘sharp brain proce’ to usher in the end of semester exams. This enetertaining procession is very peculiar to casford and this is where you see one student carry a minimum of hundred heavy books on his bare head. The procession starts from the forecourt of the hall through the other halls of the north campus, to the diaspora (a community for continuing students) and then to the south campus. At the south campus and particularly at Adehye Hall (the ladies of casford), the gentlemen display all the animalistic skills they have acquired through the course of the semester in order that they impress and woo their ladies. It is normal at this event to strip naked and dangle some balls.
But for this Sunday, everything was quite different because of an incident that had occurred when Atlantic Hall celebrated its hall week. Casfordians were armed to the teeth (some sharpened ends of sticks to make them into spears, others took lids of refuse bins turning them into shields) as they prepared for the procession some hours later. Mariners also got wind of Casford’s preparations and also gathered stones at the entrance of their hall making them look like the people of Gaza in defense against the army of Israel.
That evening, casfordians did not march through all the streets as they usually do but through a few streets and then headed to the old site (south campus). At old site, they were refused entry to the forecourt of Adehye Hall by the security guards and as they tried to force entry, hell broke loose as some eye witnesses say mariners begun to pelt stones at the frustrated casfordians. By this time some casfordians had succeeded in entering the forecourt of Adehye which is very close to the entrance to ATL and also decided to retaliate. These exchanges are what intensified to become what you may have probably heard on Adom fm, Joy fm, other radio stations or some print media. It is difficult to tell the truth as some people say the Supremo (supreme leader) of Casely Hayford Hall ran away to seek refuge at Amamoma (a community for both students and indigens) leaving behind his traditional garment amidst the conception by the various halls that they had won the ‘war’. Well, if what I heard on Adom fm is right then the should be ashamed ATL Hall won the battle.
The last time I checked on the rankings of renowned universities in Africa, great UCC was not among the first one hundred. This is what the interim alumni president of casford hall and a one time president of the JCRC of ATL Hall said on ATL FM that, these group of students should sit down to think about and not to waste their energies on shameful acts. From my small brain box, I also think what happened was shameful and embarrassing to Cape Vars and I advice that both halls should channel their exuberance into healthy competitions that will add onto the standards of these halls and the university at large. UCC may be at war but we remain the only University of Choice and the best academic environment in Ghana.
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