Coronavirus: President Akufo-Addo's 'anibrɛ ɛnsɔ gya' shirt and what it means for Ghana's battle

Anibrɛ ɛnsɔ gya: The subtle message of Nana Addo's fashion choice for coronavirus address

March 23, 2020 10:00 AM

Ghana's president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo addressed the nation on measures taken against the spread of coronavirus disease COVID-19 in the country.

Anibrɛ ɛnsɔ gya: The subtle message of Nana Addo's fashion choice for coronavirus address

Nana Addo, in his address, outlined the plans of Ghana to close its borders for the next two weeks in a measure to curb the number of coronavirus imported cases that keep rising.

He also declared Wednesday, March 25, 2020, as a Nationa Day of Fasting and Prayers, admonishing all Ghanaians to pray and seek favour in the eyes of God for Ghana.

Despite the president's address sparking mixed reactions from Ghanaians based on some of the things he said and the fact that he had to give the address, Nana Addo's message was widely welcome.

One significant detail people missed during the nation's address was the choice of fashion for His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Pulse Ghana

Known for his love for African print since becoming the leader of the West African country, Nana Addo has over and over again showed his love for culture.

This culture was however taken to a different level to show Ghana how the health of the people was his topmost priority.

The cloth for Nana Addo's shirt on Saturday is called 'Anibrɛ ɛnsɔ gya na yɛde nsuo ɛdum no' which loosely translates 'Seriousness does not set the eye on fire to quench with water' or 'no matter how red the eye gets, it will never spark fire'.

What the president sought to put across going by the choice of fabric was, irrespective of how serious he saw the matter at hand, it would be difficult to get a detailed view just by looking at him.

Ghana's culture speaks volume. And what the president did on Saturday was to emphasize without speaking a word that he was serious on halting the spread of coronavirus in Ghana.