Sunyani: The Most Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Catholic Bishop of the Sunyani Diocese, has urged the Bonoman Institute to lead advocacy efforts addressing historical complexities and political challenges undermining the Bono people's identity and autonomy. Founded in 2019, the institute focuses on documenting and promoting the Bono people's heritage, education, youth empowerment, and community transformation.
According to Ghana News Agency, Most Rev Gyamfi, who is also the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference (GCBC), has tasked the institute with conducting extensive historical research on the Bono people. He emphasized the need for intensified advocacy to resolve the 'Bono problem' of complex historical, cultural, and political situations. This call to action was made during the inauguration of the Institute's new Advisory Board in Sunyani, themed 'Steering with Purpose, Serving with Integrity for Ethical Leadership and Purposeful Decision Making'.
Most Rev Gyamfi highlighted the primary duty of the institute as working to free the Bono people from oppression through historical research, advocacy, and cultural restoration. He stressed the importance of shaping narratives around the identity, land, and historical backgrounds of the Bono people through research.
He recalled that historians acknowledged the Bonos as having established the first Akan empire in modern-day Ghana in the 13th century, with other Akan groups later adopting elements of Bono culture and administrative systems. Most Rev Gyamfi noted that while many states conquered in the past regained their independence and lands, parts of the Bono lands allegedly remain under claim by other traditional authorities due to historical conquests.
Most Rev Gyamfi remarked that the British returned land and sovereignty, suggesting that all forms of internal colonization should cease. He encouraged the Advisory Board to document Bono history, asserting that understanding their history is crucial for the Bono people to recognize their identity. He also urged the board to serve as a pressure group for the region.
Furthermore, he called on the board to develop and promote Bono literature and language in schools within the Bono Region. He emphasized understanding the paradigm of the oppressed and the oppressors to dismantle the existing system and liberate Bonoman from oppression. He noted that the oppressed, having internalized the oppressor's image and guidelines, fear freedom, and that it is the oppressed who must fight for their liberation.
The 10-member board, chaired by Professor Richardson Addai-Mununkum, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of Education, Winneba, is tasked with providing strategic direction for the institute's research and advocacy concerning Bono history, culture, and development.