On 14 June 2016 a statue of Mahatmha Gandhi was erected at the Recreational Quadrangle on the university of Ghana campus by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in consultation with the School authorities during the Prime Minister of India Pranab Mukherjee’s visit.
In September 2016, a former Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, started a campaign demanding the removal of the statue of Indian independence icon, Mahatma Gandhi, from the University of Ghana campus.
The petition, which got about 2000 supporters on the internet, cited letters Gandhi wrote during his time in South Africa as evidence that he advocated for the superiority of Indians over black Africans using the term "raw Kaffir".
The word kaffir, which is now considered an offensive ethnic slur, is a term used in Southern Africa to refer to a black person.
It was formerly considered by whites to be a neutral term for black South Africans.
The word is derived from the Arabic term kafir (meaning "disbeliever"), which originally had the meaning "one without religion".
During the Apartheid era, the term acquired a distinctly derogatory meaning in the context of South African history.
In South Africa today, the term is regarded as highly racially offensive, in the same way as the "N-word" in the United States and other English-speaking countries.
The petition that demanded the removal of the Ghandi statue erected at the Sam Aboa Quadrangle on the University of Ghana campus provided citations from writings of Mahatma Ghandhi referring to black people using the derogatory term "raw Kaffir".
In September 26, 1896, Mahatmha Ghandi wrote;
“So far as the feeling has been expressed, it is to degrade the Indian to the position of the Kaffir.”
again before May 27, 1899, he wrote;
“Ours is one continual struggle against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the Europeans, who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw Kaffir whose occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and, then, pass his life in indolence and nakedness.”
The petition by Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo and other scholars also criticized the lack of statues of African heroes and heroines on campus.
They argued Ghandi was unfit for the honour due to his radical stance against blacks during his lifetime and hence called for the removal of the statue with a social media campaign hash tagged #Ghandimustcomedown and #Ghandimustfall.
But, Ghana’s former High Commissioner to India, Professor Mike Ocquaye, described as unnecessary demands for the demolition of the statue.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration issued a statement describing the position by the petitioners as unfortunate "verbal attacks" assuring the statue will be moved from the University of Ghana campus to ensure its safety.
The Ministry lamented the comments and agitations against the situation of the statue on the University had the potential of creating disaffection for Ghana at the level of Government relations and among Ghanaians across the world.
The Ministry also emphasized that government erected the statue on the University of Ghana campus with the consent of the University’s authorities saying “The University was not compelled by government to accept the statue.”
It added that, “While acknowledging that human as he was, Mahatma Gandhi may have had his flaws, we must remember that people evolve.
He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.”
Meanwhile, in the midst of the argument, some unknown individuals defaced the statue, plucking off its iconic spectacle.
the statement also decried the attacks on the statue arguing that the act had likely diplomatic implications between Ghana and India.
10 months on, the statue still stands tall in the university of Ghana campus and not relocated as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration stated in their statement.
But why the silence from the petitioners who sought to bring some justice to black people after proving Mahatmha Ghandi was racist and described black people with a derogatory term.
Some students in the school were engaged to share their views on issues as the Mahatmha Ghandi statue still stands at the recreational Quadrangle.
Some social commentators and international relations experts also shared commented on the issue.
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