The National Chocolate Day in Ghana was established in 2005 by the then Minister of Tourism with the intention of shifting the attention of all and sundry towards showcasing love to their loved ones through a gift of chocolate. However, it is an irrefutable fact that, people prefer celebrating Valentine’s Day to the celebration of the National Chocolate Day.

It is highly crucial that the Senior Management of Ghana Communication Technology University (formerly Ghana Telecom/Technology University College) is encouraging everybody everywhere to opt for the National Chocolate Day by organising a lecture dubbed:The Vice-Chancellor’s National Chocolate Day Lecture (“Cocoa and Chocolate :Processing, Consumption and Health Benefits” to mark this year’s National Chocolate Day Celebration. We celebrate Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa (Obrempong Professor Kyem-Amponsah II), the Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University, an international expert in Cocoa and Chocolate Processing Technology for his innovative ideas. Is it possible, to organise similar presentations/lectures at all levels of education?

This write-up discusses the need to convert fruitless celebrations to transnational development or nation-building activities, abrogation of putting on red clothes on February 14 and phasing out the representation of the sexual organ as a love symbol.

According to Hayford Addokwei (2012), the shape of Valentine’s “heart” denotes the human female matrix or as the Gnostics term it, “Chamber of sacred copulation”

Kindly study and scrutinise the so-called love symbol carefully. Does it look like the real human heart?

Do you know that the love symbol denotes and connotes sexual promiscuity? The following biblical verses emphasise that red generally symbolises fornication, adultery, sexual promiscuity and sin. The Bible says in Isaiah 1:18,

“…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. They are red like crimson, they shall be as wool”

“the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet ,…full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication”

(Revelation 17:4).
“But she increased her harlotry; she looked at men portrayed on the wall, images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion…”

(Ezekiel 23:14-17).
People who are fond of putting on red, scarlet and vermilion on February 14 on the pretext of observing love celebration are consciously or unconsciously promoting sexual promiscuity.

In other words, the representation of the love symbol is misleading and lustful. It is an indisputable fact that what is represented as a human heart is rather the human female sexual organ, and that might be the reason behind promotion and patronage of sexual promiscuity on February 14, as the Valentine’s logo is a symbol of lust and is shamelessly propagated everywhere.

What is the way forward?

Is it possible, to phase out selling and buying of condoms in Ghana? Do we have to endorse and encourage a celebration that normally leads to shortage of condoms coupled with incurable diseases? Some elderly people may argue that if children cannot control their libido, then the best option is to allow them to have safe sex. Does the Holy Bible or any Holy Scripture teach that children must be encouraged to swim in sexual promiscuity if they cannot control their sexual desires?

If abstinence is the solution, we don’t have to encourage selling and buying of condoms in Ghana with the intention of helping people who cannot overcome their sexual desires.

People who patronize putting on red in the name of love are rather promoting lust and sexual promiscuity. One can put on any attire, including red clothes, on any other day but not on the so-called Vals’ Day, as it depicts and promotes lustful desires.

It is therefore not advisable to put on red clothes on February 14, as doing so is synonymous with promoting and patronising lustful desires.

Also, instead of spending so much on beauty contests, Independence Day celebrations, as well as Valentine’s Day, it is incumbent upon the Government of Ghana to phase out those celebrations and convert them to nation-building programmes that are geared towards transnational development activities such as the acquisition of four language skills(listening, speaking, reading and writing) in Ghanaian languages, English and French, essay writing competitions at all levels and call for papers that can be published annually in the Journal of Innovation and Nation Building in Africa(Ghana Journal of Nation Building).

How many of us know the date for World Book Day? Our children even know February 14 to be a lustful day celebration. Knowledge comes learning (the motto of GCTU). The Bible says in Daniel 12:4, “knowledge shall increase” Let us see how we can increase in wisdom, knowledge, computing, technology and innovation to ensure accelerated development and prosperity in Africa, particularly, in Ghana, and say no to all lustful activities.

Again, our leaders/female chauvinists must fight assiduously against the representation of the human female matrix as a symbol of love, as it is dehumanising and degrading.

Finally, our churches and clergy should stop observing and preaching Valentine and preach Christ, because genuine love that comes from God is CHRIST-classic, caring, holy, righteous, impeccable, inspiring, edifying, sincere, and timeless while lust or erotic love which comes from the devil is destructive, eccentric, venereal, insolent, insensitive, limited, and leads to death and hell. Let us say no to lustful events or celebrations by preventing profanity, pornography, premarital sex and sexual promiscuity.

In short, love is eternal/never-ending and not a day affair.

It behoves all academic, political and religious institutions to promote nation-building activities and stop promoting a lustful day celebration called Valentine Day.

Published in Modern Ghana
Author: Michael Owusu Tabiri, PhD in Language Sciences,
GCTU Language Centre/Department of General Studies