Peter Dankwa on Tribalism and a Humanist Response

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/01/26

Peter Nyarko Dankwa is a member of the Humanist Association of Ghana. He is outspoken about spreading humanism and critical thinking. He uses his blog, Peter’s Box, to promote humanism and critical thinking. At a Toastmasters meeting in 2019, Peter delivered a speech titled ‘No Monkey Games,’ which was inspired by humanist values. He has held several leadership positions in Toastmasters International, from the club to the district level. Peter holds a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is a passionate chess and Rubik’s cube coach.

In ‘Whispers in the Dust’ Peter talks about his short story on Tribalism’s destructive effects. Inspired by online tribal banters in Ghana, Peter personifies Tribalism to highlight its militating impact on humanity. The story follows Tribalism rejecting help due to prejudice, leading to his downfall. Dankwa discusses parallels with other group identities, such as nationalism and religion, where prioritizing group identity over humanity causes division. 

He collaborated on this story with one of Ghana’s prolific writers, Ama Pomaa (the author of A Time to Part and The Ones We Find).

In his last blog post ‘Left Out’, Peter passionately decries the senselessness of stigmatization of left-handed people in Ghana after having experienced first-hand discrimination for using his left hand in a social interaction. 

Dankwa’s next post ‘Jungle Justice’ explores the dangers of mob action, inspired by tragic incidents of prejudice and injustice in Ghana. He believes the rise of mob justice in Africa, can be linked to distrust in the corrupted justice systems.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Okay, today, once again, we’re here with Peter Dankwa from Ghana. You have a short story that illustrates the fall of Tribalism. Tribalism can indeed be problematic. So, Peter, what inspired you to write this short story?

Peter Dankwa: Whispers In The Dust was inspired by the sickening tribal bantering that creeps up on my social media feed. It was my humanistic attempt to address the pitfalls of tribalism in an ever-growing tribalistic Ghanaian society. One might wonder why strangers who might probably never meet each other in the real world, would gleefully tear each other apart on social media for the sole reason of their tribal identity. 

Appealing to our shared humanism, I sought to dissect the misappropriation of tribalism under the knife of reason and critical thinking. And what better way to present it than through storytelling? That was how I came up with Whispers In The Dust – a form of protest writing particularizing the dangers of tribalism. 

Hopefully, reason shall prevail at the end of my fictional story. 

The storyline shows that while we may belong to specific tribes, elevating tribal identity above the fundamental values of our shared humanity is militating to our existence. To demonstrate this, I decided to personify Tribalism as a character and show how it manifests in everyday life, ultimately harming himself due to his tribalistic nature.

The story begins with Tribalism (the character) going about his day and meeting people from different walks of life. Each time he meets someone, conflict arises because he’s arrogant, cocky, and believes his tribe is superior. Eventually, he ends up in a healthcare facility, but his insulting behaviour alienates everyone who might have helped him. Even when Death offers to be patient with Tribalism, he snobs death. You can imagine what happened to him.

The story illustrates how destructive Tribalism can be when taken too far.

I would add that Tribalism, as an evolutionary strategy, isn’t entirely negative—it can foster a competitive spirit that motivates tribes to become better. But once it crosses the line and overshadows humanity and core virtues, it becomes a serious problem. That, in a nutshell, is the message of the story.

Jacobsen: Also, I mean, is this a perspective that could be applied if you personified a nation-state or something similar, where someone takes pride in their country—which is understandable—but elevates that above the broader perspective of humanity? Over time, as nation-states have essentially occupied most of the world’s territories, people derive an identity from them. It has its advantages but also significant disadvantages when taken too far. Could similar analogies be made to other group identities that people adopt?

Dankwa: Yes, you couldn’t have put it any better! The principle is the same – the very one you will find in Whispers In The Dust. You can observe this same pattern across religions and races, where people feel threatened by the identity of others or fear their identity will be diminished if they don’t take the spotlight. This pattern appears in many areas of life where people prioritize their tribe or ethos over humanity. Religion is one of the most apparent examples of this. In religion, it often becomes a case of “us versus them.” That’s the underlying theme. There is rarely a point where people reason based on a shared community. Instead, it’s about asserting, “We have our ideals, and you must accept them, or you’re our enemy.” This issue spans many areas.

So yes, you’re correct that this principle transcends Tribalism and applies to many contexts, including patriotism. Patriotism isn’t inherently bad, but when it begins to undermine someone else’s identity—especially when that identity has no bearing on you—it becomes problematic. I struggle to understand why someone else’s identity should affect you so profoundly that you build your life around protecting your own.

The principle of “live and let live” should be the norm. However, it often escalates to a point where, perhaps due to our evolutionary psychology, people revert to a tribal mindset. In ancient times, tribal wars were common, but now those conflicts have shifted into debates and rhetoric. Sometimes, these expressions are subtle, but they still reflect the underlying concept of Tribalism. 

Jacobsen: Maybe there’s some game-theory consideration here. When I think about competition between nations—particularly in areas like science and technology—or competition between tribes in terms of mastering their crafts in earlier times, there seems to be a zero-sum mentality at play. In a zero-sum game, if one party gains, another, by definition, loses.

When you move away from zero-sum thinking to a “grow the pie” perspective, competition becomes more constructive. For instance, if nations or tribes compete in ways that benefit everyone—such as discovering new science, inventing technologies, or engaging in trade that benefits both parties—they can maintain pride in their identities while fostering collective growth. This approach reflects expansion rather than contraction or stagnation.

This may tie into evolutionary psychology. When people adopt zero-sum thinking regarding their identities, it often becomes unhealthy. On the other hand, when identity is approached expansively, it can lead to positive, constructive outcomes.

Are you planning any other stories that will involve this character of Tribalism?

Dankwa: I have another story for February 1st titled ‘Jungle Justice – The Dread of Kabutey’. 

I seek to address the problem of jungle justice with this story. For far too long the canker of mob justice has plagued Africa and has seared the conscience of many. Just this week I chanced on a video circulating on social media where some pedestrians were stoning a man who had allegedly stolen an item. Let me spare you the horrific details of that. You might have lost your appetite had you seen it. How are people in the 21st century committing such acts and then justifying them?

I believe the problem partly lies in the mistrust of the people in the justice system. Many people here struggle with the system’s fidelity. When cases arise where perpetrators are arrested but then somehow released, it creates a sense of insecurity and distrust. People begin to feel that justice won’t be served unless they take matters into their own hands. This eye-for-an-eye mentality feels, to them, like a way to ensure justice, but it’s deeply problematic.

One significant issue is that the mob’s victim could be innocent. Once a mob murders someone, there’s no way to undo that act or bring back their life. For example, I have a friend who grew dreadlocks as a form of protest after his friend was murdered in a mob action simply because of his appearance.

This friend of his had dreadlocks, and there was a perception in the community that people with such hairstyles were criminals or vagabonds. When a call went out about a thief on the streets, and no one could identify the culprit, they simply looked for someone who seemed “different.” They saw his dreadlocks, noticed his slightly unconventional attire, and concluded he must be the thief. Tragically, they murdered him.

A humanist friend decided to grow dreadlocks himself as a form of protest. His message was to challenge these stereotypes and show that a person’s appearance doesn’t define their character. He wanted people to understand: “I’m the same person you know. I’m not evil simply because I have dreadlocks.”

This issue and his story inspired me to write another piece that explores the dangers of mob justice and challenges the prejudices that lead to such tragedies. 

Jacobsen: Yeah. I mean, it’s a different flavour in North America. You see the same psychology manifesting. We all know the case of Mubarak Bala, who was jailed in what appears to be an act of social retribution based on a complaint from S.S. Umar & Co. The complaint stemmed from one Facebook post labelled as being, quote, “provocative and annoying. ” I remember communicating with him the night before his arrest because we were working on an Ask Mubarak series for a Canadian Atheist publication. We completed seven sessions and were working on the eighth, or something like that.

But yeah, this kind of social retribution is quite common. The difference is that the strength of institutions determines the extent to which people feel they need to take matters into their own hands. Stronger institutions provide a better buffer against this.

Okay, well, thank you for your time today.

Dankwa: Thank you, too.

—

LEFT OUT

I sighed deeply in relief when I walked inside the house after work on Friday night. This Friday night was special, unlike the others. My leave began today, and I’ll be gone from work for a month. I gleefully unlocked the door, yet a sense of discomfort lingered in the pit of my stomach.

I replayed the scene that had just transpired on the street a few seconds ago in my head. Why didn’t she greet me back? Every time I reconstructed the scene, I asked the same question. Why didn’t she greet me back? I made up an excuse. She did not see me. But I’m sure we made eye contact. So why didn’t she return my greeting?

Was she begrudging me? On what, exactly? We’ve always welcomed each other without incident. Hmm. Anyway, I greeted her today, and she did not return the greeting.
As I entered my room, I tossed my bag onto the bed, along with my earlier dilemma. Let the weekend and my leave begin! Next week, I will be in Singapore for the International Humanists Conference.
‘Good evening. Is there anyone home?’ I heard Dad’s voice behind my door. He would do this every time he returned home from town.
‘Good evening, Daa,’ I answered perfunctorily.
‘Afi says you…’ He sounded muffled.
I inched closer to the door to better hear him. ‘What?’
‘You know Afi, right? “The house after our next-door neighbour?”
When I heard the name Afi, the unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach rumbled.
‘Yes, I know Afi.’

Dad smiled wryly, perhaps to make it seem anodyne. ‘She wasn’t happy that you greeted her with your left hand. When I met her on my way home, she registered her displeasure.
When I heard that, I held unto my indrawn breath a little longer. I felt my chest expand. The unsettling feeling erupted into sulkiness, though I was relieved that I finally had some closure to my earlier dilemma.
With laboured breathing and disapproving eyes brows, I let out a litany of arguments. ‘Ah! Didn’t she see that my hands were full?’
I had my laptop backpack slung over my right shoulder. That same right hand held my camera bag, which was heavier than the tripod pouch I was holding with my left hand. It felt natural to wave to her with my left hand. So did I.

I was correct. She saw me! At least she saw me make an attempt to greet her. And she didn’t return it? I was enraged that she didn’t upraid me right away while I was still in her view. Perhaps she didn’t want to be late to her destination. She had just driven out of her compound in her car.

I continued ranting. Why didn’t she inform me right away so I could learn from my mistake? You know what? I am equally offended! I greeted you with a smile. Would you rather I greet you with my left hand or not greet at all? You ignored me, drove by me, and reported to my father. Was she expecting a vicarious apology from my father?

Ah, I get it. Dad will somehow magically explain why using my left hand was inappropriate and unacceptable.

Read more at https://peesbox.com/left-out/

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