Eagle Mentality

GHANA THROUGH THE LENSES OF THE ANIMAL FARM- A REFLECTION BY EMMANUEL MENSAH # 13

In this chapter, I introduce another Animal Farm character: Mollie, a self-indulgent white mare, to advance my ideas. Mollie could read only her name, unlike Benjamin, who was genuinely literate. She was materialistic and obsessed with sugar and ribbons. She avoided hard work and made endless excuses. Mollie relished the admiration from her human master, Mr. Jones, and refused to abandon her pampered lifestyle serving him. Ultimately, after the revolution, she deserted the farm, unable to withstand its hardships under the pigs' regime, and was later spotted working for another human.

In Ghanaian and African contexts, Mollie directly symbolizes members of the diaspora—both educated and uneducated—who, dissatisfied with living conditions and leadership at home, choose comfort abroad over challenging local difficulties. Our presence in the diaspora mirrors Mollie’s choice to leave the farm, seeking personal benefit over communal struggle. Those back home see our lives through this lens, fueling the desire to follow us and envy.

Orwell’s Mollie, representing the materialistic bourgeoisie who fled Russia post-revolution, parallels our motives as we leave Ghana—not as elites escaping upheaval, but as individuals pursuing comfort and self-interest. Living in developed countries positions us as the new bourgeoisie in the eyes of those at home. Our central reason for leaving remains the pursuit of comfort and wealth, mirroring Mollie’s flight from hardship.

For many in the diaspora, Ghana and Africa represent work and struggle we must avoid, given that development is nearly impossible. Like Mollie, we embrace Western comforts—cars, homes, and luxury—often depending on debt to sustain them, prioritizing personal ease over transformative effort. Back home, many are unaware of a painful truth: Western luxury comes at a cost, often paid for with debt. This mirrors Mollie’s comfortable life, gained through dependence and at a personal price.

Attempts to return home often fail, as the draw of Western luxury proves irresistible—like Mollie’s love for sugar and ribbons. We prioritize material gain, which aligns with Mollie’s mindset. Our mindset mirrors Mollie's: we avoid challenges and choose migration for luxury, rather than confronting the core issue—the African ignorance mindset.

Many at home dream of joining us abroad, seeking luxury, unaware that most people, if not all, in the developed world live inauthentic lives, are heavily reliant on credit, and only fewer than 1% are debt-free. Leaving Ghana, then, is like Mollie fleeing Animal Farm—choosing another master over facing challenges and fighting for real reform at home.

Mollie’s focus on only the letters of her name shows self-centeredness, mirrored in our diaspora's focus on accumulating material things while neglecting the ideas that built the West. Most Ghanaians and Africans abroad, if not all, master only the art of acquiring wealth but fail to understand the ideas and systems behind Western advancement.

We return home with used goods or out-of-fashion commodities as business ventures, not with knowledge or systems that could spark progress at home. Our goal is personal gain, maintaining Western luxury rather than fostering real change.

Mollie ultimately embodies us in the diaspora—the new bourgeoisie of Ghana and Africa —choosing personal luxury over engagement with the challenges of home. That is the purging of the African minds, regardless of status, from ignorance and backwardness.

Emmanuel Mensah

GHANA THROUGH THE LENSES OF THE ANIMAL FARM- A REFLECTION BY EMMANUEL MENSAH # 12

Ignorance is a disease. But a deadlier disease arises when intellectuals and the supposed wise, despite knowing better, remain silent. This silence inflicts more damage than ignorance. Ignorance brings personal misery, but when academia and clergy stay silent, dictators thrive, and failure is rewarded.

In this chapter, I examine intellectuals in schools and the clergy who embody Benjamin, the donkey from Animal Farm.

Benjamin was an intelligent donkey. He could read and understand the commandments, but refused to challenge the corrupt leaders. He was known for thinking that nothing would ever change, no matter who was in charge. He only acted at the last moment.

His attitude cost his friend Boxer his life. Benjamin could read the writing on the van that took Boxer to the slaughterhouse. He chose to speak out only when he drew the other animals’ attention to the danger. His last-minute effort failed. The others’ shouts urging Boxer to escape could not save him, given his age and weakness. Benjamin shows the danger in waiting until it is too late to act.

In Ghana and elsewhere in Africa, Benjamin represents the scholar class and the clergy. Intelligent and aware of the Constitution and people’s struggles, they remain pessimistic—sure that nothing changes, whoever is in power. The clergy, especially, withdraw. They urge members to pray but not to act. Hardships and current events are, to them, signs that the end is near. Each day, they warn members to ignore politics and focus on salvation, declaring Christ’s return is imminent.

Benjamin also represents the scholar class: highly intellectual but pessimistic. As situations worsen, they choose inaction over confrontation. Ghanaian and African intellectuals can read but do not speak out, neither in speech nor in writing. Their pessimism stems from the belief that changing leaders will not improve their lives. They have intellectual knowledge but lack the wisdom to advance. They sit back, watch things get worse, and later claim, “We saw it coming.”

This group acts only when directly threatened. The clergy speak out solely on issues impacting their religion. As long as leaders declare faith and avoid passing conflicting laws, they ignore all else. Their only concern is with laws clashing with their beliefs, evident in religious leaders' recent actions on Ghana's LGBT laws. They'll support any candidate pushing such laws, regardless of competence.

The academic class acts only when salary demands are denied. As with Benjamin’s futile warning to Boxer, their last-minute protests barely yield a positive outcome.
Benjamin also represents those who believe that voting for or against their party will not help Ghana, even though they know their party is failing; they still support and vote for it. They do not care about the consequences of their views, enabling incompetence and injustice.

Benjamin’s indifference shows the danger of waiting until the last minute. He spoke out only when his best friend was taken. His cynicism was a defence that failed to help society.

Indulging in the Benjamite mentality harms your country. The time to act is now. As an intellectual, your knowledge only matters if you use it now to shape the nation. To the clergy, this is not a slur on your belief in Jesus’s return. Yet, remember the word “soon” about Christ’s coming has been in use for over two thousand years. Encourage your members to be active in politics. Politics itself is not corrupt; only the people in it are. Only when the right people enter politics can we make it better for all.

Eagle Emmanuel Mensah
Co-founder- The Eagle Mentality Group

GHANA THROUGH THE LENSES OF THE ANIMAL FARM- A REFLECTION BY EMMANUEL MENSAH # 9

The main theme in this chapter is that blind or unwavering loyalty, whether in fiction or real life, leads to both personal and national downfall for those who place blind trust in self-interested leaders. Boxer’s fate in Animal Farm closely parallels the experiences of loyal supporters of the two dominant political parties in Ghana and the nation in general. These diehard loyalists, like Boxer, persist in their devotion even when their leaders are flawed or acting in self-interest, often to their own and national detriment.

Boxer symbolizes loyalists in Ghana’s political parties, committed to leaders’ promises despite unequal reward. For decades, leaders have enjoyed luxury, while ordinary members have risked and sacrificed in the hope of change.

This loyalty is further exploited during political campaigns, much as Napoleon wielded Squealer's propaganda against Snowball. In these campaigns, the opposition is relentlessly vilified, and members are cunningly persuaded to support their leaders. For example, in chapter nine of Animal Farm, during an uncontested April election, Napoleon was proclaimed the unanimous winner and the Animal Farm was declared a republic. The pattern in which Napoleon and Squealer give speeches falsely accusing Snowball of allying with the humans echoes tactics used by both political parties during campaigns and after winning elections.

The persistent manipulation of loyalty creates a recurring pattern: once a government loses power, as Snowball did in exile, it becomes the scapegoat for the new administration on issues that won them elections and current arising issues. Outgoing administrations are swiftly blamed for new problems, with party leaders convincing voters that they were unaware of the real economic situation and insisting that recovery will be slow. This process further amplifies the cycle of blame-shifting seen in Animal Farm, directly linking the current narrative with the allegory's lessons.

Despite this recurring pattern, loyal supporters continue to trust their leaders, drawing a direct parallel to Boxer’s unwavering belief in his masters. Yet for those in power, this does not translate into reciprocal care—rather, it serves to secure votes. This scenario echoes Boxer's promise of medical help, though his masters had other intentions, showing again how unwavering support is exploited.

The consequences for blindly loyal followers are invariably grim across both Animal Farm and real-world politics. Such allegiance fosters authoritarian rule, where even minor dissent incurs severe punishment. This mirrors Boxer’s demise and stands as a warning of the hazards of unquestioning fidelity. Blind loyalty also fosters a culture of rewarding failure and incompetence. The mindset of “I cannot see myself voting for this party” is another form of stating Boxer’s slogan. “Napoleon is always right”.

Boxer’s story exemplifies how committed supporters in Ghana’s political parties trust leaders’ promises, though leaders often overlook their true well-being—mirroring Boxer’s own deception. Consequently, as supporters are distracted by hollow promises and trivial incentives, the cycle of exploitation endures. This connects to earlier examples of Boxer and steadfast party loyalists, highlighting the theme of manipulation.

This brings us to the central theme: blind loyalty. Who is a blind loyalist? To further understand the impact of such devotion, consider the following:

If you support a political party for life—not because of its policies or ideology and issues relating to national interest, but due to personal, family, tribal or religious ties—you are exhibiting blind loyalty. Consider: Does loyalty without scrutiny truly serve you or your community, or does it serve only those in power?

As depicted in chapter nine of Animal Farm, despite Boxer's and the other animals' dedication to Napoleon and the pigs, their daily rations steadily declined while the pigs' portions grew. When the animals objected, they were persuaded that they were better off than they had been under Mr. Jones, their former master. The leadership rationalized this inequity by claiming the pigs required extra nutrition to serve the farm. This manipulation epitomizes the exploitation of loyalty mentioned earlier.

Amidst this plight of the animals, four sows gave birth to thirty-one piglets for Napoleon. Despite the animals being denied adequate food, Napoleon ordered the construction of a school solely for the piglets' education. Napoleon then introduced the Spontaneous Demonstrations, during which the animals marched around the farm and listened to speeches that lauded and exulted the glory and achievements of the Animal Farm.

This scenario mirrors actions by Ghanaian politicians in the two dominant parties, as discussed above. As necessities slowly erode from the lives of ordinary citizens, party leaders in government often resort to organizing events such as Town Halls to showcase capital-intensive projects in cities and selected parts of the nation as their achievements. They present economic statistics that never reflect the plight of citizens. Much like the animals marching around the farm, party members who struggle to afford four square meals are given free party dresses and paraphernalia to participate in staged dances and chants.

Given these parallels, if you are a diehard loyalist, sit back and reflect as you read this piece—you may see yourself in the place of the animals on Animal Farm. Like Boxer, your fate may mirror his. While leaders' promises may have conditioned your thinking for years, the reality is that your blind loyalty only harms you and Ghana. You are more or less in a van bound for the allegorical slaughterhouse, believing you are being treated fairly.

Reflect on Boxer’s plight and compare it to your own. Every four years, supporters like you are called to dance and chant with hopes of change, only to realize, post-election, little has improved.

Furthermore, it is only during election seasons that political parties bus supporters to rallies, offer handouts, and then vanish until the next cycle. This mirrors Boxer’s final journey to the slaughterhouse, underscoring the disregard for loyal followers’ well-being and reinforcing the culture of exploitation.

Given this ongoing pattern, the critical question to ask yourself, dear diehard loyalist, is what do you truly need? Is it the winning party’s thank-you tour, or the actual fulfillment of your needs? Remember, genuine appreciation from a true leader or governing party comes only in the form of policies and programs that offer real relief from your plight.

When a political party wins an election and undertakes a tour of appreciation, it often signals two broader truths about the relationship between leaders and their loyal supporters.

1. They realize they are undeserving, yet you naively hand them victory.
2. Appreciation events and handouts are designed to soothe your doubts and relieve the leaders of the guilt of the falsehood, failures, and incompleteness. Your participation in such events simply sets them free from their guilt. As a matter of fact, it is a form of therapy that you are offering them for free.

But do not let such gestures cloud your judgment. Instead of accepting empty words, insist on real accountability, and let your choices reflect your true interests and those of the nation, not those of those in power.

Ultimately, the main truth is that true appreciation and thanks for electoral support should be demonstrated only by implementing ideas and programs that directly enhance citizens' lives. Genuine loyalty should be given only when leaders address real issues, not blindly allow them to thrive on tribal, religious, or self-serving interests.

Eagle Emmanuel Mensah
Co-founder- The Eagle Mentality Group