It has been a bureaucratic oracle in the modern political system

The voice of the commander-in-chief sounds like that powerful priestess

In the late 90s and early 00s, even before, I, not only I, but many others gathered periodically around the shrines

We listened to the priest who has been overshadowed by the powers

She walked from the crib of the shrine

Being directed to speak the minds of the venerable gods

She was already heavily possessed

But the power of the possession dawned slowly and gradually

Soon, the power feels overwhelming as she receives more strength and power

A strength and power that give her energy to remain active,

Jumping, shouting, and speaking the language of the gods,

Sometimes, in a voice as strange as the gods

As a child, it feels so scary, though I looked at others’ faces for comfort.

In their faces, I saw anxiety, excitement or eagerness

This is us. But theorists, not me, know that things will turn around

Yes, as the 21st century progresses, this scenery faded, the anxiety eased

The uninvited invitation of the priest did not come

The silent call of the gods wasn’t heeded

The divinus nature of knowledge to us waned gradually

Then suddenly, what happened in March 2020

An image was recreated, a scenery resurfaced and the gods entered bureaucracy

This shocked the great sociologists who predicted linear changes in social arrangements

Comte, the father of the Sociology predicted a straight progress from theological to scientific society

Weber anticipated a steady climbing from traditional authority to a rational-legal system

Weber knew that Ghana is here-a bureaucracy progressively urging close to its ideal.

They said, once we move away from this prehistoric, Neolithic, premodern way of organisation, governance or authority, we will never relapse

At least, our old system will extinct and we will become increasingly advanced

Gurus in the discipline spoke a common language and predicted their mental hearts

Karl Marx, Tonnies, Georg Simmel and Talcott Parsons may be wondering where they went wrong

Where serious anxiety and confusion filled the airwaves and the mind waves of everybody

Even the servants of the modern priest cannot predict or reveal what the oracle will say

How come individually-owned electronic and personally-controlled social media fliers

Will be remotely compelled to signal the announcement of gathering

Notifying the whole country of a late night revelation of one person, the priest

Old men and children dare not sleep

The elite and the illiterate must be present

He will speak in a language not all will comprehend

Yet, those who will not understand will not want to miss the accent, the posture, the demeanour and the apparel

He appears from the glorious shrine, the house named after half century.

He flings the priestly tail with a nice Constitutional name

The spirits call it the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012)

With various nicknames or code names such EI 64 and EI 65

He compels us with same lines, like the recitals of the revered village priest

“Fellow Ghanaians, once again, I have come to your homes”

He invokes emotions to unify our experience

“It is sad, it is unfortunate”

He gives reasons why his revelations must be unquestioned

“I spoke to the gods of rigorous science and data, wisdom of my legitimacy

I have consulted the dwarfs of stakeholders who cemented what you are about to hear”

Soon after the revelation, some concur, others distrust

As usual, agreements, conspiracy, confusion, questions of applicability arise

The oracle is wise and visionary, He has spoken well. He has revealed what we didn’t know.

No, perhaps, the oracle wants fame, the oracle wants our fowls, goats, alcohol, kola nuts and our scarce resources

Same greets the modern oracle of the Jubilee House

We see wisdom in the safety of the populace, the health and prosperity of human lives.

But we doubt much more-the priest wants to advantage electoral commission, disadvantage opponents, and risk lives

Our magnitude of trust is almost the same as our distrust

The decision of the gods may endanger lives, protect lives.

We think same differently

“What will our children eat, where will the homeless sleep, how shall our society come back together”

He knows humanity is recalcitrant. He outlines consequences to instill and compound fear

“When you obey the oracle, you will survive. When you disobey, you will be punished by the spirits of the criminal justice”

The priest acknowledges the consternation and shivering

He responds before departing

We are in this together, and we shall overcome”

We shall overcome. The supernatural will guide us through just as He has done in the past.

The oracle has spoken. He will not change his mind just because you disagree or it inconvenience you.

Now, as village folks in a modern world, we depart to our homes.

Some walking in pairs and teams discussing

Others crawl alone or as partners to their beds pondering into their sleep

You will comply, you will comply forthwith

Contrarily, two penalties await you-dire punishment by the gods and the reprimand by the society

For this beautiful country, be it modern Ghana, or pre modern Gold Coast, times have indeed changed

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the modern relationship between the tallest political head and its subjects

The predictable nature of executive decisions, the slow nature of such decisions, the resistance and the civil protests have died down strangely

We receive and swallow orders, however bitter it is

They are pills with pain, with real fears coupled with moments of uncertainty

We welcome it with anger, with blurry sight of tomorrow.

We commit our lives into the hands of the oracle, hoping for protection

What else can we do or say-nothing, absolutely nothing

Because, it is the voice of the oracle, the gods of the land, the great priest and wise dwarfs who oversee our lives both day and night

Yes, structures and processes have changed significantly

We, the modern villagers, have been affected massively

We attribute this to the secrecy, the anxiety, the force behind it

We blame the strange and tormenting consequences attached to the process

The oracle of the Presidency is the oracle of the gods

It is the revered Priest, the legitimate President

He must be the president-priest (Priestident)

The writer is a PhD candidate at the University of Ghana, Legon.