Analysing John Evans Atta Mills' Speeches Projecting him as „A Man of Peace‟

• Main Authors: Jacob Anderson, Eric Ziem Bibiebome
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lasting Impressions Press 2019-09-01
• Series: International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies
• Subjects: political speeches; sociolinguistics; political life; asomdwee hene; john evans atta mills
• Online Access: http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value7%20issue3/11-7-3-19.pdf

The research investigates some selected political speeches of John Evans Atta Mills through the lenses of sociolinguistics. This is against the back drop that Ghana's post-independence political history which is largely characterized by the construction of beliefs about its leaders, especially those who rise to become president. The selected speeches cover every aspect of his political life, including- a campaign speech (as an opposition leader in the run- up to the 2008 elections), an Inaugural speech, an Independent day speech, a Republic day speech and a New year’s eve message to the nation (all as president). The objective of the research is to ascertain the veracity or mendacity of the accolade 'Asomdwee Hene' translated as 'Man of Peace' as was championed by the campaign machinery of his party (in the heat of the 2008 presidential elections) to describe him; a title which metamorphosed into a household term in Ghana's political space. Through an eclectic approach, the analysis encapsulated the metafunctions as postulated in Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics and Onah’s Concept of Peace as perceived in the African Traditional culture as its framework. To this end, the analysis was structured into three parts (Fairclough, 2001). The first part analyzed the stylistic features prevalent in the selected political speeches and was followed by an interpretation of the discursive properties based on the socio-cultural and political setting of the country. This was however carried out concurrently with an explanation of the socio-cultural and political setting which forms the bases for our understanding of the speeches. The findings of the research show that the selected speeches resonate with Onah's concept of peace in the African Traditional Culture- Peace as a result of harmonious living, Peace as a gift from God and Peace as a pre-condition for progress.