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I read an article authored by Vincent Kuuire on the above subject a couple of days ago. Vincent�s conclusion in that article was that tribalism is real in Ghana. Consequently, he proposed that there should be intensification of civic education as a mechanism to root out the canker of stereotyping and generalization because he contends that this canker defines the sort of tribalism that we have in our country. The author drew chiefly from his personal experiences as a basis for coming out with his stance on the issue. Vincent�s article could be accessed here. I totally respect the writer for his views. I also abhor all forms of tribalism in the country. However, I disagree with the assertions of the author in the said article. My key points of disagreements are the various examples that the author utilized to depict tribalism in the country as well as the implicit declaration by the author that tribalism is usually perpetuated by southerners on their counterparts from Northern Ghana. I therefore wish to use this medium to present my position on the article in order to facilitate a healthy debate on the topic. Firstly, Vincent�s article was not only one-sided in terms of a North-South trajectory but also in terms of the sort of evidence that he presented. The author tried to paint a picture heavily adorned in the garments of negativity (he did not succeed though and I will show this after a couple of paragraphs). He insinuated all the perceived wrongs that people of southern origin had inflicted on his good self and other northerners. He then went on to use these mainly personal occurrences which you and I were not there to witness as a basis for his conclusions.It is ironic that the author proffered voluminously in the article that one ought not to generalize. To provide some measure of fair assessment of the issue, the author could have mentioned some very obvious North-South positives in the country. For example, in contemporary times, there are people in Ghana who cannot easily determine their lineage, simply because their mother is from a matrilineal based ethnic group in Southern Ghana whereas their father hails from a patrilineal based ethnic group in Northern Ghana. Additionally, the author obviously forgot that from the declared presidential election results of Ghana in 2012, the majority of voters in the most predominant Akan regions of Ghana (in terms of percentages), which are the Central and Western Regions, voted for President Mahama who hails from the Northern region. The author was also not remotely interested in the fact that Dr Bawumia is unarguably, in 2013, the most revered and referenced member of the major opposition party in the country. The reverence accorded to Dr Bawumia, a Northerner, has made residents of Kumasi to coin a greeting which goes like: ye ma wo Bawumiaooo, ye ma wonimdie (literally, we give you Bawumia, we give you intelligence). This greeting is meant to extol the intelligence of Dr Bawumia. I can go on and provide similar scenario for Martin Amidu, Abedi Pele and other people from Norhern Ghana. However, the main point that I am drumming home is that the sort of praise, accolade and support that Northerners receive in Southern Ghana and which we are all privy to does not depict southerners as tribalistic as Vincent sought to portray in his article. Also, let me follow Vincent�s lead and dwell on just one negative issue. Vincent failed to mention in his analysis that there have been actual tribal problems/ tensions/ wars in Northern Ghana. I will state emphatically that these tribal problems are isolated occurrences which should not be generalized for the entire northern Ghana. However, if Vincent had considered such tribal issues in Northern Ghana which are more severe than the examples he provided in his article, he would have realized that there may be few (negligible) cases of tribalism in the country but these do not solely follow a South-discriminating-against-North path. Secondly, the author also committed a heinous crime in academia when he designated a question, which he was asked by an innocent former classmate of his, as one the dumbest question he has ever been asked. (In academia, no question is considered dumb since a collection of statements and questions that were perceived to be �dumb� have brought about the discoveries, invention and medical progress which we currently witness in the world). However, let's look at that question carefully. According to Vincent, his former school mate asked him whether it is true that you see the desert when you are in Northern Ghana. He thought the question was dumb because nothing like that exist in Northern Ghana. How wrong, Vincent. In fact, as an environmentalist, I can say authoritatively that as a result of deforestation, climate change and relatively harsh local climatic conditions, some parts of Northern Ghana fit the definition of deserts. In fact, the problem of desertification in Ghana is even progressively extending to relatively wetter Southern regions such as Brong-Ahafo, Volta and Ashanti regions. It is undoubtedly a serious problem which has ramifications for key sectors, particularly agriculture. The problem of desertification could and should be averted and reversed by all relevant stakeholders. The author was basically utilizing this example to hone in the point that some Southerners lack knowledge of Northern Ghana. However, my broader question is this: Since his article is on tribalism, how can the lack of knowledge of a geographical area constitute tribalism? Is Vincent also suggesting that our colleagues in Northern Ghana are well versed in Southern Ghana? I beg to differ, since it can never be true. I was born and bred in Central region and usually I get humbled by the little I know about my own region. Does this mean that I exhibit tribalism against my own region of birth? No! There are two reasons for this: First, as the late Prof. Mills once noted, nobody is a repository of knowledge. Second, as a country we have failed by not documenting easily accessible materials on our various regions and tribes. The fact that someone asks you a question that you perceive to be easy to answer on your region therefore does not in any way mean that the person lacks total knowledge of your region or the person is tribalistic. I am a proud graduate of �the school� (foreigners reading this piece should note that in Ghana, Mfantipim is used synonymously with �the school�) as well as a proud Continental (actually, a lifelong member of the Almighty Unity Hall of KNUST). These two institutions (Yes, Unity hall is an institution) undoubtedly represent Ghana and I can say that my experiences in these two institutions show that Ghanaians, whether they are from the North or South or East or West, do not believe in tribalism. I wish therefore to state that tribalism is only a myth in Ghana. This myth or wrong perception is usually exaggerated by some politicians from all sides of the political divide who do not have the expertise or competence to campaign on critical national issues. They usually utilize such tribal sentiments to whip up people�s emotions in order to garner votes. I am a very open minded person and I will be happy to receive contrary opinions on tribalism in Ghana. However, what I have seen and heard so far tends to be exaggerations of trivialities. GOD BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA AND MAKE US GREAT AND STRONG.