For over two decades, I have appeared on numerous radio panels and television shows across Ghana. And after all these years of speaking on national issues, one truth remains constant: I am far more comfortable behind the microphone than in front of the camera.
Radio gives you anonymity. Your voice carries your message, but your face, posture, and emotions remain hidden. Listeners imagine you; they do not see you. Television, however, exposes everything. The lights, cameras, angles, and millions of eyes strip you bare. Your expressions, your reactions, even your silence, are all judged.
This is why many people underestimate the pressure pundits face during live discussions. It is not just talking; it is thinking fast, guarding your temper, defending your views, and staying composed, all while the world watches. Even entertainment shows become turned explosive when emotion runs high. One stray comment, one misinterpreted tone, and the entire programme risks collapsing into chaos. Usually, peace returns only when the cameras go off.
That is why the recent viral videos involving Professor Ransford Gyampo and Dr George Domfe caught my attention so sharply. In one clip, believed to be from the TV3 studios, loud pleading could be heard as one of the gentlemen grew visibly agitated. In another, both men were seated, exchanging harsh words in a tone that had little resemblance to healthy debate.
This is not abnormal. Anyone who has ever sat on a contentious panel knows how quickly the temperature can rise. We are human beings before we are pundits.
However, what followed the incident is what troubled me most.
Almost immediately, social media became a battlefield. Old critics of Prof. Gyampo resurfaced, some dragging ancient issues into the fray. Allegations, some wild, others recycled, began flying around. As someone who has worked in the media for years, I know that when online mobs smell controversy, they pounce without mercy.
That is why I felt genuinely relieved when I saw Dr Domfe’s public post indicating that the matter had been resolved amicably, like gentlemen. His message was measured, calm, and peace-seeking. Not once did he state that he had apologised. He simply announced that the disagreement had been settled, which, in itself, was an act of maturity.
So I was taken aback to see Prof. Gyampo respond by saying he had “accepted Domfe’s apology.” For me, that felt below the belt.
In our Ghanaian culture, when two adults resolve a private matter, neither party returns to publicly twist the settlement into an admission of guilt. That contradicts the very spirit of reconciliation. It gives the impression that one person was “right” and the other “wrong,” when no such conclusion was officially reached.
In fact, by publicly declaring peace, Dr Domfe may have done Prof. Gyampo a greater favour than many realise. At a time when some online adversaries seemed ready to open old wardrobes filled with skeletons, his message served as a lid, preventing further escalation that could have damaged both men.
Prof. Gyampo is an accomplished academic and a respected voice in national discourse. Precisely because of his stature, he has an opportunity here to set a dignified example. It would be honourable for him to clarify the misunderstanding, retract the “apology accepted” framing, and allow the peace both men agreed upon to stand untainted.
To Dr Domfe, I say: continue to hold your composure. Let sleeping dogs lie. Not every fight deserves a rematch.
And to the spectators, the political foot soldiers, and those cheering from the sidelines: the war is over. Let’s not drag this matter any further. Ghana’s democracy needs intellectuals who disagree fiercely but reconcile gracefully.
Prof, kindly do the needful.
Domfe, steady your calm.
And to the rest of us, let us learn, and let peace prevail.
The author of this piece is Socrate Safo. He is a veteran Ghanaian filmmaker and director.
