90,658 Abibisika (Black Gold) Points

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Background: I have recorded all my talks and programs I coordinate (including those at IAS) with my own camera, produced the videos myself, and uploaded them to my YouTube channel since 9 October 2007 (I joined the Institute in February 2014).
• On 14 March 2019, a man came to the IAS Film Series programme that I coordinate where we screened Frantz Fanon’s Concerning Violence (with his white wife) and suggested using violence against vigilante groups (i.e., other Black Ghanaians) while saying that violence should not be used against white people, otherwise we would be just like them.
• Later in the discussion, I brought up African leaders of the past who had white wives and how this may have compromised their stance. The man, who I later found out works in the Philosophy Department at UG (he was wearing a shirt from another school), took my discussion on African leaders with white wives as a personal attack and reported the video, which I had captioned to highlight the egregious things that he said vis-à-vis advocating Black-on-Black violence.
• The Director of IAS, rather than addressing the substantive issue (i.e., violence against Blacks, non-violence with whites), convened a “fact-finding” committee and subsequently issued a formal reprimand and sanctions in writing on my video production demanding that I step down as Film Series Coordinator, UGRC Film Coordinator, and apologise to the man. While the programme is an Institute programme, I use my own camera, my own production software, my own channel, and the views expressed were my own views. It should be noted that the Institute has convened numerous programmes and book launches where IAS and outside camera crews were present and later posted stills and videos of participants without any individual consent requested or given.
• I feel this is an attack on my academic freedom using technicalities and formalities to silence me; in an academic environment, especially in light of contemporary discussions on xenophobia in South Africa, a debate on the substantive issue would be in order. Rather than fostering debate and public engagement, I feel I am being railroaded and silenced. This is not the first time that I have been subjected what, in my view, amounts to academic bullying from the Director, who has her own agenda and ideological leanings as she previously called me into her office and requested that I not give a talk entitled “Why Gandhi Must Fall.”