5 minute read
Unapologetic Vegtino
My name is Martin Stanley Adansi and as a vegan activist, animal rights activist and a climate conscious individual, I stand for a life of non-violence and ethical living standards.
I have been volunteering for environmental activities such as beach clean ups and also decided to make an impact on the people and climate by creating the necessary awareness of how a vegan lifestyle could reverse the climate catastrophe, health complications and also ensure a better wildlife environment.
I have been vegan for three and half years which is something I’m super excited about, and that’s because of what I’ve learnt throughout the journey.
There is stuff involved in veganism which is not being taught in schools so that gives vegans all over Africa the opportunity to spread the truth - the reality about the greenwashing from cooperatives.
In view of this, I decided to involve myself in a massive advocacy group called the VIBRANT VEGAN SOCIETY OF GHANA(VVESOG).
This vegan group is one of other groups in Ghana working tirelessly to create an ‘edutainment’ platform that would bring Ghanaians and folks from the diaspora to understand the essence of ethics over pleasure.
I am a marketing specialist by profession but usually dedicate most of my time to volunteer and also educate non-vegans and other vegans about what it means for the world to choose a plant based system and reveal the benefits.
My last presentation was on 11th September, 2021 at the VVESOG event which was massive because of the reaction from most of the attendees. Some folks felt terrible for playing a part in the exploitation and abuse of dairy cows, chickens and other farm animals.
The film from the event also revealed traumatizing scenes which made the attendees wonder if the poor non-human animals did go through that torture!
Another thing I also try to educate people about is the idea of starting some organic backyard farms just because most farms use so many chemicals to grow plants which negatively affects our health and the ecosystem in general.
Fortunately, Ghana and Accra to be precise has a lot of new vegan options to choose from.
There are cost effective vegan restaurants around which makes veganism comfortable but of course there are other over priced restaurants which serve good vegan food as well.
Vegan options around me also consist of local and continental vegan dishes which creates uniformity for all.
How I get my vegan food is always convenient because of these two options:
1. I get my organic groceries and prepare my own vegan meal. There are groceries in almost every market or shopping mall to use for your dish.
2. From the comfort of my home, I could just order any vegan meal from these restaurants and it will be delivered.
Isn’t that so cool.
Looking at the number of years I’ve been vegan and the activism I’ve noticed so far across Africa, It makes me feel confident to say Ghana is becoming one of many vegan hubs in the world.
Schools and some individuals are understanding what veganism actually is and also people begin to feel guilty for their unethical actions.
One amazing thing is how my colleagues (Leonard and Seth) at work are trying to go vegan because of my lifestyle haha. I would keep giving them the insights and how their decision could affect the nation and the world at large.
More vegan societies in Ghana are also organizing inspiring events inviting both vegans and non-vegans. This event seeks to reveal the torture that animals go through in the dairy industry and making people aware of the ethical alternatives available.
I have devoted most of my time to sharing stories about climate change, animal exploitation, human exploitation etc as part of my activism.
Spreading the word by giving talks at vegan events is also part of my activism. This I believe will push the agenda for more people to realize that they are doing more harm than good if they continue exploiting human and nonhuman animals.
I would say the Accra Animal Save is a massive movement in Ghana that’s trying to create an awareness of how sentient animals are.
This is a way of thriving for animal rights in the country and there are amazing activists doing the work, making sure that the lives of these animals are taken into consideration.
With this movement, activists out here have plans to hold vigils across the country to create that necessary attention.
What I would like to see growing more in my country is for the ministry of education to promote veganism by organizing some vegan events and inviting vegans across to educate the pupils in schools.
We are always open to organizations out there who are willing to collaborate to strengthen the process and build that vegan community.
Vegans out here are always looking out for the response from individuals which I fully support.
So it’s great if the response is positive. It also requires more effort when the response isn’t much of a positive one. We will call on more vegans from the diaspora to also share their thoughts about their journey to inspire folks out here who are willing to go vegan for health, animals or for the planet.
Going vegan is one of the few best decisions I’ve ever made.
