Ghana’s culture at a critical crossroads
The socioeconomic development of a country is anchored on the basic tenets of its culture. Once the tenets start to give way, the center cannot hold, and the country becomes an abracadabra of anything goes.
Its people become lost for lack of cultural directions. Japan, China and a host of other countries have developed not through any religious sect, but through strong sociocultural foundations.
Once upon a time in Ghana, people slept, and went about their daily chores without utilizing deadbolts, Yale locks and anything between to secure their homes. The culture then dictated that unlawfully entering someone’s house with the intention to steal was not only a crime but an abomination not only to the perpetrator but also to his or her extended family.
Similarly, past cultures would not encourage workers (civil servants, politicians, security personnel and the ordinary person) to pilfer resources from government and other sources to cater to his or her family.
The intended benevolent family would prefer to live in abject poverty rather than on ill-gotten resources from their ward. Bribery and corruption were minimal by virtue of cultural practices. Unfortunately, that cannot be said of contemporary Ghana.
The fabric of Ghana’s culture started to erode at the advent of European presence in Africa. They had a simple yet diabolical strategy to control the mind, soul, and body of the unsuspecting Africa: Label or designate everything and anything African – including skin color – evil and indoctrinate them to accept Europeanism and whiteness as the true and righteous way.
Today, the Whiteman’s physical presence in Africa is peripheral, but the capture of the African mind, soul, and body continue unabated, consciously or otherwise.
The European knew all too well that outrightly attacking African religion, (which was an integral part of its culture) was a herculean task, hence it chose to extricate African culture from its religiosity and attacked it, which by all intent and purpose has been very successful. With African belief unhinged and unanchored on a solid culture, the European fired its guns on all cylinders to incapacitate African traditional beliefs.
The European did numbers on the mental and psychological psyche of the African and we have assumed the mantle to hasten the destruction of the last vestige of the culture.
In times past, no one dared to destroy the environment either through galamsey or arbitrarily chopping down trees. The natural environment sustained humankind through centuries-old myths shrouded in metaphysical spirituality to stem arbitrary destruction of the environment.
Today, with Western influence – social, religion etc. – cultural morality has been thrown to dogs as being primitive, uncivilized, and/or unchristian. The once Krobo Dipo or Nzema Muzamua puberty rites of passage for young woman-in-the making have been diluted into a pale shadow of itself or simply vanished into thin air!
The end result is cultural decadence as “babies continue to make babies,” exacting premium on government’s expenditure, health, social et al.
At a public event last year, the President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was reportedly upset when a traditional ruler refused to stand up – as tradition demands – to honor Ghana, while the national anthem was being played. The President sent one of his officials to have a word with the local chief.
It is disheartening and disturbing that that in contemporary Ghana, everything is computed in terms of politics. Politics has permeated every fabric of life that it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern when, how, and where to appropriately conduct oneself.
The one-week anniversary of the passing of a promising politician, John Kumah on March 23, coincided with the 80th birthday of President Nana Addo Dankwa.
The president attended the event culturally attired for the occasion. To the surprise of most, some party apparatchiks of the ruling government burst unto the scene celebrating the 80th birthday of the President with a Happy Birthday rendition piece.
Amandla thinks the act was insensitive, tasteless, and disrespectful to the bereaved family and most people. Christians would remember Ecclesiastes 3: 1-22 and Moslems #197 The Quran 13-38 where everything has its own apportioned time.
Birthday celebrations are not executed while in mourning clothes and those who performed the dastardly acts while supposedly “mourning” and/or sympathizing with the bereaved should bow down their heads in shame.
It is this shallow and self-serving politics in Ghana that has pushed the President up the creek without a paddle to assent to the passage of the anti LGBTQ+. If he signs it, possible sanctions from the U.S. and the West await Ghana, exacerbating the already hard economic conditions for opposition parties to have a field day; if he doesn’t assent to it, his political party faces the combined might of Christians, Moslems, and traditionalists opposed to the activities of the LGBTQ+.
And general and presidential elections loom around the corner. It is a case of Santrofie anomaa…. as Akan people describe such scenarios.
The last vestige of culture is best observed in some traditional courts and palaces. However, some rulers are wont to forgo libation – traditional ways of praying – in lieu of Christian prayers.
Amandla urges all such rulers to do the needful and vacate the royal throne, after all one cannot have his cake and eat it too. We think it’s disrespectful to the ancestors who are considered integral part of earthly beings.
On reflection, we doff our hats off for the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party Justin Frimpong Kodua for highlighting his culture as he plays the Mpintin drum with his peers at the 4th Akwasidae celebrations at Manhyia Palace on March 31, 2024.
Kudos, JFK!
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