Slavery, slave trading, colonialism and neo-colonialism ended some five hundred years ago but the physical atrocities, the mental degradation and the social deprivation lives on. The situation persists because Africans continue to contribute to how Europe has underdeveloped Africa over the years. That notwithstanding, we still enjoy standing on the dizzying moral heights of being the most wretched continent on earth.
Mr. George Chaplin, a Honolulu newspaper editor once remarked that ??if people learn to take charge of change and guide it well, all humanity will be the beneficiary. If we fail, we invite disaster. What can an exciting and wonderful change to our intelligence and our compassion, hence, our dedication to the proposition that the betterment of the individual is the noblest all dreams.??
Through the agonies, the toil, and sweat of Africa?s man of the millennium, Osagyefo Dr Kwame (Atoapima) Nkrumah and his compatriots in the pre-independence era, Ghana became the first Nation on the West Coast of Africa to gain Independence from colonial rule.
However, several decades after independence and being republic, Ghana has managed to chalk some remarkable success as well as failures. Ghana celebrated her 57 independence anniversary this year. And just like any growing person, one would have to re-examine one?s life to see if his or her lifestyle has helped in his or her growth or stagnated him or her as compared to its peers. Have we as a country examined ourselves and what was the outcome?
Now is the time to say enough is enough of the brain washing and the mental slavery of us as Africans and Ghanaians in particular to find our own voice and believe in ourselves and our capabilities. For it is said that ??he who plays the piper will always dictate its tune.?? As long as we continue to hold on to the perception that anything western is good and that we cannot survive on our own and we continue to copy all western influences, we cannot say we are independent. We need to accept ourselves and see the good in us. We cannot be westerners and they cannot be us.
I am always moved by the great euphoria about the Ghanaian personality and what the Blackman can do. In fact, the wonderful works of some renowned Ghanaians such as Former UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Anann,Micheal Essien,Abedi Ayew Pele -one of Ghana?s finest footballers of all times, Apostle Kojo Sarfo an inventor, Prof Allotey- an acclaimed mathematician among others ?proves it all about the can do spirit in Ghanaians.
Amazingly, what do we see today? Many Ghanaians appear to have lost hope, pride, confidence, and self-belief. Many are those who believe all good things come from the west therefore, their future lies in the hands of other people. The Country cannot grow when her people expected to know better continue to show signs of self-disbelieve. The Country cannot make progress until we come out of this unnecessary vicious circle of poverty, and the feeling of self-depreciation and self-disbelieve get eroded permanently.
Westernization attitudes have eaten-deep into the entire fabrics of many Ghanaians to the extent that bleaching which was formerly women business has been taken over by men. Currently bleaching has taken over as one of the fastest growing industry in Ghana. Its employment cut across all the sectors and categories of people, the rich and the poor, the dark and the fair, the young and the old. Some years ago, bleaching was mostly done by city dwellers who were mostly women to look more attractive and ??charming.??
In our 21st century, bleaching is no longer women business but great men as well with their number increasing at an alarming rate. Man has forgotten the negative impacts associated with bleaching such as cancer of the skin, strong body odour, multi-coloured skin (commonly called cocacola-fanta), long wounds recovery rate and above all light skin which affect theater works.
Meanwhile, it is known that these bleaching creams contain bleaching powder, which is either white or greyish bleaching powder with a slight odour of hypochlorous acid, formed by treated sliced lime with chlorine and a compound of calcium, chlorine and oxygen CaOCl2 which is not good for human skin.
Sincerely, I find it very unfortunate to believe the high patronage of bleaching creams. One question that keeps lingering on my mind is why are our black men and women and surprisingly the older folks moving heaven and earth to changing their black decent skin to white.
Many Ghanaians have died on the desert in Libya, Gambia ad some heavily dubbed by fraudsters all in the name of travelling outside for greener pastures. Instead of staying in Ghana to contribute their quota to our dear nation?s development. Am tempted to believe it?s all about colonialism and its impact on us, coupled with mass perception of quality and superiority associated with being white.
The barbaric act of slavery came to an end several thousands of years ago and I wonder why some Ghanaians are yet to free themselves from the mental slavery. I can?t really wait any longer but to agree with the Ancient reggae legend Bob Marley that ??Africa needs mental emancipation to save us from the mental slavery.?? In fact, being black is the only unique colour which cannot be filtered in any way.
Today, it is obvious that civil society and corporate bodies prefer fair employee secretary women to dark women. WHY? If we Ghanaians are doing this to ourselves then why won?t the whites brand the colour black and give it names such as monkey. Why are we discriminating among ourselves because of mere colour?
Embassies in Ghana are full-up during lecture hours by mostly students doing everything possible to travelling outside. The whites have employed modernized tactics such as US-VISA-Lottery and on the Admission to our intellectuals to go abroad. This is a modernized slavery and no one seems to care about it. We Ghanaians are contributing to this canker or agenda by charging exorbitant fees in our Universities. As of now cost of Admission forms is hovering between 70 Cedis to 100 Cedis in a Country where many of us spend less than three cedis per day.
This is not to say that there is nothing to be gained occupying the moral high grounds. Many have waxed lyrical on the subject. It just happens that the moral high ground meets our under ?development and our wretchedness to continue what it is.
We do not need any reason to blame ourselves for African renaissance says we take possession of our problems. Our physical, mental, spiritual and material situations are our problems. It is out of? consideration for these situations that?s why the Organization of Africa Unity has become the Africa Union, that there is an economic structure to the African Union and that there is to be an African Parliament with representation of people of African descent and from all the corners of Africa. Fundamental to all these situational changes is our acceptance that we are also to be blame for our present situations.
If we need any reason to accept our blame for our conditions, it would be to honour our leaders of more than two centuries, leaders of thought who have suggested how to get out of the sinking ship of victim ship and escape the entrapment of the neighborhood of victimhood. The leaders made recommendations. One example needs to be cited here and it the document entitled ??The LAGOS plan of Action for the economic development of Africa 1980 to 2000.??
Black consciousness ideology of Stive Biko was seen as a tenant of pan-Africanist thought, a 1970s expression of rebel course executed by the youth of the day, but really a long conceived belief in the greatness and beauty of the black man coined by Pan-Africanist.
The interesting subject not explored is of what use is an African without an African spirit and believe in the decades to come. Chinua Achebe?s ??things fall apart ?? points to the historic role of the church in the falsification of Africa consciousness Euro- centric cultural imperialism, slavery, and colonization.
Why do journalists who write on African affairs always seem to dwell on the injustices of the past- slavery, colonialism etc. virtually every country in the world has suffered injustices. Once a nation has gone through these traumas, it is essential to have a grieving process and then move on ?let bygones be bygones.
In Africa and Ghana in particular, we spend too much time lamenting over the past, and this distorts our view for the future. The grieving process is long finished and now we need action to tackle our everyday problems such as government ineptitude, mismanagement, corruption, unemployment and social injustices.
The rest of the world appears to have passed us by as we wallow in the depths of our despair and become more and more indebted to other nations. We always seem to blame everybody else for our misfortunes but never ourselves.
Now is a good time to be optimistic about Africa. The continent?s global influence is growing ?after a decade of strong growth ,the roots of macro-economic stability and democracy are sinking deeper across the continent, dynamic civil societies are keeping governments on their toes, and government policy is improving Africa is increasingly being recognized today for its dynamism and creativity.
In all this, being positive is the key .We need to stop making that contributuion.We need to come down from that dizziness and kick away that metaphor once and for all .Enough of the grieving and talking. We now need to work together for brighter future for all.
Arkoh Isaac
Broadcast Journalist
Email:[email protected]
Tel: 0230649889
