Birth is a renewal of life. Birth is a renewal of continuous faith of God in his creation. It is hope an affirmation of continuation of the process of life. One of the most uplifting sights to see is a baby, toothless, smelling and laughing at the sight of his or her parent. It affirms the faith of the child in his parents. I am in your hands protect me. I believe these thoughts were the reasons which made our forebears to make the children the focus of Independence Day celebrations. They symbolized the renewal of our nationhood and make implicit demand on the power that be to protect and guarantee the security and welfare of the nation.
During Independence Day, a lot of things happen: we light the perpetual flame to satisfy the wish for the continuous existence of our nation. The oxymoron, lighting the perpetual flame invites critical analysis. How can you light fire that is already in an existence?
Another oftquoted saying is telling the youth that they are ‘’the future leaders’’. Let us ask ourselves, are the youth future leaders? Do we all live to be leaders in an existence? The youth are not necessarily the future leaders. They are the future servants of society who will carry the pain and joy of society as life rolls – by. I know I have excited your thinking, you are silently asking yourself. Are we not the future leaders?
In a country where people think power is everything ‘’sell your mother to get power and when you get power you can use it to rebuy your mother back’’. We say power is a sweet intoxicating wine, the more you drink, and the more you want. ‘Being in an opposition is hell’’ it is better to be a messenger of a ruling party than a General Secretary to a party in opposition’’. What do these slips denote? They take away the humility to serve, the sacrifice that leadership demand. They bother on the absolute ignorance which Louis XIV displayed when he said ‘’L’ c’est moi’’ meaning ‘’I am the state’’
From the above mind – set, it is difficult to motivate anybody without reference to power or linking him to power. But a critical look suggests the contrary, life processes speak of another. A country emerges out of its problem in a struggle. In a struggle people serve, people work and even some die. It is during the struggle that those who work emerge as leaders. You are not the future leaders, you are future servants and when you serve well, nature will crown you out of your sweat. Nation building is a continuum, it never ends. The human spirit always want to go forward guided by the mistakes and success of the struggles.
Ghana is a key member of African Society. We are a product of colonialism from 1471 up to date; we have been influenced partially positive and partially negative. No matter how cruel man is to man we all share patrimony of knowledge and existence. The knowledge of life from the ancient Asia Africa Europe and to the Americans all belongs to man. Knowledge of Science, Governance, Culture and Music all points to convergence that is humanity. The base aspect of man has always sought to live at the expense of his brother man. We have been victims because of colonialism.
When you want to use somebody, you deny him humanity and reduce him to an object and use it as justifiable excuse to dominate him. That is why in history we were told that somebody discovered Lake Victoria, although somebody took him there and found people on the shores of the lake, already fishing. That is the denial of humanity to those who took him there and the people who live on the shore of the lake. It is still going on. African footballers are often shown the banana when they play well. Hitler refused to shake hands with Jesse Owens.
Recently presidential candidates in US reduced Africans to the level of animals, food, sex, defense and pleasure. It is not limited to a race, it is a human wrong. But history has shown that men who acquiesce are candidate for perdition.
In Ghana this acquiescence manifest in our cynicism of the future. There are some people who beliefs the colonial days were better than now. I do not need to bore you to long list of our successes, which definitely exceeds that of the negative. I do not need to mention names, but the struggles will not end. We are caught between the anvil and the hammer and achieve its purpose. ‘’Being’’ as Nkrumah’ says is tension’’. ‘’we must refuse to be refused’’ we are capable of rising above our problems and we can.
Anybody who beliefs that he cannot is living in self – denial, he is fighting God and you cannot fight God and win. You will be like the one who buried his talents in the ground and you will be punished for not doing anything.
May God bless our home land Ghana. Amen.
