Skip to main content

The Letter-Writing Project: #Ghana56 - Happy Independence Day (?)

Art by Setor Fiadzigbey
As I write this, Ghana's 56th anniversary will be over in about two minutes - GMT-wise. March 6, 2013 has been...quite unusual. For one thing, it's probably the first time in my higher ed career that I've actually had a holiday on Ghana's independence day. All because of a supposed snow storm which never actually happened (Call it 2x4). Not that I'm complaining.

I got the day off, and while I missed President Mahama's Independence Day address (and his singing), I participated in GhanaThink's Twitter Fiesta Debate on whether Ghanaians are more united after 56 years of independence. Personally, I think we have more tolerance for one another. Unity would mean a deep understanding of one another - and our differences - and I don't think we've reached those depths yet. We still look down on one another and hold deep-seated prejudices. Nevertheless, some (tolerance) is better than nothing abi? After the Fiesta Debate, I watched Chapter 4 of Shirley Frimpong's Adams Apples movie series online via Hulu (so cool that they have it there!), but I kept feeling guilty for taking the day off considering all the things I should be studying.

So I decided to treat myself and make a full-fledged Ghana meal in celebration of independence day (see picture).  I actually just finished eating all the yummy goodness with my housemates. Me, cooking alone, with GH/Naija tunes in the background and my thoughts at the fore. That's how I celebrated Ghana's 56th. In previous years I've written full-length independence day articles on one thing or another. Today, I'd like to keep it short. To sit with the emotion and the reflection.

The Black Star Lives!
Many of us are frustrated. Today rolled in amidst serious electricity outages and the usual hard times. Most of us are wondering whether we'll ever exit our discouraging situations. Some of us are wondering whether what we do is worth anything. I get frustrated too. It's hard, but change takes time.One of the songs I listened to today was "Happy Birthday" by Efya, Wanlov and E.L. This statement stood out to me:

"If we want better country, we for better wanna selves."
It speaks for itself, I need not say anything more. In four years (2017), Ghana will be 60years inshAllah. Being the Ghanaians we are, we will probably want to go big(ger) on that celebration. Let's make it count. Let's really strive hard so that when we get to March 6, 2017 we can look back and say "We really deserve this".

As long as there's one Ghanaian who's still trying with all their might to chart a better course - even those that seem impossible - the Black Star still shines. May we have the vision to dream bigger than the Big Six and the courage to see those dreams into reality. Happy Independence Day, Ghana! Best wishes for the new year! God bless our homeland!

Love always,





Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Lifestylz GH Interview: Sangu Delle

As part of Lifestylz GH’s interview series, we bring you our premier interview with Sangu Delle. Profile: Sangu Delle Sangu Delle is a senior at Harvard University. He was born and raised in Ghana, and is the youngest of five children in a bi-religious family (his father is Catholic while his mum is Muslim). He attended Christ the King Catholic School (CTK) and went on to study at the Ghana International School (GIS) until his O-Levels when he transferred to the Peddie School (a college preparatory school in NJ) on scholarship. His areas of concentration in academics are Economics and African studies, with a particular focus on development. Aspirations To be involved in the development of Ghana and Africa at large in some capacity. In the past, he was more involved in non-profit and development work, but has increasingly become active in entrepreneurial and business ventures; a testament to his belief that there should be “less foundations and more entrepreneurs” in Africa. In his own
5 comments
Read more

Review of 'The Perfect Picture' & the Ghanaian Movie Industry

The Ghana-Naija movie industry saga. That's always a tough one where I'm concerned. On the one hand is my allegiance to Ghana - my motherland, homeland and basically where most of my formative years were spent. On the other hand is my undeniable connection to Nigeria - my birthland and the land of my ancestors. Even though I barely remember that much about Nigeria, I do joke about when I will "finally return to my birthland." Maybe it's this umbilical connection, that makes me slightly biased towards Nollywood when it comes to the Ghana-Naija movie saga. Truth be told, I barely paid Ghanaian movies enough mind when I was growing up. I was more likely to watch a Nigerian movie instead, and even then, I was picky. Ramsey Noah or Genevive Nnaji had to be part of the cast. Why this bias towards Naija movies? It's simple really; their acting was generally better. These days, I'm more willing to watch anything Ghana-related. For one thing, the surges of homesi
6 comments
Read more

World Water Day: Water - Ghana's "Forgotten Oil"

NB: This post is part of a GhanaBlogging event to commemorate World Water Day (March 22)  -- The word floating around in Ghanaian circles these days is oil. Since 'the great find' the hopes of numerous Ghanaians have been buoyed and politicians are having quite the field day using the 'expected oil revenues' as bargaining chips for one thing or the other. I don't share in that optimism, hence my delay in writing about Ghana's "oil miracle". Instead, I'm focused on another precious resource, one that has unfortunately become more of a commodity than a right. Water. Science tells us that water and oil don't mesh together. They just don't. But if what the analysts are saying is correct, the two might have more in common than we think. At the rate things are going, water is becoming increasingly scarce. So much to the point where it's expected that water could be the next oil : a precious element in the hands of few. Unless Ghana realign
25 comments
Read more