"And help us to resist oppressors rule with all our will and might for ever more" is the final line of the national anthem of the Republic of Ghana who turns 58 today hurrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!. 58 long years since we went solo and started this walk of freedom from colonial bondage. It hasn't been easy so far but it's been worth it. Freedom is a good cause to fight for and finally get hold of. Freedom comes with lots of responsibilities such as proving yourself after fighting and demanding for the reigns of power from your master who reluctantly gives you the opportunity to show him what you are capable of doing without his supervision or control. What we know but fail to acknowledge is the fact that the peace, development and stability we enjoy today is as a result of a group of people who saw the need for change and were ready to lay down their lives to change the status quo.
These people - our forefathers decided to do things for our dear nation at the peril of their own lives for the good of the nation and unborn generations. These brave men, heroes and heroines - our forefathers projected into the future mind you they even had no technology, gadgets, platforms and opportunities we have today and saw the need for making certain sacrifices generations after will benefit immensely from. They gave their supports unflinchingly and never expected too much as they gave their all into building this nation in order to make her attain an enviable reputation amongst her peers in the diaspora.
To commemorate the declaration of freedom from colonial rule by the first president of the Republic Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a parade is always held at the Independence Square or the Blackstar Square every 6th March to remember his loud screams of freedom " At long last, the battle has ended. And Ghana your beloved country, is free forever" and to remember the important role he played in encouraging other African countries to demand for their freedom " The Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of the African continent". This is how far some of our forefathers went to bring us this far. What then is the Ghanaian youth aspiring to do for mother Ghana in order to continue the good work began by our forefathers? Aren't the blame games enough? - always blaming people, governments and the country for not doing anything for us? Have we ever stopped to wonder what mother Ghana needs and what we can in turn do for her? Isn't it about time Ghanaian youths take initiative and right certain wrongs? No other person can do this for us except we do it ourselves. Many of the countries we admire, love and hope to visit earned their reputations for themselves through hard work and perseverance.
I'll end my write up with a true story and one which spits out volumes of information. A good friend of mine told me about his two lovely kids who are 9 and 5 years respectively. The 9 year old was born when my friend was residing in the states and the 5 year old, when my friend returned to Ghana. He noticed their ways of thinking, their mentality and their attitudes were different and very interesting. He realised the 9 year old was always willing to help out and assist and asked questions like " Daddy, can I get you something? Is there anything I can get for you?" but much to his surprise the 5 year old is always like " Daddy can you buy me this or that? Can I get this or that when you're returning"? But annoyingly he's the one who never assists anyone. Then it dawned on him that kids were being taught to be patriotic at a tender age in the western world and that is how come the 9 year old picked up that trait. And also in the western world, it's always about what you can do for your country and not the other way round. And that has contributed immensely to their development politically,economically and socially.
In my opinion, my friend is right and we need to take a cue from this and teach our kids who will eventually become leaders sometime in the future the need to always think of what you can do to help develop your country and not necessarily what your country can do or should do for you.
It is about time our sense of patriotism which has been lying dormant is awakened and the sooner, the better. Let us "Arise Ghana youths for our country, the nation demands our devotion. Let us all unite and uphold her and make her great and strong. We are all involved in building our motherland".
