RENAISSANCE—INDUSTRIAL GHANA

Many historians testify to the fact that until the 15th century, Europe had been docile student of Greco-Roman antiquity and the more sophisticated cultures of the Far and Near east. But suddenly after fifteenth century onwards, Europe strenuous capability made them become cultural and technological creditor to the whole external world. This shows how seriousness and steadfastness with whatever one is engaged in can take any nation that is perseverance to industrialise in no time. Consequently, industrialisation of the West, the French and the Russians changed the world within a twinkle of an eye. Otherwise, before Renaissance Europe was underdeveloped and had to rely on other countries and struggle with many things like we do now in Ghana and Africa as a whole. The Renaissance was the commencement of early modern Europe, that is, of pre-industrial modern Europe. So the Renaissance men built the foundations of Europe which persisted until the second half of the nineteenth century.

The above indicate that Europe did not experience Renaissance and industrialisation at the same time but had to work so hard many years in order to be capable of accomplishing what we intend to achieve in the next 34 years. Therefore, if we want to respond to the call of being recognised as an industrialised nation in this modern world, then, we should respond to this call and its challenging problems with skill and energy.

Renaissance was chiefly experienced in Italy and its surrounding cities and later to other parts of Europe. It was a term coined by some intellectuals of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to declare the superiority of their own age over the “middle,” or “dark,” ages. According to some authors, these intellectuals by providing their own period a name loaded with images and metaphors of light, awakening, spring, youth, vigour, and innovation, these gentlemen expected that people of all walks of life should admire it.

Renaissance for many scholars brings to mind modernity as well as innovation and prosperity. Renaissance in Europe saw the works of superior arts and paintings which most genius men in the continent, especially in Italy, made and through that became famous. During Renaissance, there were painters, sculptors, architects, poets, mason, and brick layers all that contributed to the cultural beauty of Europe. In arts such names as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), Raphael (1483-1520), and many others excelled. They later contributed tremendously to the Christian world with their arts and architecture. Architecture also received popularity as many famous buildings in the century were erected in Italy. Here, we find names like Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472), Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), and many others.

Renaissance artists admired and imitated antique models. Their arts were not only realistic imitation of nature but representations of nature that they believe should be beautiful as well as accurate. By beauty they meant the harmonious ordering of ideal forms, at once recognisably natural, but more beautiful than any actually observable in nature. Like every Renaissance artist, Raphael proposed to imitate nature; but he visualised nature as ordered, harmonised by geometry, just as Copernicus and Kepler were certain they would find ideal geometrical patterns behind the confusing particularity of observed experience.

In all these works, what becomes important for us as a nation that wants to industrialise in the near future but also combine the artistic decoration of our cities and urban environment is we should imitate the beauty of nature as well as fill our surroundings with those very things that have made other nations look nice and different. We should become interested in having good architectural buildings built in our cities and urban areas. We should follow and copy the Italians, the French, the Germans, and like all other Western countries, we should have good appetite for arts and modern and antique architecture in the cities we want to decorate in order to attract tourists and those who will come and stay among us and buy assets in our country. The works of the Renaissance artists were beautiful and civilising in themselves, and in this regards, there are many books and documents that can be borrowed and read to give the inquiring seeker a better satisfaction.

The public buildings of Washington of today go back directly to architectural practices first made fashionable by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446). In our quest to imitate these geniuses, let us be first interested in quality rather quantity, beauty rather than mediocre. This age is an age of innovation and prosperity for the Ghanaians and we must do all we can to avoid anything that will bring divisions among us. Let us avoid Realpolitik behaviour which is not appropriate behaviour for this century, for we must concentrate only on what can make us prosper as a nation and live in peace with all our neighbours.

We should work hard toward the manufacturing of certain things and products that are not difficult to produce but yet we import them into this country. Let us rather work with these things ourselves and export them to other African counties for examples: artistic works both metal and wooden; decorative things either in metal form or wood; elaborate furniture so that we avoid exporting the whole raw timber; bronze and glass; ceramics, gold and embroidery; fine leader goods; kente cloths and cloths of silver and gold; etc.

We should also do our best to attract Foreign Banks into the country, especially those that can help with real investments into the country. British and American Banks should be wooed into the country. But let us also avoid or stop certain banks that come from those African countries where it has been seen or reported that they are corrupt and have histories of bank malpractices. If we allow farmers to come from countries such South Africa, New Zealand, Sweden, and Australia to come and engage in large scale farming, we should be capable of exporting meat and wool in the near future. We would be capable of feeding ourselves and our children with good and balanced diet which is lacking at the moment in the country.

In conclusion, it can be said that it took Europe and other countries several years before they came to the stage they are now. But presently, with modern technology and good education thinks can go faster, therefore, if anyone wants to engage in industrialisation and have the adequate ingredients which comprise the raw materials, resources, capital, human capital, and the technology he would be capable of doing it in no time. Let us be ready and commence this job with skill and energy and the future would be bright for all of us and our descendants.

By Desmond Ayim-Aboagye