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23.09.2004 Feature Article

Is Ghana Heading The Dinosaurs’ Way?

Is Ghana Heading The Dinosaurs  Way?
23.09.2004 LISTEN

Once upon a time, we are told there were these majestic creatures called dinosaurs who roamed freely on the planet earth unchallenged, but suddenly became extinct. So many explanations have given as to the reason why the dinosaurs became extinct; but the one that seems most plausible to me is that when all other living things were evolving due to the changing nature of mother earth, the dinosaur was satisfied with its state of being and so it became a victim of its inaction. When flightless berry eating birds found that berry bearing trees are beginning to grow taller, they evolved strong wings which enabled them to fly to reach the berries. There is this country which used to be called Gold Coast and later Ghana, which in the past was amongst the giants of African politics but did nothing to upgrade its political philosophies until it became insignificant in the politics of African and the world. This country Ghana in the beginning had a very buoyant economy which it did nothing to sustain and upgrade till the economy sank to unsalvageable depths. This country had a very strong national soccer team tamed national teams of other African countries at will, they decided they were going to beat this team by 7 goals and they did it, but instead of continuing to build a stronger team, they relied on their past glories and did nothing to upgrade and sustain the strong national till it shrank to a pale shadow of its former self, today the team is a minnow in the world of soccer.

This country in the late 50's, 60's and early 70's had musicians who commanded respect on the whole continent of Africa, musicians from other countries came to settle in Ghana learn from Ghanaian musicians , but we did nothing to upgrade our music and allowed it to sink until it was overtaken by other countries; now Ghana music is nothing to write home about.

47 years after independence, and all the visions that our politicians have are based on Nkrumaism and Danquah-Busiaism! Can't anyone come up with any new ideas? Corruption, dictatorship and wanton waste of state resources can be laid safely on the doorstep of Nkrumaism.

Elitism, class society, tribal politics, and fraternocracy was spawned by Danquah-Busiaism.

These philosophies might have been good for the pre-independence era but the certainly have no relevance to today 's Ghana. Please let us allow them to die a dignified death, before posterity rip them out of the history books.

People like Lenin, Stalin, Moa Tse Tung were at one time adored very much, but after some time, their people decided it was time move on and leave their philosophies behind because it is a changing world and no country can afford to cling to unrevised political philosophies.

Successive governments in Ghana failed to show any dynamic political direction which is a big part of the reason why we are going nowhere.

This is evident in our daily lives. In other countries, towns and cities grow to become young, but it is the opposite in Ghana, each time one visits Ghana from abroad, one is met with dilapidated structures, streets that were once good are now full of potholes, government buildings are a sorry sight to behold; the luxury ministerial 4x4s are part in front of offices most of which are not fit to used as garages. Are we heading the way of the dinosaurs and yet not know it?

The other day I read that the government is creating a database on Ghanaian experts abroad with the hope of getting them to come home and help in the nation building, it is as if these experts don't know that they are needed home! They know very well, but who want to come and work in a society that is so averse to change, because what they have to offer is change of the way things are done. The few who bothered to come have already left out of frustration.

Let us start to do something now lest we become victims of our inaction.

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