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23.09.2010 Feature Article

Western culture: The cause of Ghana's decadent society – Dr. Kwame Osei

Western culture: The cause of Ghana's decadent society – Dr. Kwame Osei
23.09.2010 LISTEN

I have been compelled to write this feature as a consequence of a recent film that caused much controversy in Ghana. The film is entitled "Hot Fork". This film was condemned by many for its racy sex scenes and was viewed by many as an aberration to Ghanaian culture.

However, what many Ghanaians do not appreciate is that what this represents is yet another form of Westernization that has dominated the Ghanaian landscape that one could say is the blight of all the problems that we see today in Ghanaian society.

Over the last 20 years or so there has been steady erosion in Ghanaian values and culture and this is due to the advent of Western culture through films, music videos, magazines, newspapers, fashion magazines and the like through their most popular vehicle the Internet or multi-TV channels.

As a result of this cultural imperialism whether they are appreciative of it or not, many Ghanaians especially the youth have begun to inculcate these western values and belief systems thinking they are superior to their own Ghanaian/Afrikan value and belief systems.

A typical example of this is the issue of homosexuality otherwise known as gay and lesbianism. Today in the West being gay or lesbian is commonplace and is totally a part of western society. Although it is resisted in pockets gays and lesbians in the West still face hostility and immense prejudice.

Homosexuality by the Europeans is not a recent phenomenon, if one studies European history one would recognize that homosexuality began with the Greeks and that the Greeks had a huge disliking for women which is why they had tendencies to be homosexual and even some of the well known Greek scholars like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle were all homosexual.

So as one can see homosexuality is a European way of life and value and belief system that was shunned by our Afrikan ancestors who made laws prohibiting this profane practice.

In fact, in the Bible in the book of Leviticus, outlaws the practice of homosexuality by saying that it (homosexuality) is an abomination in the sight of the Lord.

Therefore if Ghanaians are deeply religious and stand by the principles of the Bible, then why is this unAfrikan value system of homosexuality now gaining ground in Ghana?

It appears that in some aspects of Ghanaian society homosexuality is becoming an acceptable lifestyle choice and this is as a direct result of western influence via its decadent culture that has plagued Ghanaian society.

Another way in which western culture has devalued Ghanaian society is the dress sense of many Ghanaian women. Apart from the Western culture influenced hair relaxing and skin bleaching; the attire is now beginning to poison our women.

When one sees the nature of the dress sense of the majority of Ghanaian women, for example tight jeans, wearing no underwear, tight tops, short skirts, wearing clothes that reveal their breasts and the like is all an indication that they have been influenced greatly by western culture, in this case the films, videos and so-called fashion magazines.

This lewd dress code of many Ghanaian women in my view leaves them dressing like prostitutes and IS NOT a good example to set for our young girls who in such extreme cases are copying their elders.

I have personally seen young girls aged 9 to 10 years of age dress in a manner that can only be described as very indecent and the shocking and worrying thing is that their parents don't care and they themselves don't care about how they are dressing and the subliminal messages they are sending out.

Ghanaian men too are also affected especially the young who think it is cool to wear their jeans below their waist, whilst some in the "professional" circles are proud and think that they are superior just because they wear a three piece suit or something.

This westernization even comes into the area of male/female relationships where females especially have inculcated the virtues of the western concept of love where they believe that in order for a man to prove his love that man should spend on them buying them baseless material trinkets that are really of no value.

Another erosion of Ghanaian values as a result of western influence is the lack of respect that the youth of today have for their elders.

When I was growing up it was commonplace for a child to greet their elders even if that elder was not related to them.

Also it was drilled into us that respect for elders is paramount since they are the pillars of society and that the wisdom and experience of the elders were to guide us as a model for living.

However, as a consequence of Western culture and values, the youth of today do not have that respect for their elders and today in Ghana elderly people are looked down upon.

In the West it is quite commonplace for young people to dis-respect their elders and for them to be placed in old people's homes when they become old.

In Ghana this disregard for our elderly is not AFRIKAN and is something that we MUST rectify if we as a people are to regain our dignity, principles and moral values.

The next way that Western culture has stained Ghanaian society is our body politic. This has come in the guise of Western type democracy.

In an earlier piece I said that the concept of democracy is NOT a Western conception but an AFRIKAN conception and it is we as Afrikan people who gave the world democracy and introduced it to the West via one of our great civilizations, The Moors.

The Moors were responsible for bringing democracy to Europe when they ruled it for 700 years and which ushered in the European Renaissance.

Therefore, in essence what is referred to as western democracy is actually a watered down, stolen Afrikan civilization. (Please read the book Stolen Legacy by George G M James to learn more).

However as a direct result of the legacy of imperialism, colonialism and present day globalization, the Ghanaian has embraced this western democracy.

However, as a result of embracing an alien democracy our systems of governance and so forth have not improved the quality of lives for the masses of the Ghanaian people.

However what this system of mimicking western democracy has done to Ghana is to make it a slave to the whims and dictates of others who are looting Ghana's resources with impunity.

The next consequence of Western culture on Ghanaians is through the education system or should that be mis-education system.

The mis-education Eurocentric system that prevails in Ghana today has created a situation that in the words of one of my teachers you chew, pass and poke.

This means that the overwhelming majority of graduates that leave Ghana's universities are theorized to the hilt but sadly cannot put that theory into practice and more worryingly enough cannot seem to manage anything. This is why the bulk of our industries are under performing and inefficient.

Also because of this euro-centric mis-education system the vast majority of Ghanaians think that nothing good can come from the mind of a Ghanaian or Afrikan but only the European and to an extent the Indian and Chinese have what it takes to succeed in life.

This crass assertion is the reason why many Ghanaian women secretly want to marry a European or an Arab, is the reason why the GFA sees it fit to get a European coach to manage the Black Stars as in their mis-educated minds, a Ghanaian or an Afrikan has not got what it takes to manage the Black Stars, why our political leadership is quick to employ so-called foreign consultants to sort out our problems, and why many of our young people in particular think that the Afrikan has not invented anything and that the European has invented everything.

The consequence of this western euro-centric mis-education system is that it creates a dependency culture which is very dangerous but above all develops in the psyche an enslaved mentality that gives ammunition to those who see us as less than worthy.

The final way for now at least in how western culture has poisoned our society is our health care system. Our health care system is so westernized that we believe that there is no other alternative health care system that we can practice.

Our doctors and nurses are educated into a western concept of medicine when in fact medicine is NOT a western concept BUT AN AFRIKAN concept. In actual fact the father of medicine is the great Afrikan IMHOTEP and it is this great Afrikan Imhotep who was also a poet and philosopher. He urged contentment and preached cheerfulness. By the way because of our mis-education system the vast majority of Ghanaians have not even heard of the name IMHOTEP.

His proverbs contained a "philosophy of life." Imhotep coined the saying "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die."

When the Ancient Black Egyptians crossed the Mediterranean, becoming the foundation of the Greek culture, Imhotep's teachings were absorbed there.

Yet, as the Greeks were determined to assert that they were the originators of everything, Imhotep was forgotten for thousands of years and a legendary figure, Hippocrates, who came 2000 years after him became known as the Father of Medicine.

It is Imhotep, says Sir William Osler, who was the real Father of Medicine. "The first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, of the bladder, 10 of the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue

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Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also performed surgery and practiced some dentistry.

Imhotep extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and circulation of the blood system.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The evidence afforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was much respected in early times...His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."

Famous British Historian James Henry Breasted says of Imhotep: "In priestly wisdom, in magic, in the formulation of wise proverbs; in medicine and architecture; this remarkable figure of Zoser's reign left so notable a reputation that his name was never forgotten.

He was the patron spirit of the later scribes, to whom they regularly poured out a libation from the water-jug of their writing outfit before beginning their work.

The people sang of his proverbs centuries later, and 2500 years after his death, he had become a god of medicine in whom Greeks, who call him Imouthes, recognized their own Asclepius. A temple was erected to him near the Serapeum at Memphis, and at the present day, every museum including the British museum in London and the Louvre in Paris possesses a bronze statue or two of the apotheosized wise man, the proverb maker, physician, and architect of Zoser".

Imhotep was able to be the medical genius that he was because he used the Afrikan principles, values and belief systems of our ancestors that were cherished so much for their wisdom.

Again however due to western mis-education the so-called modern health care system today is largely inept at dealing with the numerous health imbalances that currently plague the Ghanaian.

In order for us as a people to rid ourselves from the myriad of problems that we face today we have to get back to the source. The source is our very own Afrikan orientated principles, vales and belief systems that made our ancestors great.

There is a word in the Akan language that sums it up nicely and that is SANKOFA. As Ghanaians we must SANKOFA to our own cultural traditions and value systems and abandon this western culture that is the cause of all our problems today.

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