The Twists & Turns: Ghana's 62nd Independence  Day

Thank you Miss Alberta!
This wasn't in my plan today.
I was going to let this one pass me by.
It was about a quarter or half past 8am, here Pacific Time.

I was still snugling under my duve--facebooking and whatsapping.

But your poignant question:
Are you not beautiful?" regarding our beautiful national anthem, changed the whole dynamics.

I'd commented on your post:
"The words are beautiful. But our deeds as a people are questionable. To put it bluntly, they're ugly," I wrote.

And like a seismic shock it set the stage for this write-up.

So, please come with me countrymen/women. Come let's take a walk down the aisle.

Down to the city centre. Let's walk down to downtown Accra. Come let's make another vow today.

Yesterday's vow had been broken irrevocably.
Tomorrow isn't at our beck and call.
Tomorrow can be unfriendly.
Tomorrow may be unpredictable.
So, I beseech thee to come with me, come let's renew our vow. Year in, year out, we make a vow. But we break it day in day out.

We swore to defend our nation Ghana.
And we pledged solemnly to build together-- a nation strong in unity.

Are we really united as a people?
We say for example: 'The NDC people suck or the NPP guys must go to hell. We call them out and we curricutre them.

Don't we hear ourselves every time everywhere say those awful words about our kinsmen?

It seems the words in the vow (anthem) have been marred by an indelible black ink.

The lines have been blurred, almost impossible to read 'em let alone understand 'em.

But there's nothing wrong with the words.
The words are beautiful. The words are powerful and they're uplifting.

The words are not to blame. We're the problem. Our deeds as a people are questionable, if not ugly... We pledged steadfastly to be bold, to cherish fearless honesty, to build together...And what have you.

Are we really honest to ourselves?
Have we treated our motherland or fatherland fairly?

Let's not kid ourselves, for we cannot build a strong nation, if we aren't united. We cannot achieve growth, and make our nation peaceful and attractive, if we don't appreciate what each group, or person(s) bring to the table.

Free SHS is good or far good, the rampant power fluctuations our nation suffered a few years ago is gone. The list can go on and on..

How'd a nation that used to sell or supply power to her neighbours lost power and literally became a pauper?

We used to import plantain, (yes common plantain) yams and vegetables etc.from neighbouring Burkina and Ivory Coast.

Today we've bumper harvests and we're exporting these produce to our neighbours again. Yet, it seems the only group of people that appreciate this is the NPP supporters.

That's the new kind of Ghana we have.
Party's interest first. The nation falls below the perking order.This is a fact.

The Mills-Mahama administration rolled out a number of infrastructures--- roads hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, airports you name it. Yet, the only group of people that appreciate or see this is NDC supporters.

Are we that ingrates or our minds have been marred by the indelible black ink?

Let's do this simple sample in the streets of Accra or any of Ghana's big cities to know whether the country is worth celebrating its 62nd anniversary:

And you'd hear something like this from an NPP supporter or sympathiser:

"I haven't been this happy since I was born."
And you know why the individual says so
It isnt because he's a Ghanaian but it's because he belongs to that party.

The NDC supporter would say this :
"I haven't been this miserable or poor in my entire life since I was born..."

I'm therefore imploring you all to once again renew the vow. Stop littering the streets, stop defaecating the beachfront, stop pilfering, stop being partisan. Stop the 'skin pain' and the 'pull-him-down-attitude. All of that, don't help build a strong nation. They rather impair social growth and national development.

More so, if you're a journalist don't be negatively bias in your reportage.

Let's put our act together, work together and make this happen. And to everyone, every Ghanaian that have made this pledge to be honest...don't give bribes neither take them for you're equally guilty of such crime, if you lead one to do so.

'Are you not beautiful'?
It would take us all to build that strong and unified nation we've long desired.

Our forebears shed their blood.
They showed commitment, loyalty and love to country. Thus, let's be beautiful outside and beautiful inside-- that way we can be like the beautiful national anthem you're about to read.

Read below our nation's beautiful anthem and let's change our minds and attitudes from today.

And remember this from our first President Kwame Nkrumah:

" There's a new African in the world.
That new African is ready to fight his own batte and show that after all the black man is capable of managing his own affairs."

God bless our homeland Ghana,
*And make our nation great and strong,*
*Bold to defend forever*
*The cause of Freedom and of Right*
*Fill our hearts with true humility. Make us cherish fearless honesty,*

*And help us to resist oppressors' rule*
*With all our will and might evermore.*
*Hail to thy name, O Ghana*
*To thee we make our solemn vow;*
*Steadfast to build together*
*A nation strong in Unity;*
*With our gifts of mind and strength of arm,*
*Whether night or day, in the midst of storm,*
*In every need whate'er the call may be,*
*To serve thee, Ghana, now and evermore.*
*Raise high the flag of Ghana,*
*And one with Africa advance;*
*Black star of hope and honor,*
*To all who thirst for liberty;*
*Where the banner of Ghana free flies,*
*May the way to freedom truly lie*
*Arise, arise, O sons of Ghanaland,*
*And under God march on forevermore.*