The Three Dead And Deadly ‘Gods’ Of Ghana

Life is mostly about asking questions and finding answers to help us better understand either ourselves or the world around us. Sometimes we find the answers and other times we don’t. Not because we didn’t ask the right questions but maybe we are afraid of the answer so we don’t push for it, afraid what the answer may cause us and those who know the answers are afraid to give it out because they may also be afraid what we can do with the answers.

What I am getting to is the fact that I think we have been deceived into believing that when we ask the right questions, we find the right answers, well, not always, because if this country, we don’t like people who ask the right questions, we fear the right questions and so we have divided opinions about things that we should unit for or against.

Today I am here to give you some answers some of your questions about Ghana and our development; why we are still where we are, why a country which use to be the gateway to Africa is gradually turning into a doormat.

The issues our country and its development are facing are nothing that should be beyond our capacity to manage and overcome. These issues should have been solved by now if we are really concern about the survival of this country.

So after years of observation and thinking I realized there are three institutions failing this country; politics, religion and education are the three sectors that should have been working in favor of the country but these three are not only dead but have become deadly ‘gods’ fighting against it. Politics, religion and our high educational institutions have become dead deadly traps that we keep failing into; we worship them, bet our lives and future on them.

Politically, we are failing without even trying to fail anymore, not only our politicians but we the people who put them in power; we have become worshippers, feeding dead gods what they need and waiting for them to wake from their sleeps and act on our behalves. We die for them, fight our friends and sacrifice our families for them blindly.

On 6^th March 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to attain independent from the British Colonial rule with lots of potentials and just two key parties in pole leadership position to lead us to the promise land and I believe both parties were looking for the same thing for Ghana; to be free and build the country to accommodate citizens the way they deserve. But what did we do with 62 years of independence?

We moved from two parties to one party system and then the military coming in to overthrow the 1^st Republic then the 2^nd Republic. So for 62 years, our politicians are still fighting each other for power, for sovereignty and fame. They all think they have the solutions and before they help us, we ask that we put them into power first and we have been doing the same thing for years with nothing to show for it.

Ghana lies in the heart of a region which has been leading sub-Saharan African culture since the first millennium BC in metal work, mining, sculpture and agriculture. We were one of the great states which dominate African history; Ghana controlled the gold trade between the mining areas to the South and the Saharan trade routes to the North. We were also the focus for the export trade in Saharan copper and salt.

We were a great state before the British era and after independence, I still believe we still had what it takes to make Ghana better than it is today. But then we continued the power play which was started by the Asante and the Fante empires without even knowing that we were further destroying what was left of Ghana. Everyone wants to establish their sovereignty before if they have some help, they offer. So to replace the feud between the Asantes and the Fantes, we conceded to tribal politics; a more polished and modern way to continue our quest for power at the cost of the country and we are actually doing a great job.

We are trying or hoping that politics will save this country but in reality, politics is tearing it apart with much enthusiasm than ever. And we the citizens are also relentlessly giving these bloodsucking creatures the power and tools they need to wreck the country to its knees. The system was established to save the country, the main reason we fought and died for our independent was because we realized that we deserve better than what the British Colonial rule was offering but at the end, well, the end is speaking for itself. We have turned against each other, trying to take the place our slave masters. So politics is dead, not only dead, but has become a deadly trap.

Religion, the second dead god which is supposed to be straightening things, putting the character of citizens and politicians in line, so that we achieve the ultimate goal has failed woefully for 62 years. With the Roman Catholics and Anglicans missionaries coming to the Gold Coast first in the 15^th century, Christianity is currently the largest religion practiced in Ghana with approximately 72% of Ghana’s population being a member of the various Christian denominations in the country. Islam comes second with a following of about 17.6% of the population. This should tell you that Religion plays a major role in the success and failure of the country, it influences everything in the daily lives of Ghanaians, or so we think. It dominates every sector of the economy with its members imbibe with holy teachings that guides it members to live right or live their lives on certain principles that guarantees human development wholly.

But our church elders are seen taking bribes by road every day, they are in the various offices in almost all the sectors of the economy where corruption abounds and in everything they do; their characters bring doubts about their beliefs. If Christianity is taking 72% of the entire 100% population, that means we are everywhere and our influence in the country from family life, economic activities, politics, education and all other aspects of life should be seen and this should be putting Ghana forward in terms of our development, isn’t that right?

So it doesn’t really make sense that we have these numbers in all the sectors but people keep looting the country with the approval of the masses. If 72% are Christians and are supposed to live right per their principles, then who are those stealing from Ghanaians? Who are those ministers who are agreeing to deals that put money into their own pockets and not the future of the country? The managing directors and CEO’s, being members of the big churches preaching the undiluted words of God are the same people failing our great establishments.

Religion was meant to give people a better life, is that what we are seeing or it is rather becoming a problem to us instead of solutions.

Education just like Religion was meant to change people so that they will be useful and productive for the nation; train and equip individuals so that they can get the best out of our local commodities to carry value when it enters the international market and earn the country what it deserves. Train leaders to take us from where we are to where we should have been by managing the resources of this country to the benefit of the masses and also train citizens on how to be good citizens and keep our streets and gutters clean and to also shun corruption.

But what do our higher institutions do, they teach students how to chase classes by reproducing dead men’s theories. They watch and allow curriculums that offer no change, they kill innovation and creativity and if you can’t memorize knowledge, they brand you as a failure. They are quiet over how our leaders are running the country; how can they train us effectively to be change makers when they hide themselves from the truth?

Believe it or not, these are the entities that play central roles in the development of every developing country but in our case, they are dead and have become threats to the country; not only dead, but deadly entities sucking the remaining life out of the country vigorously like their lives depended on it.

Take some time think of all I have said and draw your own conclusion out of them.