At last, the much-touted anniversary of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee has come to pass. And Ghana, our beloved mother earth, is poised for economic take-off.
Beautiful people of Ghana, Tuesday March 6, 2007, marked precisely the 50th anniversary of our mother earth’s political independence. And the Day was celebrated in the most spectacular way of red, gold and green colors, ever witnessed in the Plaza de la Independencia in the political history of the country.
Not even on the same day as the proclamation of independence by the first president of the first Republic of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on March 6, 1957, what happened yesterday in terms of pure human beings that invaded the Square could not march. of the Black Star. and its surroundings to witness the event. I was there myself. And if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have said it. When I came out and saw the crows scattered behind the plaza virtually towards the sea, I was mesmerized.
Then the crowd listening to and watching the proceedings on a large electronic screen with huge speakers mounted on the brown grass along the castle road leading to the government headquarters, I was spellbound. I couldn’t focus on going around the four corners on the side of the square, because what I saw at the two corners spoke for itself. It was just fantastic! It is not necessary to exaggerate. Seeing is believing, dear reader!
As for yesterday, if not every day (this article was written on Wednesday, March 7, 2007), I can speculate that the hands of God physically descended and showered blessings on our nation. Nature herself was extremely kind to us. As a loving mother nursing her newborn baby, the weather was just right for the occasion. The sun’s rays, so comforting, smiled on the parade contingents instead of burning them. The breeze from the nearby Atlantic Ocean flowed instead of gently blowing and massaging the soft faces of the spectators waving the flag.
The sand of the Plaza de la Independencia was majestically colorful, peaceful and elegant. But a certain woman almost ran into trouble when she challenged law enforcement agencies about why they were not allowing her to go through internal parameters assigned solely for the purposes of the parade. This happened in front of the last pavilion at the Osu end of the square. Why don’t some people voluntarily follow simple instructions for the sake of law and order? Even accredited journalists were restricted to certain areas and had no choice but to obey. How much more ordinary viewer?
I also saw a Nana in her majestic kente cloth, who arrived very late after the president had completed the inspection of the guards. And with his umbrella, he walked from one pavilion to another, looking for a place to sit. That was the fruit of the delay. When some of our noble opinion leaders receive invitations and are asked to sit at specific times at functions, they choose to behave as if the event is taking place in their own palace. Even if an event is taking place in your bedroom, you must respect your guests’ time. Unfortunately, it seemed that Nana had to go home without witnessing the memorable occasion. It served him well.
We must all follow the lead of that incident so that as we embark on the path towards the next 50 years of Ghana’s independence, as a nation, we must strive to change our concept of time for the better. As Vice President of Ghana, HEAlhaji Aliu Mahama advised the nation on Friday, March 2, 2007, when he commissioned and delivered the keys to 46 government-imported movie vans to the Ministry of National Guidance and Information in Accra. That day, Alhaji Aliu Mahama did not beat around the bush when he posited: “There is nothing like ‘African time’. Therefore, we must learn to do the right thing at the right time and stop fooling ourselves with that misconception. .of the ‘African era.’ All humanity has a time, period!
Respected reader, truly, truly I tell you that yesterday was a triumphant day in the contrasted political history of Ghana and Africa. The entire African continent was present at our Golden Jubilee celebrations. Europe was there; America was there; Asia was there and others too.
If you take Africa, for example, the African superpower, Nigeria, wasn’t just there as a passive bystander at all. Indeed, in addition to Ghana itself as the host nation and commander-in-chief of affairs, Nigeria was the protagonist on the scene of the celebrations. Chief Olusagu Obasanjo was the supreme guest of honor and the only one bestowed with Ghana’s highest national state honor. Any challenger?
So our famous Zimbabwe was even the first African country to descend from heaven to our land on earth. Our closest neighbors, including Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, could not afford to miss the action. From afar, countries like South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, DR Congo, Malawi, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Botswana, Liberia, Gabon, Benin, and Guinea Bissau, just to name a few, were there. In fact, Ghana was like a basket in which all Africans from more than 50 nations were collected like eggs and carefully guarded. Safety was not an issue and all participating countries were protected like the pituitary gland in the head of a fish.
Ghana, without a doubt, did everything humanly possible and proved to be the star of black Africa. Ghana is the golden nation of Africa and celebrated the first anniversary of the Golden Jubilee of Black Africa for the rest to emulate. Ghana lived up to the praise on the broad theme of the anniversary, which is: “Uphold African Excellence”. However, there is still room for improvement. As human beings, we must be humble and realistic in the sense that perfection is not achieved in one incarnation.
The parade itself was brilliant in every aspect of the show! Great Britain, the former colonial masters of Ghana proved that they could not, in fact, be left out of a celebration of this historic nature. Thus, in addition to the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward who represented the Queen of England, a contingent of the Army Band of Bagpipes and Scots Drums played the role of alpha and omega in the parade and stole the show. Their appearance at traditional attractions made them stand out with their fluid music.
The officers of the Mass Band of the Ghana Armed Forces Central Band, the Police Band and the Navy Band were flawless in their outlook and their traditional melodies touched the soul. Some lovely ladies around our pavilion couldn’t resist the temptation to start slapping their backs as soon as the flutes started to play. Some of them were even dancing to the National Anthem instead of standing their ground. All contingents of the security agencies marched with precision. It seems that the female contingents marched more gently and with some antics or flair in such a way that whenever they turned corners they spontaneously sang clapping their hands. It was magnificent to behold!
The Ghana Education Service Contingents, comprised of the Achimota School Army, the Christian Methodist High School Navy, the St. Mary High School Air Force, and the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Police, as well as a contingent from the Armed Forces Technical Secondary School they were wonderful to behold as they marched. I wonder if those young cadet officers from various high schools could be sustained and trained in some kind of voluntary organization to serve the nation in times of need. What happens to them when they graduate from the intuitions of the second cycle? Is your movement being monitored to see what is the best way to harness the nation of your talents?
As for the Contingents of the Basic School of the Sub-Metro Ablekuma-Sur, the Sub-Metro Ashiedu-Keteke, the Sub-Metro Ayawaso and the Sub-Metro Okaikwei, as well as the very tender young gymnastics, they must be entrusted to blue skies. . Because being on your feet from morning until the end of the event in the afternoon is no small feat. I don’t know what incentive package is put in place for them, but they must be nationally motivated to instill in them that patriotism goes hand in hand with the rewards they deserve. Remember the adage: A nation that does not reward its patriots and heroes is not what …?
As a nation, we must not only rush to condemn people when they are wrong. We must also learn to praise people when they deserve it. I would like to take this golden opportunity to congratulate the Accra city authorities for the wonderful work they have done in the beautification of our capital city. If I compare Accra with Singapore, which is the cleanest city in the world, we have a few kilometers to go. But what was accomplished in a brief span of three months before the Golden Jubilee Day of March 6, 2007, if it could be sustained, Accra will be a city to visit in the world one day. I congratulate the mayor of the city of Accra and his team of workers.
Perhaps the Ghanaian city authorities can learn some Singapore strategies. In Singapore, street decoration is supported by institutions, organizations and large companies located along various streets and highways in the city. What is done is that during the great festive occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Ramadan and others, the street decoration becomes a competition between these companies that are strategically located along ceremonial roads and streets. Then the Singapore Tourist Board offers awards for the best decorated street during a particular festive occasion.
With this strategy, each institution is motivated and eager to have its street win the best decorated street awards in the city. This is why when you go to Singapore during any of these festive occasions, you will simply open your mouth until someone comes and tells you to shut it up. Singapore has four major festivals celebrated by various religious bodies, namely Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist, more or less. And these festivals happen intermittently. In fact, at some point the decoration competition between religious institutions becomes so intense that the city becomes even brighter and more resplendent with lights at night. With this, the entire city virtually becomes a golden sky on earth. Those who have been to heaven before will know what I am talking about here.
In fact, tourists who come to Singapore every day of the year do not sleep at night. They will simply be wandering, wandering, circling from street to street and admiring the beauty of the street decorations. I suggest that the Ghana City Authorities join the Ghana Tourism Board and adopt Singapore’s strategy for the beautification of our cities.
Today Wednesday March 7, 2007 marks the first day of Ghana’s next 50 years and the centennial celebration of our nationality. Only God should be our guide and source of inspiration. Do we take note of the following African proverb? “It is not easy to catch up with the person who takes the first step forward.” Therefore, once the road is entered, there should be no going back. The sky should be the limit for Ghanaians as we look forward to celebrating the country’s centenary in March 2057. For now, let’s lift our chests and say, “Well done Ghana!
