Ghana: 53 Years of What?

On this day 53 three years ago, the shackles of colonialism were taken off our necks and we were declared an independent nation.. This naturally means that it is acknowledged and identified as a very inportant date in Ghanaian history and would consequently, be celebrated and cherished by all Ghanaians.

Most of us would be happy that today being a Saturday means that we wouldn't have to go to work on Monday. But, the question most of us fail to ask is "What have we achieved after 53 years of independence"?. And sadly, all I can say is that the battle has not ended and Ghana is yet to be freed from bondage.

Isn't it sad that a country which was once considered wealthy in terms of natural resources has resorted to borrrowing from other nations?

Can someone tell me the ratio of employees of local industries to that of foreign industries in Ghana? Most of the local industries have collapsed.. We buy imported rice rather than consume our own locally grown rice.

We keep changing our educational system and confusing the minds of our future leaders. Universities do not have adequate resources for research hence the use of dated material when trends keep changing by the millisecond.

Unemployment rates are so high that University graduates wonder whether they should have even wasted time studying in the first place.

And the embarrassing part is that countries such as China, Taiwan and even India who we probably had better conditions have been able to propel their economic growth at an impressive rate.. Have you noticed the number of products that we buy which have "Made in China" stickers or inscriptions? Geez! the list is endless: toothpicks, chalk, flashlights, cloth pins, pencils, bathroom slippers ........... I could go on and on.. These products wouldn't be here if we weren't buying them.

Are we trying to say that we can't produce toothpicks? Why won't Ghanaian companies have to close down if we can't even patronise our own goods?

The part that kills me is how our film industry is being dominated by low standard material.. What is going on now? Is the Censorship Board active? What kind of movie is Kiss Me If You Can...?Are we promoting porn in Ghana?

I don't even want to talk about the level of corruption in the country... We all know what is going on...

And eyebrows should be raised if in the space of 6 months, major fires gut important functioning bodies of the nation? Yes... that reminds me of the water hydrants in town that don't seem to have any purpose...

So my question is what are we doing now? What exactly have we achieved after fifty-three years? Cos if this is what we define as freedom, then we have along way to go....

Its true that sometimes our benefits from the big organization come with conditions but, I don't think thats a good excuse to slack...

We need to find better ways to solve our problems.. Others have, and so can we...

That being said, have a Happy Independence Day... (and I'm not being sarcastic)....