Fix your eyes on Ghana
In an Independence Day speech in which he sought to plead with Ghanaians to put partisanship aside, President John Dramani Mahama yesterday played up the achievements chalked by the country and called on the people to fix their eyes on Ghana.
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Taking a walk down memory lane, the President quoted what President Kwame Nkrumah said on March 6, 1957: “We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our foundation — our own African personality.”
And 59 years later, President Mahama says, “we have done just that”
“The name ‘Ghana’ means something in the world outside of our national borders. It represents a kinship, a determination, a disposition, a resolve, perseverance, dignity and integrity,” he said at the celebration at the Black Star Square.
On March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan Africa country to win liberation when the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, declared at the Old Polo Ground in Accra: “At long last the battle has ended and Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever.”
yesterday, the country marked 59 years of independence from Britain in style.
Independence did not come on a silver platter. Some Ghanaians lost their lives; others lost their property; others were maimed, with others being imprisoned.
For the thousands of Ghanaians, including schoolchildren, who jammed the Black Star Square for the celebration, there was every reason to celebrate the day with pomp
Two African Heads of State — President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, who was the Guest of Honour, and President Jose Maria Vaz — joined President Mahama for the celebration.
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur; former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as leaders of some of the political parties, including the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Mr Henry Lartey of the GCPP; Mr Ivor Greenstreet, flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Akwasi Addai of the United Progressive Party and Madam Akua Donkor, founder of the Ghana Freedom Party, were also at the ceremony.
Firsts
President Mahama said the fact that Ghana had chalked up many firsts was a testament to the significance of its independence.
Ghana was the first African nation to provide peacekeeping forces for the UN. It was also the first country in the world chosen to receive Peace Corps volunteers.
The country was the first African country to win the FIFA Under-17 World Cup and the first African country to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Ghana was the first country to open its borders for the provision of humanitarian aid in the fight against Ebola. The name ‘Ghana’ represents excellence and evokes respect in the comity of nations.
As the nation looked into the future with hope, the President called for hard work through all Ghanaians “to keep that Black Star shining”.
Even as he congratulated Ghanaians on the hard work, he stressed the need to safeguard our independence, so that the nation that would be left to the youth would be free, peaceful and democratic.
President Mahama mentioned a number of Ghanaians, including a former UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, who had made it to the top in their chosen fields and said it gave meaning to what the Ghanaian had.
Although the President said Ghanaians had every reason to revel in the progress made over the years, he was quick to call for concerted efforts to address the challenges that still confront the nation.
“Certainly there remains much more work to be done. Certainly we will have our differing political views on the best way to do that work. But we must use those discussions to strengthen who we are as one nation and to find solutions to the challenges that face us,” he said.
Youth
Yesterday celebration was devoted to the youth, as stated in the theme, “Investing in the youth for Ghana’s transformation”.
The President indicated that creating a better future for the youth of today depended on the attitude of the people today.
“The future we are building is situated on the ground that they broke. As we remember this, we must bear in mind that in some years to come these children marching here today will be depending on our attitudes and our actions, the changes we make now, to lift them higher, to provide them with a solid foundation on which they, too, can build,” he told the gathering.
He explained that the reason schoolchildren were included in the Independence Day parade every year was that they were the future of the country
President Mahama stated that no one could claim the successes and the failures of the nation because Ghana did not belong to one person.
“The nation belongs to all of us because this country is for all of us and we can each choose to play a role, no matter how seemingly minor, in moving it forward,” he said.
He also explained that one of the most important reasons behind the celebration of independence was to acknowledge the responsibility that the present generation needed to carry on from where Dr Nkrumah and the others who fought for independence left off.
Kenya and Guinea Bissau
The President paid tribute to Presidents Kenyatta and Vaz for their presence at the celebration, saying it showed the fruitful relations Ghana enjoyed with Kenya and Guinea Bissau.
On Guinea Bissau, he said, “Since attaining its independence from Portugal in 1972, Guinea-Bissau has been engaged in a constant struggle to maintain peace and stability. In 2014, President Vaz assumed the highest office in the land and he has been credited for re-introducing the rule of law to Guinea-Bissau.
“As the first sub-Saharan nation to gain independence, Ghana inspired other nations to claim their freedom. Today, as our citizens enjoy peace, security and freedom of speech and expect transparent, non-violent electoral processes at all levels of government, Ghana is also inspiring other nations, such as Guinea-Bissau, to maintain a consistent constitutional democracy,” he said.
With regard to Kenya, the President mentioned the struggle that country went through to gain independence in 1963.
President Kenyatta was two years old when his father declared independence.
“During the years that filled the gap between that day in 1963 and the day in 2013 when he was sworn in as the nation’s fourth President, Kenya, like so many African nations, experienced periods of economic difficulties and political turmoil.
“But, today, Kenya is thriving, fighting back against all that would stand in the way of its progress. And despite the political difficulties that have travelled through the generations, the citizens of Kenya still hold fast to the hope of a continuation of security and many more peaceful transitions of power,” President Mahama said.
“It is no secret that President Kenyatta stands on the shoulders of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta; that President Vaz stands on the shoulders of Amilcar Cabral; or that I stand on the shoulders of Dr Nkrumah, his colleagues of the Big Six and the many heroes of Ghana’s liberation,” he said to cacophonous cheers from the stands.