57 years of Nationhood: The journey so far
Ghanaians are marking the country’s 57th independence anniversary with national and regional parades and sundry social events on Thursday.
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The national parade will take place at the Independence Square in Accra where President John Dramani Mahama will take the national salute in an annual ritual expected to be attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps, members of the Council of State, Members of Parliament, Ministers of State, traditional rulers and a large number of the public.
At the regional level, the parades, featuring schoolchildren and personnel of the security services, are mostly scheduled to take place at the Jubilee Parks in the respective regional capitals.
Social events
After the national and regional parades, many of the sandy beaches along the approximately 539-kilometre coastal belt of Ghana will be jammed by holiday revellers, as they swim, wine, dine and engage in many activities (fanfare) to give meaning to the political freedom procured by the sweat and toil of their forebears 57 years ago.
The fanfare is expected to continue later in the evening and deep into the night, with music and comic shows rolling out at various entertainment spots across the country.
At the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre at La in Accra for instance, the self-acclaimed ‘Dance Hall King’ of Ghana, Shatta Wale, is top on the bill, as a number of Ghanaian musicians mount the stage to rock all night long.
Independence declaration
On March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonial rule, as the Union Jack was lowered and the beautiful national flag of red, gold and green colours with a black star in the middle was hoisted amid cheers from a large enthusiastic crowd at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra.
“At long last, the battle has ended. And Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!” Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, declared in a famous speech that inspired a lot of hope in Ghanaians and agents of the Africa liberation struggle.
One aspect of Dr Nkrumah’s speech that resonated across Africa and the black race worldwide was his linking of Ghana’s independence with the liberation of Africa.
“We are going to see that we create our own African personality and identity. We again rededicate ourselves in the struggle to emancipate other countries in Africa; for our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent,” he said.
Hope of Africa
Almost six decades onwards, Ghana still holds the banner of hope for Africa, having charted a path of democratic governance system that is celebrated globally as a beacon of hope on a continent ravaged by long spells of civil conflict, dictatorship and poverty.
But in terms of economic independence, Ghana has struggled over the years to assert itself in the global economy, as it continues to rely heavily on foreign aid and donor support to undertake its development aspirations.
The 57th independence anniversary is being celebrated at a time the country is going through difficult economic challenges, such as the cedi depreciating substantially against the foreign currencies, inflation increasing over the months and cost of living increasing.
So on such a memorable occasion, many Ghanaians expect that the hope inspired by the attainment of independence for a bright future will be reignited.
Significance of celebration
The significance of this year’s independence anniversary celebration may not only lie in the pride of Ghana being the first African country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence, but also in the number 57.
Having attained independence in 1957, Ghana turns 57 on Thursday, and for the gambling public who are very sensitive to such historical occasions, the numbers 19, 57 and 6, which constitute the date on which Ghana attained independence, will be the bankers for the week.
And if the National Lottery Authority (NLA) makes the mistake of dropping those numbers, lotto patrons will, as they say in gambling parlance, “break the machine.”
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