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Ajoa Yeboah-Afari
Ajoa Yeboah-Afari

Of March, a special month, and sankofa

March, a month of notable observances and President Nana Akufo-Addo’s birth month, is a special month for me too, being my birth month. It is the month set aside to celebrate women and the Commonwealth. And, of course, our country is officially also March-born.

The President’s birthday falls on 29th; International Women’s Day is on 8th and Commonwealth Day falls on 13th. (And mine? Suffice it to say that it’s also in the middle of the month!)

Also, it is perhaps opportune to give a reminder that March 6, 1957 was a Wednesday, as was pointed out in this column in 2014. Thus Ghana is an ‘Akua’ and not ‘Ama’, (Saturday-born) although some radio stations keep referring to the country as “Ama Ghana”.

As Ghana enters its 60th year next Monday, 6th, naturally issues of national identity, aspirations, patriotism and similar matters come to the fore.

Equally important for those charged with organizing the celebration, how will national interest and ownership of the Diamond Jubilee year be achieved and sustained? Beyond sporting the anniversary cloth and displaying the national flag, what else?

Last weekend, I was rather intrigued to hear on Radio Ghana that the Planning Committee for the Diamond Jubilee is urging people to use the celebration’s proper designation or slogan, ‘Ghana, 60 years on’ and not ‘Ghana at 60’ (or ‘Ghana @ 60’).

I sympathise with the evident frustration of the committee but, to borrow an expression from the young, they should ‘chill’; it’s normal.

Ghanaians are notoriously averse to name changing and apparently people find it much easier to use the ‘@ 60’ than the ’60 years on’. There is plenty of proof around of our stubbornness in such matters.

I hope that the Planning Committee, chaired by Ken Amankwah, is aware that there are many people who still prefer to say ‘one million cedis’ instead of the correct ‘one hundred Ghana cedis’. Some people explain that a funeral donation announced as ‘one million cedis!’ is viewed as much more impressive than ‘one hundred cedis’ – creating the impression that the ‘hundred cedis’ is on the low side.

And does the committee know that some people still speak of the Sunday Mirror, when referring to this newspaper, whose name was changed four or five decades ago to The Mirror?

Similarly, there are people who refer to a paper published by the New Times Corporation as the Weekly Spectator. Yet, its name was changed to The Spectator in 1999, a good 18 years ago.

In this dear country of ours, as many frustrated campaigners can testify, habits die hard, especially bad ones.

Speaking of regrettable, habits, it looks like deep reflection went into the Diamond Jubilee theme ‘Ghana, 60 years on: mobilising for the future’, so its’ a pity that there hasn’t been much education on its meaning. Fortunately, the committee’s programme includes a lecture on the theme.  

In fact, it needs to be continuous education, especially when, seemingly, the country has latched on to the familiar ‘Ghana @’ (because we had a ‘Ghana @ 50’ celebration). Unfortunately, the lead offenders include media houses which should be using the right name and championing it. It seems to me that extensive education is still needed on why the ‘60 years on’ is preferable to ‘at 60’.

Ours is a country of interesting paradoxes. The most modern cars which can be found in the rich countries are seen here, on our car-unworthy roads; and people in tro-tro queues can be seen chatting on the latest smart phones, as they wait for rickety vehicles to their accommodation in houses without toilets.

Yes, let’s mobilize for the future, but let’s take some steps back and recover what we have lost or are losing, especially to do with our culture. The ‘sankofa’ (‘go back and get/fetch it’) motif is extremely central to the national Adinkra symbols collection. It’s for a good reason that our ancestors coined the ‘sankofa’ adage, ‘it’s not a taboo to go back and retrieve something or what you have misplaced/forgotten’. 

People of a certain age group can’t help lamenting that so much that enriched Ghanaian culture has vanished, or is rapidly disappearing: including respect for elders; traditional foods/dishes; dances; social behaviour; clothes and even language.

Of course, society is dynamic and modern life, the daily struggle that occupies most of us from dawn till dusk, shares a lot of the blame for the shortcomings, but should we lose all our traditions in the name of modernity?

But then, some would argue, how would a person know if they have gone astray if they didn’t know the right path in the first place?

Our children and grandchildren now hardly know how to count in the vernacular or know the meaningful, inspiring traditional greetings because we’re not teaching them.

Mobilization for the future should also tackle the problem of low literacy, high semi-literacy numbers. Obviously the more people are educated, the easier it will be to reach them quickly with self-improvement or patriotic messages; and the more confident they will be to participate in decision-making.

If the official slogan, ‘Ghana: 60 years on’, hasn’t caught on, that shouldn’t be a serious worry.  What is important is how we mark the Diamond Jubilee. People from all the political divides should feel part of the celebration. This celebration must be inclusive, owned by Ghanaians everywhere, because it’s a historic national affair.

Incidentally, I have received a notification from the UK of a ‘Ghana @60 Golden Ball Dinner & Dance’, scheduled for next Sunday, March 5; in London.

Apparently, the organisers of the London event are not aware that the focus is ‘on’ and not ‘at’. Or maybe they do know but they have only one concern: to dine and dance to celebrate their country and to usher in the Diamond Jubilee.

How I wish I could be there with them!

I wouldn’t be surprised if by the time people start using the ‘Ghana, 60 years on’ slogan the country will be marking its 75th year of independence. That’s the way we are; sϵbe, sϵbe, somewhat incorrigible!

But I’m so proud to be a Ghanaian.

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