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Omankyeame writes
Slave Coast! She is 65 years today, Yes, the black star of Africa is celebrating her six and half decades of colonial emancipation. At the second past midnight on 6th march 1957, Ghana in west Africa was born. This is indeed a remarkable feet in the historical antecedent and the future of our great nation state. As a UP student of Nkrumaism I would like to take a deep breath and reflect on few happenings pre and post colonial rule.
Hold on a bit, let me wear my nose mask before I proceed.
*Turning the Back wheel*
The Gold coast became more or less, a “Slave coast”. The forts and castles recall the events of later centuries: an era of merchants from Europe: an era of minerals (gold) and human trade. Led by the Portuguese, after King Leopold of Belgium II had signed the papal Bol they built castles with dungeons to house their slaves for trade along the west coast of Africa. For over 400 hundred years the colonialist embarked on a mission to erase the memories of Africans, murder their people, rape and torture them in a dungeon with a Bible seated on top of it.
After the abolition of the slave trade came colonization which intensified the exploitation and looting of Africa’s land and mineral Resources (Nkrumah, 1961).[ads4]
Few weeks ago, reports from Nigeria recounts the return of Benin sculptures after a century. Did they even return the original copy? What of the slaves they carried along? What of the killings?? Are they returning that very soon??
When are they returning that of Ghana? Do we have a National Museum to house them??
The white man arrogated to himself the right to rule with the missionary, Africa-receptive tactics tobe obeyed by the non-white (negro); with a strange mission he termed as “to civilize Africa”. Forgetting the mother mother continent was civilized 7000 years before Europe was born. Under this evil white cloak, the Europeans robbed the continent of vast riches and inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on the African people.[ads2]
Don’t be deceived, our ancestors *never sold* our people to the white, they lured them, weaked, and carefully executed their plan. To make their excessively harsh and reckless acts look good in their own eyes, they systematically embarked on a mission to rewrite history of Africa to fundamentally erase the memories.[ads1]
It is difficult to currently find in literature who we were, what we were before colonial invasion. It’s as if Ghana existed only when the colonialist invaded. *We had history* !
*65 years old*
Ghana is not 65 years old. Are you wondering why?? Yes we are not, we existed long before colonial invasion. The 65 years is only but a minute (one) page of our five thousand pages history.
Present day Africa’s Ghana is conglomerate of ethnic states believed to have migrated from Ancient Kemet from the 9th century AD. From mid 1800s to 1957, it became a British colony territory (Yorke, 2014). Historically, Ghana became the first black African state in sub-sahara to gain political freedom.
The struggle for independence was bound to happen considering the push for self determination, level of agitations and the freedom wind that blew across the continent of Africa.
*Why Independence*
This is exactly the question that runs through the minds of every Ghanaian. Many believe that the freedom and unity of our immediate independent country, is necessary not only in the interest of our own immediate liberation but should be situated within the relevance of total liberation. We have come far as a state
In simple terms, a section of Ghanaians will at the moment like to secure a Ukraine passport than to stay in Ghana. Did I just say that?? Hhahahaha. Hell no! “Nobody wanna die”.
We have come far with our political freedom, policies upon policies has greeted our six and half decades of colonial freedom. We have continuously charted the path for success even under a global pandemic. It is however sad to ……
To be continued
By Omankyeame
akwahamantsi@gmail.com
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