Ghana, yesterday March 6, marked 68 years of independence from the British. The first independence celebration and the ones that followed that epoch-making event, the day would usually be characterised by gaiety and hope, and the celebration marked with fanfare.
That is all long gone now. The Minister of State for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced that, the 68th Independence Day celebration will be held at the seat of the government, Jubilee House, instead of the traditional grand-scale event at Black Star Square or various regional capitals.
According to him, the celebrations in recent years have incurred significant costs, which the government cannot currently afford.
“President Mahama took the decision a few weeks ago to scale down the celebration and bring it to the presidency. There’s a vast compound that has the capacity to accommodate hundreds of Ghanaians,” he stated.
Unlike previous years, where around 3,600 security personnel and schoolchildren participated, this year’s event will involve just over 500 people.
“In the past, there were 60 contingents made up of 60 men and women each. So you are talking close to 3,600 men and women and 1,000s of children who match. Now everything has been scaled down to a little over 500 people.
That is both the security men and women and the school children who will be performing. This is to ensure that we do not incur the sort of costs that we incurred in the past,” he said.
Many Ghanaians are disillusioned, and there is a general feeling of despondency. Instead of the excitement that usually occurs on such occasions, millions of people in the country are worried about the rising hardship families’ face due to decades of poor governance, especially in the last eight years.
Somehow, most Ghanaians are not revelling in their country’s greatness or pride in being citizens. They are thinking about how to survive the hard times, with high inflation and stagnant wages, food and physical insecurity, poor infrastructure and lack of access to good health and education, among others, as well as a sense of hopelessness in the immediate future, a constant worry.
It is no wonder most of the country’s youths and young adults want to flee the country.
How did the country come to this sorry state? Years of weakening state institutions by corruption, nepotism, negligent conduct and a failure to demand accountability from both the leaders and the led have meant that a nation blessed with superabundant human capacity and natural resources.
At 68, Ghanaians are no longer moved by messages of hope. The populace has gone beyond that: They want people who lead them to show them good examples to follow.
At 68, Ghana is no longer a nascent nation but needs to grow into the expectations of the founding fathers and its present and future populations.
As Ghanaians reflect on their Independence, they must wake up to understand that building the nation is everybody’s task. Citizens must rally together and demand the change they seek from the political class
As Ghana observed its 68th Independence, it should be a time for reflection and reckoning. While the celebrations may be muted, the spirit of the Ghanaian people remains unbroken.
They continue to dream of a better future, where Independence is not just a date on the calendar but a reality lived every day.