Tomorrow, we celebrate Founders Day in order to pay tribute to all known or unknown individuals who contributed and sacrificed lives in the name of achieving independence for this country, and to declare our firm belief in multi-party democracy, freedom and liberty. On this day, we celebrate the ideals of “United we stand,” and justice against tyranny. Not the rabid partisanship that continue to divide Ghanaians and push people further away from their fellow citizens.
Today, this country is still in a political and economic crisis. Sadly, today, we are still divided in almost everything, stuck in pre-independent divisive politics. Founders Day thus gives us an opportunity to seek a blueprint to how we should move forward as a nation willing to build a country for us all. It is the celebration of a nation’s quest for freedom, unity and discovery of manifest destiny.
Attempts by modern-day Ghanaian revisionists who are hell-bent on criticising Founders Day because they believe they should have autonomy when it comes to celebrating the heroes who fill us with reverence, admiration and awe. Their stance negates the role of other patriots. This attitude chip away at our domestic freedom, weaken our unity and slow down our nation building efforts.
Disunity and acrimony is a choice. Unity, empathy and compassion is attainable. It is worth fighting for inclusive multi-party democracy. Therefore, in order to build a successful country, the people should stand against the partisan mob and their desire for unchecked power to define ‘truth’ because there is always the potential for abuse and manipulation, which leads to increased levels of distrust and polarisation.
It is said that “the cure for ignorance is knowledge; sadly, there is no cure for stupidity and a closed, bigoted mind.” Unfortunately, by allowing a few people to define “truth” would effectively silence opposition voices in the country and destroy congenial, respectful local debate, encourage corruption, increase our poverty levels and allow tyranny to thrive. We have a lot of work to do.
It remains unclear exactly how much control the partisan mob will ultimately have over ‘truth’ determination in this country but given recent events, it is clear that the debate will continue for some time into the future. No matter what happens, we should thrive to restore a sense of shared values and ensure that common sense and patriotism is not an uncommon virtue in Ghana.
The history we have recorded in this article is accurate and fairly portrays what some prefer to deny. This denial is simply intrinsic to a certain myopic worldview. The fight for Ghanaian independence did not start in 1947 with the founding of the UGCC. Neither did it start with the formation of the Convention People’s Party. We say this not to recreate the past, but to create a future worthy of the men and women who laboured, and lost so much to bequeath us freedom and independence.
The call for reforms and the eventual independence of the Gold coast started way back in 1889, and include patriots like, John Mensah Sarbah, J. W. de Graft Johnson, Chief J. D. Abraham, J. P. Brown, J. E Casely Hayford, S.R. B. Attah-Ahoma, Africanus Horton and some prominent chiefs. We cannot discount their roles when celebrating the founding of independent Ghana. The movements they formed —- the Aborigines Rights Protection Society and others —- helped lay the foundation for political action that ultimately led to independence. Their activities helped create the first legislative assembly with Ghanaians included in governance.
The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), formed on August 4, 1947, with the expressed vision of restoring the peoples’ right in their property, rule of law, decentralisation and the rights of the individual to pursue his own right to create wealth, was the very first active ideological political party with membership from all the people in the Gold Coast. The leadership included J.B. Danquah, Pa Grant, A.G. Grant, R.A. Awoonor-Williams, Edward Akufo Addo, William Ofori-Atta, and Ako Adjei. Many prominent chiefs and ordinary men and women supported and sacrificed their time and money to grow the party.
Before the UGCC, however, were (1) the Gold Coast People’s League and (2) the Gold Coast National Party. Both political parties, did not have any discernible programmes or vision, were tribal based, and existed only in anticipation of political independence. Ideology, to them was simply put, irrelevant. Their promises were mere slogans and bumper stickers.
Joseph Boakye Danquah was a brilliant thinker and scholar. But Joseph Boakye Danquah was a very poor political organiser. It was for this reason that he and his colleagues invited Kwame Nkrumah, a brilliant political organiser, to come and help turn the UGCC into a mass Party. In an interesting turn of events, Nkrumah left the UGCC in 1949 to form his own political party the Convention People’s Party (CPP); taking with him all the structures, he had organised for the UGCC. Most of the radical youth, including Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, followed him.
Founders Day is not the celebration of the birthday of Ghana. That is reserved for 6th March. Founders Day, contrary to rabid partisans and revisionists, is simply to celebrate men and women, who contributed their money, time, their blood and ideas in very small ways to push the colonialists away from this country. The struggles started way back in the 1800’s to the founding of our country.
Men and women including the Ga chief, Nii Kwabena Bonne known in private life as Theodore Taylor, Sergeant Nii Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and private Odartey Lamptey and all the unknown individuals who were wounded at the Cross Roads, Accra, in 1948. We need to celebrate men and women like K. A. Busia, S. K. Dombo, and Rebecca Naa Dedei Aryeetey, popularly known as Dedei Ashikishan, Hanna Kudjoe, Sophia Oboshie Doku, Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome, Amma Nkrumah and many other unsung heroes.
Indeed, the Ghanaian independence struggle succeeded because of so many individuals and groups. We should therefore not allow the hubris of a few people destroy our unity and determination to build a nation of diverse people and ideas. Given the state of clear and indisputable facts, why does a band of charlatans continue to bang the drum on identity politics when it comes to individual contributions towards our independence?
Sadly, Ghanaian politicians always need to have an enemy, somebody to fight, some entity to attack, and some group that they must convince the people, are trying to destroy their lives, a group that must be destroyed in order for development to take place. The present and continuous obsession with ‘systemic’ destroy everything, any ideas, apart from Nkrumah and the CPP threatens Ghanaian resilience.
Our economy has not worked as well as it should since 1957 because of the stupidity of a few who continue to confuse us to bicker among ourselves on mundane issues. We are uniquely capable of developing this country in unity. Celebrating Founders Day should therefore help us to strengthen our multi-party democracy and use the opportunity to reflect upon constitutional values, liberty, unity and freedom. Celebrating August 4th should provide a better option than all the attacks and denigration of certain individuals on their role in the independence struggle.
The thinking that there was only one person, whose contribution led to the independence of this country, cannot dominate the Ghanaian psyche. We must refocus our attention on unity. We should be grateful for our forebears and those who contributed to our freedom and independence, notwithstanding their failings.
We should concentrate on what each of us can do to succeed in our own lives and to solve the social and economic problems before us; and to collaborate that initiative with humility that acknowledges both our own limitations and the reality that the most meaningful contributions often come from sources and people we least expect.
Where emotions rule the day, thought dies and with it liberty and wealth. A lot mess out there needs to be fixed to waste our time on useless debates on who founded what. We have to work together to develop this country. No excuses.
By Kwadwo Afari
