“The tsetse-fly is perched on the tortoise’s back in vain.” – Akan proverb
Ghana, where are you going? Our nation was born on the desire to live as free men and women. Our independence was fought for to free us from foreign rule and imperialism. We came into existence under the notion that “we have awakened, and we will not sleep anymore”. And we were warned that to live as free men and women, we needed to “change our attitudes and our minds” from a colonised and suppressed people to “liberated and independent people” who must work hard to show the world that as children of the Creator, as sons and daughters of God the Father, we are also “capable of managing our own affairs”.
To ensure that we did right by our aspiration of “making our nation one that will be respected by every nation in the world”, we were told to “remember that nothing can be done unless it has the support of God”. To this end, “justice” was added to “freedom” to curate the national value system on the fact that the dignity of the individual is as important as his or her rights & liberties. It was a value system that summed up the call for every Ghanaian to “love God, love neighbours and love country”. And it was a call which ensured that where one of the pillars was present, all the others would be as well.
Our founding fathers understood that when individuals loved God, they would automatically love their fellow humans, and subsequently work for the good and flourishing of their nation. Traditionally, love of one’s neighbour is perceived as a way of demonstrating one’s devotion to God. And by attending to the service of others, one also works to improve the well-being of one’s nation. And finally, people would work to improve their nation because they are inspired to make life better for their fellow citizens. They would work to promote economic opportunities, social fairness, and political and religious liberties, to deepen their relationship with God. That is why many philosophers agreed that where one aspect of this trinitarian love exists, the others are present; and when one is lost, the others go out as well.
Let us fast forward to this day, and it is interesting to note that the principles upon which our nation was founded have been swept under the carpet. Not only have we sunk low, but overall the absence of love of God, love of neighbour, and love of country has led to a range of negative social, political and economic outcomes. We have no sense of shared purpose, and so individuals feel disconnected from each other and their community. Instead, ethnicity has flourished – meaning it’s a struggle to find meaning in being a Ghanaian.
One of the disturbing attitudes we are displaying is trading insults on our political fronts. It is so appalling that we can elect to public office individuals who desecrate the dignity of another person. How can we think of insulting another person made in the image and likeness of God? But when we are not guided by a sense of love, we care less about the dignity and liberties of others. And once we can sink this low, it is likely we will not work for the common good. After all, those we insulted will be in that pack.
Without love in our individual hearts, we are most likely to prioritise our own interests over needs of the majority. We are prone to being dictatorial, and we will use force or coercion to maintain control where needed. And so it is almost impossible to fashion a shared sense of purpose for the masses, and it can be extremely difficult to foster social cohesion and cooperation. And where there is no unified vision, social institutions and norms are only used when they are favourable to a cause – making it harder for common challenges to be addressed.
But we have got here because we cultivated a love of no longer having a love of God, or of neighbour or of nation. Once we threw love out of our hearts, our greatest vulgarities kicked in. Our lack of love, which has become a disease, is not only a reflection of our failure and a huge disgrace but also of this: our immense corruption and visionless achievements, the backbiting and pull-him-down syndrome, and disrespect for human life have found a place in our culture. And the pomp with which we have embraced them, as well as the flamboyant gestures of acceptance may well depend on an evil hidden in our souls. Maybe the solution will be a massive exorcism programme to purge ourselves of this evil and strike it out of our system so we can go forward…
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Kodwo Brumpon is a partner at Brumpon & Kobla Ltd., a forward-thinking Pan African management consultancy and social impact firm driven by data analytics with a focus on understanding the extraordinary potential and needs of organisations and businesses, helping them cultivate synergies which catapult them into their strategic growth and certify their sustainability.
Comments, suggestions and requests for talks and training should be sent to him at kodwo@brumponand kobla.com
