Ghana today celebrated 63 years of independence
Sleep walking...walking in your sleep Ama Ghana's still active and sharp mind answered...Day dreaming...dreaming during the daytime...she heard herself tell herself...was it possible to sleep walk and day dream all her 63 years??...Ama Ghana was angry with herself for taking the phone call from lady Malaysia.
Over the years and on the eve or day of their birth, lady Malaysia has steadily become a kill joy with her wishes. A dampener of Ama Ghana's complacencies in comparison to the progressive journeys of her cousins Tunde Alata, Fanta Diabo and Petit Gnasingbe among whom she has always stood as tall as one can be a giant in the land of liliputians.
She was still selling them her excess energy, her cocoa was still drawing more attention than them in the land of the masters with sweet tooth and sweeter patronising words.
They still tell Ama Ghana she is the beacon of all their standards in her domain. Best resourced! Best potential! Best cradle of democracy! Best quality of mass labour migration! Best regional choice of cultural exports! Best conduit of discarded cultures, technologies and innovative end users of western disappearing civilisation...used clothes??
Tunde controls that by population density but pound for pound, dollars for dollars and indeed Cedi for Naira they have sometimes found Tema station used clothes holding bay a tough act to beat. Even underwears and bras are the innovative creativity of Ama Ghana that had Tunde Alata saying, 'eiiwoo omor Ghana dey baba'
Aglogboshie has been featuring in the documentary of the most toxic place on earth. Ama Ghana has not done too badly in regional supremacy in the land of liliputians and the icing on her giant birthday cake of celebration was after 63 years of chequered political and economic see saws she has managed to consolidate democracy. The masters say her democractic credentials fits the purpose of an appreciable standard though in need of some tinkering of resilient and workable institutional frame works; all a matter of time in the life of a freed 63 year old!
So when she heard Lady Malaysia ask how long she Ama Ghana will sleep walk and day dream into the hopes and aspirations they both set out to achieve, she felt a bit slighted, you cannot compare to Tunde and the rest Ama. Your dreams, hopes and ideals as the first among the equals were different.
Ama remember how your noble Son Kwame got you to the delivery room first. You were delivered on the same day as me and Kim Ill do it myself and he has made a meaning of independence as I have.
Your brothers, sisters, cousins in your region; even your Tunde Alata you so love to compare to, they all came after you with Kwame as their guiding light.
Ama! they are still looking to you for at least some lasting homegrown models that can steadily untangle the invisible stranglehold of.
In our childhood your light of Kwame and others called it imperialism! capitalism! veiled protocols of control!
Now its more subtle in a global village in which town and city dwellers are placating real villagers in the village market square filled with only their wares for sale. Ama! stop walking in your sleep, you are tripping too many times for your 63 years. Soon, you may not be able to heal at your age.
Ama! stop day dreaming! its laziness to dream too much in the day!
You said with a confidence and admiration that you are capable of managing your own affairs. Ama, we did on the quiet side of our aspiration to do it ourselves. We became ourselves and believed ourselves away from their religiousities of us being born again. We grew what was good for our growth. Yes! they brought their wares to us as they still do to you but we refused to eat even in our hunger.
So they found our village square a barren market place. Kwame tried to conscientise the minds of your people, what happened? You still have time to lay the invisible blueprints of self belief that will with patience insulate your next generation.
Education for us was as total as everyone whispering our greatness inspite of what they still told us.
Ama! let every child, adult believe in you saving yourself as the first religion God gave you and the energies of self and race love will wake you up
Ama! stop sleep walking and day dreaming, there is no pie in the sky waiting for you or your people.
Ama! open your eyes before its too late for you and your beloved Tunde Alata and Fanta Diabos; all looking to you
And finally my dearest Ama Ghana, my intelligence in your Country, courtesy of our motor industry, 'The great Hyyandai' which we started at the same time of your disappeared act of..was it Boafo motors??.. they tell me you are travelling to Kumasi for your 63rd birthday celebrations, please travel by road and look at your country side. I hear its still as rich and luxurious as the farmlands yet to be destroyed by unbridled gold prospecting.
Look at how you could get your people to at least grow what they can eat and feed the world. Ama! when you can independently feed yourself and your children, any other voice will be a stranger's voice to their ears and spirit.
Ama! your resources are not infinite. Nature has been kinder to you than all of us. Wake up from your sleep and slumber my dear Ama before it becomes too late.
At age 63, you have read and known so much in your time so I will not patronise you with the proverb that says to your comparative advantage in natural resources you have not leveraged to your 63 years of veiled exploitation.
Until the last tree is cut! until the last river is poisoned! until the last fish is caught! only then will man, woman and child know that money cannot be eaten".
Happy 63rd birthday my dear Ama Ghana. I remain yours in waiting to advise. Lady Malaysia!!!
The phone was ringing again..Ama Ghana woke up and walked slowly into her bedroom. She ignored the phone sitting on the table with the ingenious work of the great Saka Jomo Blafo Ansah..both the carved table and the polished old ivory phone reminded her of her birthday 63 years ago.
She did not need another reminder with the mixed feeling of elation and deflation playing to the hopeful helpfulness or near helpful helplessness.
She found herself saying the national pledge.." I promise on my honour to be faithful and loyal to Ghana my motherland...she knelt down, closed her eyes and started her birthday prayers...