My country, Ghana will be fifty years on the 6th of March 2012. We call it independence day. Over the past fifty years, this special occasion has been met with a lot of frenzy, greeted with excitement and celebrated with gargantuan enthusiasm.
The 6th March fever sweeps across the entire nation and the jubilant mode is seen on the faces of young and old, rich and poor, educated and illiterate.Much preparation goes into this occasion, the biggest being the National Independence Day Parade organised by the government at the Independence Square. Similar functions are organised in each district and regional capital across the entire length of the country.
This is one of the few days on which all Ghanaians identify themselves as GHANAIANS and not tribe A,B or C. The excitement and jubilation makes it difficult to identify individual factions within the larger Ghanaian society, a positive event which all well-meaning Ghanaians should applaud and wish it stays.
Unfortunately, after the celebrations, when the excitement and euphoria dwindles, when dusk finally settles on the day and the confetti is swept away, we return to our homes where something rather fearful resurfaces,... tribal sentiments.
There is no denying the fact that we all belong to one tribe or another. It is also worth appreciating that nature demands of us to hold our identity and belonging in high esteem and protect the dignity of our tribe. This natural inclination can be exercised without the least offence to others. I am proud of my tribe, and so should you be.
The problem however comes when in the exercise of my respect and reverence for my tribe, i want to show all other tribes that they are useless and good for nothing. This only provokes anger and hatred, and fuels disaffection towards one another, a sure recipe for disaster. It is also wrong for me to fight tooth and nail just to prove to a tribe that has trumpeted its superiority that i am also worth my salt. If the only way to feel good about my tribe is to run down other tribes, insult them and attack them with the least opportunity i have, if i am used to expressing my hatred for another tribe because its people feel "they are big", then i can only be described as suffering from inferiority complex.
If i am so blinded by tribal allegiance to the extent that everything my tribesman does is right and everything the other tribe does is wrong, then i am probably the wrong person here. Time and time again, tribalism has fuelled wars in our country. I refuse the temptation to mention names here, and make references for the simple reason that i am not interested in showing what others have done wrong, but rather the wrongs we all have been doing.
Our tribalism has created room for unscrupulous individuals hiding under the guise of political activism to ride on our backs to political authority and power, and in their quest to hold on to such power, incited tribe against tribe when they comfortably live extravagant lives on our state coffers,.......the taxes you and i pay. Because we have allowed this canker to breed deep into our national discourse, political parties have resorted to tribalism as a way of winning affection and amassing popular support for their unjust cause of self gratification and amassing of public wealth. The two major political parties have succeeded in tagging themselves as parties belonging to certain tribes. The tribes "affiliated" to such parties are so blinded to the extent that they will jump to the defence of nation wreckers and people who should have been serious public enemies with the rather unreasonable justification that he/she is one of their own. It has gotten to the extent that traditional leaders of certain tribes will ask for pardon for criminals because he/she is one of their own.This is so pathetic
Politicians will continue to ride on our unnecessary tribal sentiments to steal from us, divide us even the more and plunge us into chaos. Let us be Ghanaians and not tribalists.
Who is to blame? Who can we point fingers at, as the cause of our woes? Nobody!. Because it is everybody. We are all to blame. You, myself and all others.
As we prepare to celebrate our 55th Independence Day, let us strive to have the love of country engraved on the very tablets of our hearts. Let us show the world that we are one Ghana.
Once again i ask,..............Tribe or country,....................who has your allegiance?
