Editorial
Instilling cultural values in our children
Culture is distinct, and its observation is what preserves the identity of any group of people in any country.
Cultural elements include language, food, shelter, ways of dressing, and the way we speak and behave, among others. It is important for parents to encourage their children to speak the language of the family into which they are born.
Many parents, sad to say, would rather encourage their children to speak foreign languages at home, especially English in Ghana. There is nothing wrong with speaking English at home, but we must note that, coming from a certain background, we should rather prefer to speak our local language at home.
Ghana is a multilingual country, with more than 80 languages spoken by various ethnic groups. Our local languages identify us as a group of people who are different from non-Ghanaians.
Thus, we should be proud of our ability to speak different Ghanaian languages such as Akan, Ewe, Dagbani, Ga, Dangme, Dagaare, Kasem, Nzema, Gonja, Gurune, Konkomba, Wala and Nkonya. These and other languages are Ghanaian and must, therefore, be spoken without shame.
We should not think that speaking English is superior to our Ghanaian languages; we need to be proud of our local languages. Again, we must not just learn how to speak languages but also educate ourselves on how to write them.
It is the reading and writing of these languages that will make us different from other peoples in and outside Africa. This issue is important and must not be taken lightly.
In addition, we must be proud of our food. Some delicious Ghanaian foods are banku or etsew, fufu, akple, mpotompoto, konkonte, and tuo zaafi. Other dishes are gobe or yor ke gari, waakye, fomfom, ampesi and apaperansa, among others.
The way we dress as Ghanaians is also important. We need to cover our bodies well, not exposing any part, such as the breast, or wearing ear rings when we are men. Ear rings are meant for women.
Our cultural dances must be learnt well, too. Dances such as adowa, kete, apatampa, kpanlogo, borborbor, abgadza, bamaya and klama, among others, must be encouraged among our children.
Moreover, cultural or traditional greetings must also be encouraged. These are the things we need to encourage to bring discipline to our society.
It is the absence of these cultural values that has resulted in indiscipline in our society today. Foreign culture is good, but we need to promote our own values to show the world that we have our own identity as a people.
Our cultural values are important, so we must all make conscious effort to instill them in all aspects of our behaviour so that our children or young people can live decently.
Editorial
Check cases of drug abuse among youth of Shukura and environs
Dear Sir,
I write this letter as a concerned citizen of the country to bring to your notice the increasing rate of the intake of hard drugs by the youth of Shukura and its environs.
This issue is of great concern because of the negative impact of the hard drugs such as tobacco, cannabis and heroine on the youth in the area.
The situation has created a state of insecurity as residents find it difficult to walk around at night for fear of being attacked by these drug addicts.
Strangely, there is a police station in the community but police personnel either don’t show any interest in their activities or struggle to track their activities.
This has given them some freedom to misbehave around the area and endanger the lives of the people.
At this stage, it has become important for the residents in the community to collaborate with the police in addressing the issue.
I want to implore the police in the area to conduct patrol exercise in the area, especially at nights.
That aside, I would want to urge the authorities to embark a campaign on drug addiction in the area to let the youth know and understand the dangers and harm drugs exposes them to.
Chris Nii Narh,
Shukura
Editorial
Discuss mental health disorders among health professionals
Dear Editor,
As individuals who visit health facilities, we are always expectant of being received by medical professionals in very good moods.
These same medical professionals, including nurses, have always been on the receiving end of a backlash for failure to do so.
However, what we often fail, as citizens and patients, to realise is that these medical professionals are also humans who are faced with a lot of stress and burnout, a situation that affects their mental health.
Although there is no data on mental health of health workers in Ghana from the Mental Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), some research statistics could be obtained from some public research.
For instance, a comparative study conducted by researchers at the Volta Regional and Ho Teaching hospitals in August this year revealed moderate and high levels of stress among the nurses in these two hospitals.
Mental health issues among health workers in Ghana is one that is less talked about.
Its negative impact was largely felt during the COVID-19 period, when medical professionals had to work for longer hours. Imagine a nurse who is stressed out and is required to give an injection to a patient.
This is why there is the need for the government and the GHS to address the issue of mental health among medical professionals with all seriousness to avert any negative outcome.
Benjamin Arcton-Tettey,
Accra
