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
Let’s respect the dead
Dear Editor,
Growing up as a young man, I watched how families of deceased persons paid respect to their beloved ones.
Right from the mortuary to the funeral grounds, the mortal remains of the deceased are always handled with respect to honour them.
Most of the time, individuals who visit the mortuary to bring the body of the deceased home were required to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.
A traditional belief holds that seeing or coming into contact with dead bodies portends a bad omen and may require spiritual cleansing.
However, in recent times, I have seen a number of videos on social media where corpses are handled without care.
In some of these videos, one could see the body of the corpse carried on the shoulders of friends or being made to stand while friends and families touch and take pictures with it.
I find that weird and at the same time disturbing and thinks a lot about the health implications.
According to some health experts, such an act poses a threat to public health as one may not know the cause of the death of the deceased.
Some have predicted that Ghana could face health crisis such as disease transmission as a result of the pathogens present in decomposing bodies, if care was not taken.
As a concerned individual, I share in the view of the health experts.
I believe that if care is not taken, the actions of the youth in handling dead bodies could lead to the spread of diseases.
I, therefore urge the Ghana Health Service to take the issue seriously and address it to avoid any possible future health crisis.
Atom,
Korle-bu
Editorial
Prevent Keta Township from being engulfed by sea
Have you ever dreamed about waking up to discover that everything you own—including your mattress, roof, and all of your memories – has been lost to the sea?
Since the sea has consumed a sizable portion of Keta in the Volta region, the town’s citizens are in a pitiful position. The sooner action is taken to save the town, the better off everyone will be.
The destruction of the Keta by the sea needs to be addressed immediately, or else the township would eventually be submerged under the water.
Our reporter’s visit showed that this once-thriving seaside resort is gradually disappearing. Keta was once a thriving town known for its business, but now some areas are in ruins, with some of the locals looking on in wonder at the destruction caused by the water.
For the residents of Keta, the Atlantic Ocean is no longer a far-off blue horizon. These days, it relentlessly and without invitation circles around their doorsteps, tearing down walls and other structures, erasing memories, and endangering lives.
Many locals have been forced to live with family or friends after the sea destroyed their homes years ago, and other residents find it hard to comprehend that their once-livable habitat is now in ruins.
The problem is that, apart from residences, Keta’s cultural identity being anchored by monuments are gradually disappearing. One remnant of the transatlantic slave trade, the once-imposing Fort Prinzenstein, is now more of a ruin than a monument.
Once more, the ancient cinema where generations of children used to laugh at flickering black-and-white pictures is no longer there, as is the Bremen factory from the colonial era.
Among other things, the original police station has vanished, and Queen Street, which was once the town’s busy backbone, is now a flooded hallway clogged with rubble. There is still more work to be done despite previous attempts to address the issue since the town is fighting while the sea is winning.
Although water is life, in this instance, it is ruining people’s homes. The situation is serious since the water is destroying the town’s past as quickly as it is claiming its future, despite nature taking its course.
But as humans, our Creator has endowed us with the intelligence to solve problems. The historic town of Keta is now shrouded in uncertainty as the remains of a once-inhabited township are submerged and engulfed by the approaching seas along its coast.
Therefore, it is more efficient to have everyone working together to find a long-term solution to this terrible issue
