I love my nationality. I love my people. I love my culture but I despise what my country has become. When I examine Ghana today, I become distressed.  I see a country abundant with resources but lacking economic stability, a democratic country knee deep in corruption, and a country reminiscing on scattered dreams and promises of the past.

March 4, 2014 will mark 57 years since the Gold Coast changed its name to Ghana. March 6, 2014 will mark 57 years since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana an independent republic. Within these 57 years, Ghanaians have truly defined the nation and its people, but has also diminished the fight for our independence. It has been 57 years since liberation and what do we have to show?

We must ask ourselves, why has our nation become accustomed to depending on aid and loans? Why has our country become stagnant in progression? Why is it that we allow corruption, fraud, poverty, and all these problems to consume our nation? It is not that we don’t know better; it is not that we lack the common sense, but it is because of a lack of concern. We care more about the individual rather than the communal success of the nation.

We are quick to celebrate with one another, but are lethargic to react when it comes to supporting each other. How can we expect progression when we are unsympathetic and callous towards our own?

I have come to the conclusion that we have forgotten and have failed to realize that freedom wasn’t and is not free. We don’t recognize or know our own history. We fail to understand and take into account the fight for our history and independence.

Nkrumah once stated, “Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. They claim it as their own and none can keep it from them.”  As Ghanaians, we fail to understand the concept of freedom. We fail to appreciate the true meaning of the word and what comes along with it.

We have become subjected to and tolerant of the oppression and expectation of the demise of our nation. Remember that we were once considered inferior and put under a master who was consider superior. Don’t let titles fool you; slavery, colonization and imperialism were all tactics to take away our birth given rights of freedom, to dehumanize and belittle a continent and its people.

We were clearly seen as unfit to manage our own land, land that our ancestors lived on for years. Our freedom was taken; our ancestor fought and gained the freedom we enjoy today, so why belittle and demean such a privilege. Let’s not take for granted what was once impossible…

We are stuck in a continuous cycle of denial and ignorance. We refuse to accept the reality that is staring straight at us, a cold reality of a weak economy, mounting debt, and inadequate infrastructure.

Once again, we are stuck, but we have a way out. There is always a way out; people just need to open their minds for the bigger picture. We need to create dreams and goals of our own. We need to invest and nurture our own. We need to create and develop adequate institutions and infrastructure that can cater for social and economic reforms.

Finally, we must limit the influence of westernization on our culture; we need to learn how to preserve and maintain the rich Ghanaian culture.

Citizens of Ghana I challenge you to take a stance and care about your country. All I ask is that my fellow Ghanaians try and change the destiny of Ghana; challenge and oppose all unjust people and laws which govern our nation.

I ask that you take an interest in your government and economy. I ask that we create something that we can be truly proud of.  But more importantly, I ask Ghanaians to realize that development takes time; progression takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect change to occur in one day. Be patient and persistent.