Celebrating Ghana In Ottawa

Kofi Akosah-Sarpong in Ottawa, gives an interpretative report of Ghana?s 47th independence celebration organized by the vibrant United Ghanaian Association of Ottawa
Coming on the heels of the March 4 celebration of Ghana?s 47th independence day at Ottawa?s National Arts Centre organized by the Ghana High Commission, Ghanaians and their friends in Ottawa organized a communal celebration of their country?s 47th freedom from colonial rule at Sandi Hill Community Centre on March 6.

The Master of Ceremony, Mr. Joe Manu, recalled the struggles of Ghana?s founding fathers, and said similar struggles need to be recycled today in Ghana?s developmental match. The keynote speaker, Mr. Seth Awuku, an Ottawa-based immigration lawyer, too, in recalling the history of Ghana?s freedom from colonial rule, and urged Ghanaians to reflect on their ?collective soul as a nation and people.? Honest, Mr. Awuku said the idea of the speech, which centred on the civic virtues of vision, struggle, hard work, steadfastness, perseverance, good citizenship, togetherness, and compromise, came from his wife. Mr. Awuku invoked Dr. J.B. Danquah, and to a lesser extent, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to reflect on such virtues in nation building.

Refreshingly, Mr. Awuku asked Ghanaians to reflect on Dr. J. B. Danquah, one of the greatest figures in Ghana?s independence struggle, ?a man who has contributed the greatest good? to Ghana ?but who is often given little recognition in our national life.? Mr. Awuku?s speech revealed how at that period Ghana was endowed with remarkable great men such as Dr. Danquah and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. While Ghana?s first President, Dr. Nkrumah, was a great man in his own right, having led Ghana to independence from colonial rule in 1957, which gave ?impetus for all the African countries south of the Sahara,? Dr. Danquah democratic visions still resonant in today?s Ghana. Mr. Awuku captured this when he stated that, ?Whereas Dr. J.B. Danquah can be credited with the philosophical foundation of good governance, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with the establishment of the African personality on the international stage to manage our own change.? The relevance of Mr. Awuku?s speech was that in a country and a continent where national and continental men/women who sacrificed their lives for the good of society are not given due prominence because of the colonially imposed education system, the speech about the implications of J.B. Danquah?s life to Ghana?s development was not only a moral booster but also an education in role model.

Dr. Danquah was neither a President nor a Prime Minister or a Head of State, Mr. Awuku informed his audience in a professorial fashion, but ?he was a student of freedom and justice? who had thorough grasp of the virtues of liberty, rule of law, good governance, democracy, and fairness. This foundation of Dr. Danquah emanated more from his sound knowledge of Ghanaian and African culture, and not necessarily any Eurocentric training he had had. ?He did not accept the status quo of his times. He sought to change the status quo of his times and he asked the big questions of his time: How can we make a better society for the then Gold Coast,? Mr. Awuku thundered, revealing the revolutionary mind of Dr. Danquah?a revolution not rooted in arms but mental.

While Ghanaians for the 47 years have been beating about the bush for the rule of law, democracy, freedom of speech, fairness, good governance, and all the universal values that the Western world have been preaching Africans to accept as a way of helping them from their distress, Mr. Awuku said, Dr. Danquah in the ?1930s and 40s gave meaning to democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and good governance in the then Gold Coast.? One of Ghana?s finest minds and intellectuals, ?It was J.B. Danquah who researched and suggested that the name Gold Coast should be renamed Ghana?Dr. J.B. Danquah was Ghana?s foremost philosopher and lawyer? and the founder of the Ghana?s first political organization the United Gold Coast Congress (UGCC). The UGCC, a democratic outfit, is the foundational soul of the current ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), hence the Danquah-Busia tradition that is based on democracy, rule of law, fairness and free market enterprise.

Dr. Danquah died in 1965 and was eulogized by Nigeria?s philosopher-president, Dr. Namdzi Azikiwe ?as one of the greatest African leaders of our times.? It is shocking that such a great man in Ghana?s development has no national symbol named after him but a coup-maker like Gen. Emmanuel Kotoka has an international airport named after him. Despite his death, Dr. Danquah?s ideas flowered through Ghana, taking on diverse shapes and seeing Ghana under Dr. Nkrumah lighten up Africa?s independence struggle. ?The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of the African continent?How prophetic,? Mr. Awuku recalled to an audience so young that they have taken the struggle for independence of their motherland for granted simply because of the education system and parents who do not find time to talk about Ghanaian heroes and heroines to their children.

Mr. Awuku said Ghana?s 1957 freedom has flowered into continental Africa and made Ghana a key light in Africa?s existential drive. He points to Ghana helping to resolve conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and other West African political paralysis. The culmination of Ghana?s freedom, shaped more by the visions of Dr. Danquah and Dr. Nkrumah, Mr. Awuku happily pointed out, is ?Today our home trained son, Kofi Annan, heads the United Nations and he is playing high stakes diplomacy at the United Nations in the Iraq crisis.? (This coming week the University of Ottawa and Carleton University will honour Mr. Annan by bestowing a joint Doctor of Philosophy on him. This is the first time in Canada?s (and Ghana?s) history that two universities will be honouring a non-Canadian or Canadian at the same time in this way). ?Ladies and gentlemen, does not Mr. Kofi Annan make us proud as a nation. Does he make us feel cuddly, eh?? Mr. Awuku said with all the joy in his heart and a warm applause from the audience.

Such a remarkable feat by a Ghanaian, by Mr. Kofi Annan, is symptomatic of Dr. Danquah and Dr. Nkrumah struggles and visions?a Ghanaian proud of his/her achievements in not only at the national scale but on the global level born out of character, steadfastness, hard work, discipline, honesty, fairness, empathy, perseverance, and struggles and not the colour of his/her skin. ?Mr. Chairman, we must never underestimate the collective pride of our nation. Our nation is truly one of the finest, respected and decent countries on the African continent,? Mr. Awuku said with pride. Mr. Annan, in all measure, reflects simultaneously the Nkrumahist African personality on the international stage to manage change and the Danquahist democratic governance, rule of law, fairness and liberty.

Such foundational struggles by Ghana?s founding fathers have made Ghana ?the conscience of Africa,? Mr. Awuku said with humility. ?It is a position for which we must forever uphold. It is a standard for which we must always maintain. It is a responsibility, for which we must always carry. This is the Ghanaian character. It sets the pace. It is always hopeful; it is truly big-hearted. It is dutiful, decent, diplomatic and democratic. This is our heritage, our story and our song.?

The audience, cut across all ages, recognized a great speech and gave good applause to Mr. Awuku. Said Mr. Eddie Peprah, the treasurer of the United Ghanaian Association of Ottawa and one of key organizers of the event, ?It was good, everybody was happy.?