Civilization will be fully fledged in our world when human race all over the world will come to the realization that all the vices associated with racism, discrimination and ethnocentrism are dealt with emphatically to open the minds of the ignorant amongst us.

Until mankind gets rid of the ignorance associated with our devious behavior to debase our fellow human beings simply because of their color, race and tribe, we will still be ignorant to realize the full potentials showered on us by Almighty God.

Out of ignorance, some refuse to acknowledge salutations, friendship and marriages and some denigrate others simply because they are not from the same race, tribe or same ethnicity. For how long will you allow yourself to be consumed by this conspicuously bitterness of ignorance at its highest level?
It has always been so, with regards to the affinity of the human race to strongly admire their culture and relationships which are highly stupendous. But that does not negate the fact that we are all human beings created equally under one God. No matter how affluent or penurious we’re, we’ll all die one day.
Since time in memory, our lives has always been intertwined that we human beings depend on each other for every activity that has created sustainability in our lives. In spite of all the technologies that have been developed by generations to make us independent, it has rather intertwined mankind now than ever.
This has fostered positive human relationship to the amazement of every civilized human being. We have become a global village than being isolated to our individual hamlets even though; some are still locked down in their medieval mentality of, racism, discrimination, and ethnocentrism. That said, we must collectively abhor and eliminate evil people amongst us who indulge or want to indulge in nefarious activities.
In spite of the immeasurable discipline of Ghanaians, we have not been specifically emphatic on this negative behavior sometimes retorted on the forums by some ignorant people hiding behind computers and phones. If you think denigrating others is banter, be informed it’s not cool with others at all, it breeds resentment and alienation. If we refuse to confront negativity amongst us we will live to regret someday.
Ghanaians have travelled around the world several years ago till date for various reasons depending on each individual but, some of us are still locked down in behaviors detrimental to our well being as a nation. This must be pointed out for redress and must be eliminated completely to move our country forward as one people with a common preordained future.
All our leaders and elders including the media who have platforms, must embark on educating the citizenry about this negative ugly behavior that has suddenly surfaced in our social fabric; it’s not healthy and must be stopped immediately.
If we will move forward to build a stronger prosperous nation, we must foster the realization that we are one people from the same country. If out of ignorance some of us see’s ourselves as superior and others as inferior some Ghanaians and some as foreigners it’s unfortunate because, with this myopic mentality it means we still dangerously have ignorant people amongst us. People of this mentality need vigorous education to bring them to the realities of our times.
If you want your tribe, ethnic, race or your country to be adored by others then do well to be accommodating and embrace people with respect even if they are not from your tribe, ethnic, race or your country. People may live with you out of necessity but with resentment. Accepting people in our midst and marginalizing them does not generate healthy coexistence.
Any differences you see in human race are to signify the glory of the Almighty God’s infinite wisdom and no one can challenge or change that. It’s God’s design that, there must be ethnic groups, tribes and race differences in the world. That does not mean you’re superior to the other ethnic group, tribe, race and their culture.
All over the world, wherever strangers meet there’s tremendous innovation to exploit better ideas together to make their environments a better place to live. Wherever strangers meet there’s tremendous progress in those societies.
Compare your village to the city near your village where strangers are commingled; compare that city near your village to the capital. Then compare the capital to places like New York and London or other western cities where strangers and immigrants are highly infused and accepted, in all those cities, progress is palpably enormous.
Ghanaians who have lived outside knows better but once in a while you see some ignorant ones posting this negative retorts to qualify their tribe as the best and others as squatters. Let this be drummed deep into the skulls of the ignorant that, we are all Ghanaians and nobody’s going to any unidentified place.
Remuneration associated with tolerance and accepting diversity out of your race and tribes are enormous. That’s how God designed the world so; you either take it or go back to your villages with your ethnocentricity and racism and decompose there.
Most successful areas in this world are cosmopolitan thus; diversity and race infusion, this has brought most people to those areas. In those areas of progress if you step outside your room the first people you meet outside your houses are not from your villages, they are all strangers. At your work places the people you work with are not from your villages, they are all strangers.
If you go to the grocery stores to shop the people you meet out there are not from your villages, they are all strangers. If you come home to relax and watch the television, the reporters on the television stations are not from your villages, they are all strangers. Searching and surfing in the internet you’re not going to get the answers from your villages. Why then do we ignorantly want to fuel passions infuriating people by exhibiting our ignorance in public with ethnocentricity?
In Rwanda, Hutus and Tutsis left murky darkness of gloomiest past when they adamantly refused to address this negative trend raising its ugly head in that country. Kenya had its share of negativity of ethnocentricity and the price was stupendously brutal. We still have Liberians still squatting in our backyard with the agony of some ignorant people who started that ethnicity nonsense.
The devils from hell descends on any country that exhibit this kind of negative nature of discrimination and they always succeed inflicting harm in those societies. Ghana must not be the breeding ground for the devil to thrive.
United States of America for instance have accepted strangers and immigrants and have embraced diversity to the extent that they have elected a President’s whose father was a foreigner. This behavior is worthy of emulation throughout the whole world.
Europe has accepted immigrants in their midst as their own and the results are glaring that; most people all over the world are striving to get to these western counties. The bigot ignorant, have you poised to ask yourself why America leads the world? It’s because Americans are tolerant and have embraced immigrants.
Anybody whose village or town falls within the parameters of the map of Ghana’s a Ghanaian and will always remain a Ghanaian. Most Ghanaians are travelling to all these aforementioned western nations with the hope of becoming citizens there but some are still discriminating in their own country. This madness and ignorance of ethnocentricity must stop!

To the racist and the ethnocentric, let this sink into your ignorant brains that we human beings are all here to stay together whether you like it or not you cannot stop it. No one or a group of people are superior to the other except the one who fear God and that one who fears God will not discriminate, will always be a humble peace loving person and will not attempt to exhibit ignorance of that magnitude.

Balemwo Assam balemwo@yahoo.co.uk Washington DC