Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o points the way to total mental, political and economic liberation through the discipline of decolonising the mind by way of language. Language, our parent tongue, is our uniting force. Our ruling elites have debased our languages as a force of division and therefore have enforced English, French and Arabic as the lingua franca. The ruling elite cannot reason that language is intelligence, and it is the suppression of it that retards our coherent growth and development.

Cheikh Anta Diop has proven the cultural unity of our languages, which have evolved astronomy, philosophy, agriculture, science, mathematics and technology. It is language that creates and innovates. Thus, Our Glorious Ancestors saying: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Such is the essence of _kasa_ and the _ka_ and the _sa_ (speaking is an expression of your spirit) in the Akan language.

Colonialism is a serial killer of the mind of Africa. Colonialism is dehumanisation. To humanise Africa we must decolonise. This is the essence of the philosophy and ideology for decolonisation and development - Consciencism. Yes, such is the meaning of SANKƆFA and UBUNTU.

What is sad is that there are some members of the "elite" intelligentsia I know who, though brought up and educated in the Asante region of Ghana, now refuse to speak or converse in Twi because, in their enlightened opinion, doing so promotes an "Akan hegemony agenda". What a travesty! And this applies to those who reside in communities other than their own but would not imbibe the host language and culture.

Why suppress intelligence and to spite whom but yourself? Such is the crisis of the elite in Ghana who have "alienated" themselves beyond reason because of the folly of their colonised intelligence. Yes, the folly of the intellectual who suppresses the faculty of language. Command over language is a cultural advantage.

Who are they who would consciously deny themselves and their children command over their own parent tongue and other indigenous languages? The "state" mechanism that the colonialists supplanted in their own image, interest and security still abuses and denigrates our statecraft and language, yes, our cultural essence to their supreme advantage and benefit.

The "state" we inherited with its English language, as the lingua franca and mark of civilisation, continues to instruct and define our path of growth and development in servitude to the rentier colonial masters. English is the language of our parliament, executive, judiciary and the fourth estate at the expense of local languages, some of which are with extinction. Political platform diction is in English even when our politicians mount platforms in our communities and constituencies.

Growing up, it used to be so common for a child of 7 or 8 years to have command over three or more languages in urban melting pots.

White supremacy now reigns supreme in the home, schools, churches and television broadcasting. The president and vice-president of the Republic are first and foremost of the Abrahamic faiths over and above their loyalty to Ghana, just as there exists a Christian Association of Chiefs and Queenmothers. Why then do they sit on the Stool and the Skin? Do they not do so to suppress the African Personality?

Without the force and faculty of our languages, Africa is doomed, as language is the font of education. Yes, language or vernacular is the origin of education and civilisation.