Happy birthday, Ghana! Fifty-nine years ago you proved the world wrong about the Black man. You showed them we were powerful enough to fulfill our destinies. You showed us our greatness.
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Independence Day is not the day to talk about the things that have gone wrong.
No, not today.
We will not talk about forgotten hopes of a Ghana that would lead the industrial revolution of Africa. We will not talk about the neglected ambition to end the colonial division of labor that tied us to specializing in exporting raw materials, no!
We will most definitely not talk about the failure to assist those who manufacture our raw materials locally, so we can finally free ourselves of the bondage of import-dependence and contribute excellent products to the world.
These issues were from your previous birthdays; Ghana’s 59th birthday is different.
We are starting off with a new breed of Ghanaians who do not believe in embracing the mediocrity that comes along with accepting our “developing world” tag. A generation that isn’t waiting around for second hand clothing and shoes, a generation that chooses to be the best versions of themselves instead of mediocre versions of someone else’s norm.
For this year’s independence anniversary, we celebrate the future of Ghana.
We celebrate those who are not satisfied with seeing Ghana — a country that once boasted of manufacturing plants — import second-hand bicycles when it has the natural resources and potential to create high-quality eco-friendly bicycles.
We celebrate those who have revived our Northern Batakari Fabrics and given it a modern appeal, so that demand for African fabrics would add value to the weavers.
We celebrate those who say, “If we must wear a suit, it should be made by us, if we must sell leather, it should be made by us. If we must wear footwear it should be made by us.”
We celebrate the thousands of artisans, designers and entrepreneurs who get up each day, look around their environment and use the resources around to create the best products. They are the heroes reviving “Made-in-Ghana” and replacing the crown back on our nation’s head.
Pretty soon Ghana will no longer be a home of refuse, aid, and remittances; instead, it will be a shopping hub for authentic African goods.
Happy Birthday, Ghana.
Your proud daughter,
Dziffa
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