Features
Unity and economic development
Unity is strength
The world as we know constitutes one huge unit but is made up of different countries, each with its own culture and tradition, aimed at pursuing different forms of agenda with the aim of achieving their respective national objectives.
Each of the countries of the world seeks to achieve peace and unity in order to realise its own peculiar economic and developmental agenda. As each country succeeds in attaining its developmental agenda, the world as a whole attains development. This is because all parts of the country begin to attain development at the same time or even at different times, making the world attain a certain level of development in totality.
When we take Ghana as a unit of the globe, we begin to realise that, as a country, Ghana has its own developmental agenda. The developmental agenda can be attained when all parts of the country known as Ghana come together in unity for the attainment of a common purpose of economic development. This economic development cannot come about easily, but within a framework of unity that will see to it that the productive parts of the different sections of the country are maximised in output so that, in totality, a higher standard of living can be achieved.
As of now, Ghana is made up of 16 regions, each of which is very important as far as the developmental agenda is concerned. The regions have their own resources, which, when harnessed very well, can go a long way toward promoting economic growth and development for all Ghanaians. What this means is that every part of the country is very important and ought to contribute to the totality of the agenda for national development.
None of the 16 regions can stand alone on their own, so all resources will have to be put together and blended in a manner that will lead to nothing but rapid growth.
For example, new iron deposits have been discovered in the Oti Region, and these deposits are promising in the sense that they are of the highest quality for transaction. Such deposits can contribute to the construction industry in the country and elsewhere.
Even though it is found in the Oti Region, it is meant to help in the total development of the entire country. Proceeds from these iron deposits can be used for the development of not only the people of Oti but all Ghanaians in the country.
It is for this reason that each of the regions of Ghana constitutes an important unit that must join all other regions and contribute to the welfare of all Ghanaians. For example, the bauxite, manganese, gold, diamond, oil, and other essential deposits found in various parts of the country are used to develop not only a section of the country but, indeed, all parts of the entity known as Ghana. This explains why national elections are organised for the entire country from time to time to empower qualified residents to vote and make choices for the leader of the country, for the parliamentarians who represent them, and also for all levels of leadership that are brought into being through elections for the smooth governance of the entire country.
The essential point to note here is that we need to pursue aggressive national unity that will help promote all essential economic dimensions to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the country. It is important to keep this in mind, so we cannot run away from this fact.
All Ghanaians have their economic and social needs at various levels of their lives, and all these needs ought to be met in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of everyone in this noble country.
When the country becomes divided, as we see from time to time in our national politics, it does not help matters much because it slows down progress. Every Ghanaian needs rapid socioeconomic development, so we need to think about making the right choices politically so as to commit ourselves to the smooth process of development.
The vigorous nature with which threats are issued to people in parliament on national developmental issues has become a major issue of concern to peace-loving people in the country.
The decision of a section of our parliamentarians to flex their muscles at one another, particularly political opponents, threatening mayhem and brimstone of fire, is mind-boggling.
The developed countries of the world did not emerge in their present status instantly but had to go through a hard process of struggle before getting to their present stage. Progress cannot be made easily, so we should always bear this in mind, irrespective of whether our preferred political party is in power or not.
Various administrations in this country since independence have contributed their lot to the national developmental agenda. What the Convention Peoples Party achieved immediately after independence is meant for all Ghanaians, so we need to recognise things as such.
Even the military governments that we have had in this country have contributed in some way, in spite of their lapses. However, we have learnt a lot from the lapses of these governments.
What this means is that, having gone through various forms of political and economic experiences, we now know what is good for us, so once we decide that a certain government should be put in place to govern this country, we need to give it the needed support so that they can fly the flag of Ghana to a very high level of development. Today, the leader of the country, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is a Christian, while the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia is a Moslem. Similarly, Parliament is also made up of people of different faiths, but together we are moving forward as a people, encouraging one another to achieve the ultimate. This is what we need in this country.
Thus, threats of mayhem from political opponents and the desire to run down certain groups of people in this country because of political differences do not augur well for the entire country. Ghana is made up of different kinds of people in terms of religion, ethnicity, cultural practices, and so on, but we all need to recognise one another as important and move on in life. The free SHS and promotion of free Technical Vocational Education and Training are very good, so we should not find ways of running them down. In the same way, the reorganisation of the banking sector has helped to increase confidence in that sector. Even though this is good, certain people are looking at it through their political lenses and falsely claiming that they are not good simply because some of their friends and cronies dishonestly went for assistance from the Bank of Ghana to falsely support what they described as their banking services.
The banking reforms resulted in the consolidation and amalgamation of some of the banks, with some people being laid off to ensure efficiency. These are the results of the banking reforms, so we need to acknowledge this and support punishment for all those who helped to bring about this mess.
In essence, we need national unity in this country for the promotion of our national economic agenda so that what is good for us all can be enhanced for the good of each of us. Without unity, the economic agenda cannot be vigorously pursued, and this is why we all need to come together in spite of our differences to pursue our common national socioeconomic agenda.
May God help us in the attainment of our national aspiration in line with our National Pledge and National Anthem for the economic good of the country.
Email address/whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
I have often been saddened by the condition of Sikaman musicians. Of course, some are not musicians. They are jokers who think anybody who can sing a hymn is a musician. And why wouldn’t they think so when people think that every man wearing a rasta hair is a reggae musician?
Well, these days, almost everybody is dreaming of becoming a musician, even some ministers and parliamentarians. And it is never too late for them to begin learning the solfas and composing songs like “If You Do Good You Do For Yourself,” after all, life begins at 60 these days. If you die three years later, that’s your luck.
For the jobless, becoming a musical star is an everyday dream. They think when you are a music maker, you automatically break alliance with poverty. They are often mistaken.
I know people who claim they are musicians but are always fasting not because they are devout moslems or are on a hunger strike, but because even one square meal a day is a perpetual wahala. And the only drink they can afford is the poor man’s holy whisky which has a thousand names including ‘Nyame Bekyere’.
Even most of the popular musicians we see in town claiming they are foreign-based stars are more of hustlers than musicians. When they tell you they are going on tour abroad, it is a careful way of saying they are going overseas to scrub the whiteman’s toilet or pick tomato or apples to save their neck from musical poverty.
When they are back to Sikaman, they appear quite flamboyant with chains hanging all over them. They change the few dollars they have scraped, spread it around and promptly get broke. Then they can organise another ‘tour’. In between tours, they struggle to release an album and that levels them up a bit on the financial balance.
It all points to the fact that the life of the average musician isn’t quite organised. He has no calendar, no programme and no concentration on the job. He has to wash plates, become a waiter, janitor and toilet scrubber while finding time to make music. No musician succeeds in life that way.
One musician I’ll always respect, who thinks deeper than the ordinary Sikaman musicians is Carlos Sakyi. He is not like the Kokoase guitar musicians who see the world just in terms of bitters, a willing girlfriend, constant supply of kokonte and jot.
Carlos, often loved for his percussive overtones in gospel music, and once a gospel-rock star, has studied the life of Sikaman musicians and has evolved a blue-print for a great improvement in their lives work, finances and comfort.
In short, he has simulated a Motown-style environment for musicians and his formula is working with accuracy with the five musicians he has started with. The blue-print is what has brought MEGASTAR into being. It was launched on September 15, 1995 at the National Theatre.
When it got launched, many probably thought Carlos was “too know or was dreaming more than he should and won’t think about himself. Anyhow, the MEGASTAR is now an institution musicians can look up to, a big phenomenon with lots of promise for struggling musicians.
Music business in the developed world is not the way we regard it cheaply here. A musician is never distracted by how his finances go; his contracts are entered, his engagements made, his interviews arranged, his personal security guaranteed.
Music is his business and that is where his mind is and his attention focuses. Other aspects of his life are programmed for him by his managers. They hire who has to light his cigarettes, massage him, drive his car and the one who will say “Good Luck” when he sneezes.
A bodyguard whose face is exactly like that of the devil is hired to scare off muggers, psychopaths and criminals in general. Sometimes his girls are organised for him.
So the only thing the musician does apart from sleeping and snoring is to concentrate on making music, and true to it, no one can succeed in any venture when he is distracted.
This is how the Michael Jacksons, Lionel Richies, Dolly Patons and Whitney Houstons have made it with dollars packed and over-flowing. They aren’t any better than Sikaman musicians. The only difference is that they know how to organise their lives.
I managed to corner Carlos Sakyi and asked him to tell me how MEGASTAR was doing. He is the Managing Director of Megastar Limited, a music company that has a board of directors and a chairman. Carlos Sakyi shares the proprietorship with a partner. Carlos himself was one great musician who played for a band that beat Eddy Grant on the charts.
“Megastar is in fact a concept born out of the idea that the future security of the Ghanaian musician which has always been in jeopardy can now be guaranteed. Artistes spend too much of their time doing things on their own, chasing money and not concentrating on music. So their full potential is never realised. Some are in fact producing at quarter-rate. That is why they aren’t making much headway,” he told me.
“Megastar is now giving them the chance of the lives. We handle the interviews of Megastar artiste, their press releases, costume, engagements and everything they hitherto used to do themselves. We get them exposed on M-Net and we have contacted BB to get on their programmes. We handle their finances pay them salaries and bonuses, so they only have to concentrate on music
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we do not make all the decisions. Management always meet with the musicians to take the decisions that affect them.”
But who are the Megastar musicians? One is the great Amakye Dede, a star from birth delivered onto the earth with music on his lips; he is the man who feeds hungry ears with musical salad and harmonic sausages. He is the recipient of many national awards.
Next is Naana Frimpong, a latter-day Carlos-groomed songbird with the voice of an angel. She sings to kill. Her beauty has charmed her audience and they stare and stare at her.
The sensational and fantalising Tagoe Sisters are the next. The twin music machine is one that has produced the cream, arguably the very best, of gospel music all these years. I hear they are inseparable; not even their better-halves can keep them apart. Are they Siamese? They dance, and when on stage, they move the crowd.
Then comes Reverend Yawson who is a known songwriter. He is imbued with the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and of course sings in tongues. He is God’s representative on the group.
What about my good friend and super-heavyweight, Jewel Ackah? He is a star figure. His appearance is awe-inspiring, his voice golden. A great delight to be-hold when at his best in stage-craftsmanship, he has beaten his contemporaries to it both on land and on sea.
They are the pioneers of the Motown idea. They are all releasing new albums this year. Let’s see how it all goes.
In recent years, the term “female rage” has gained significant traction, symbolising a collective shift in how women’s emotions are perceived and addressed.
This phenomenon is not merely a fleeting trend but a profound movement rooted in centuries of systemic injustices, personal betrayals, and societal expectations.
As women increasingly reclaim their anger, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted nature of female rage, its causes, and its implications for individuals and society at large.
The historical context of female anger
Historically, women’s emotions have been subject to dismissal, ridicule, and pathologisation. The term “hysteria,” originating from the Greek word for uterus, was used to describe women’s emotional states as irrational and uncontrollable.
This legacy of silencing and shaming has contributed to a culture where women’s anger is often suppressed or stigmatised.
However, with the rise of feminist movements, women are challenging these narratives, asserting their right to express anger and demand change.
The anatomy of female rage
Female rage is not a monolith; it is a complex and multifaceted emotion driven by various factors, including:
1. Societal expectations: The pressure to conform to traditional roles of passivity, politeness, and emotional labour.
2. Gender inequality and pay gaps: Frustration stemming from systemic discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
3. Sexual harassment and abuse: Trauma and anger resulting from pervasive violence and objectification.
4. Emotional labour and burnout: The unsustainable burden of managing emotions and responsibilities in personal and professional spheres.
5. Hormonal fluctuations: The impact of hormonal changes on emotional states, often overlooked or dismissed.
The power of anger: Reclaiming female rage
Far from being a destructive force, female rage can be a catalyst for change. When acknowledged and channelled constructively, anger can drive advocacy, policy reform, and resistance against inequality.
The #MeToo movement, women’s marches, and increased representation in politics are testaments to the power of collective female anger.
Addressing the Stigma: Towards a more inclusive dialogue
To fully harness the potential of female rage, society must address the stigma surrounding women’s anger. This involves:
1. Validation and recognition: Acknowledging women’s emotions as legitimate and worthy of attention.
2. Creating safe spaces: Providing platforms for women to express anger without fear of backlash.
3. Education and awareness: Challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of women’s experiences.
4. Support systems: Offering resources and support for women dealing with trauma and systemic injustices.
Conclusion
The age of female rage is a moment of profound transformation, where women’s anger is no longer silenced but celebrated as a force for justice.
By understanding the roots of female rage and addressing the societal structures that fuel it, we can move towards a more equitable and compassionate world.
The journey is complex, but the destination-a society where women’s emotions are respected and their voices are heard is worth the struggle.
References:
[1] Chemudupati, P. (2022). _The Rage of Women: A Historical Perspective_.
[2] Traister, R. (2018). _Good and Mad:
By Robert Ekow Grimond-Thompson
