Refine obnoxious traditions and customs
It is precious to preserve the traditions and customs of a particular group of people as given by nature. This is what makes humankind unique. The world we live in today is not monotonous or static but diversified. We live in a vibrant and dynamic society where behaviour changes at will and at regular intervals. This pattern becomes potent for our own benefit and enjoyment.
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Some of the traditions and customs practised in Ghana today have outlived their usefulness in the present day scientific and technological world. The ancient preserved chieftaincy tradition that goes on today in our society, which gives me sleepless nights, is the carrying of our chiefs in palanquins on human heads. Modern technology has gone very far with explorations manifesting themselves on numerous planets within the universe. Advancements have reached augmented levels that make humans live like lords with attendant luxury and comfort.
These attainments are as a result of the manipulation of that organ of the human body called the brain located in the head. It is the brain, as small as it is and given by the Creator, that has made and achieved this entire gargantuan creativeness on earth. It is, therefore, dehumanising, depressing and misplaced to impose any kind of pressure or, in particular, luggage on this precious organ in the form of load or human being, whatever the value.
Slavery
This practice in itself is slavery, depression and a sign of primitiveness to the highest order. Surely, we need to preserve our tradition and culture but not at the expense of our downtrodden and susceptible fellow humans. This is what culminates in retrogressive and unacceptable cultural tutelage, indeed.
I have travelled widely across the globe but have never seen any human carrying his fellow human being on the head in the name of tradition or culture, except among the primitive societies that we do not belong to. My last exposure of oppression of man-by-man was in South Africa in the late 80s and 90s when apartheid and racism was rife and at its crescendo, and the whole world was against it.
With all the segregation and racism in place, never did I see a human being carrying his fellow on the head for the sake of oppression or otherwise, nor did I ever witness women carrying loads on their heads for commercial purposes or whatsoever.
My first voyage abroad from my homeland Ghana was to the United States of America via London in 1974. I travelled on a luxurious bus from Madison to Milwaukee in Wisconsin, USA. With a journey lasting almost an hour, I was watching along the highway to see if I could see women carrying firewood or foodstuff on their heads as done in my country, but to my chagrin, I could find none.
It is high time, therefore, that we drummed this message home to the populace and, especially, the governors of this country that this is not done anywhere in the modern world.
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Limousines and chariots
From the above, I am not only advising against the carrying of our honourable chiefs on the head, which in itself is dangerous, but also advocating that this practice of carrying luggage on the head by our womenfolk, whether for commercial purposes or otherwise, must stop forthwith.
My obvious question to critics of this article is: Will they ever like to carry chiefs or any kind of objects on their heads should the opportunity fall on them? This practice denotes and displays an extreme level of illiteracy/ ignorance prevalent in our society. If everybody in this country were well educated, nobody would have liked to carry his neighbour on the head, not for any reason. The international community is touting us as the gateway to West Africa and invariably Africa. We cannot, therefore, veer from that notion but behave maturely.
I suggest chiefs modify this practice by employing the services of open-top limousines or cars and, in their absence, use beautiful chariots or, in the extreme consideration, carriers can use their shoulders.
Secondly, festivals and durbars must be brief and organised at stadiums and minimal charges imposed on citizens with foreign tourists who want to witness and enjoy these festivals, paying fees in foreign currencies. Cultural villages must be built in all the district capitals to carry out this purpose and in addition showcase our rich culture, especially drumming and dancing, that is most loved all over the world, to attract capital inflow for development. I presume the country will net in a lot of foreign exchange, if we do what I have suggested above, to boost our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The government can learn from this and others to broaden fiscal network and not depend solely on taxes that make life unbearable for citizens. Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, this is your food for thought.
Email: ghansainvest@yahoo.com Mob: 0549683307