President John Mahama needs to be commended for successfully undertaking a scaled-down Independence Day celebration. Independence Day celebrations are important historical events for any nation. These are days for not just celebrations but recognition of our founding fathers, the struggle for independence, the nation’s heritage and collective history.
I believe that while the celebrations associated with Independence Day are understandable, the financial costs associated with the celebrations can be burdensome. It is also my firm belief that Independence Day commemorations should also involve a deeper sense of reflection, stock taking, community service and collective action.
Such a day should also provide an opportunity for conversations about what true citizenship should mean and how to reignite important national values. Concerted efforts should also be made towards a national re-dedication to patriotism and the national heritage. Independence Day also represents another opportunity to brand and market the nation and what it embodies to the rest of the world.
In 2019, a good friend of mine, Ato Ulzen Appiah of Ghana Think Foundation and I, wrote an article about how to better celebrate Independence Day in Ghana.
One of our suggestions was the cancellation of the parades as it was held then. The grand, bloated and huge national parade, as we’ve known it, wasn’t held this year.
President Mahama needs to be commended for the scaled-down version of the parades leading to controlled expenditures and huge savings. The President should be praised and recognised for the controlled expenditure and the opportunity to save the nation some money.
In addition, future Independence Day celebrations should see greater efforts to appeal not just to the symbols and celebrations, but what they mean for nationhood, national identity and national values.
There should be greater efforts towards not just events, but the palpable link between the events or ceremonies to our collective identities and values.
This is important in our march towards the consolidation of the Ghanaian dream, nationhood and the model citizen.
National events such as the independence days should therefore express more than just celebrations or cutting costs but move towards essentializing deeper meanings of statehood, nationalism, breaking dependency, citizenship, re-enforcing traditional values, appeals to unity, and the provision of a better life for all.
Every society continues to be a work in progress, needing continuous re-making, re-dedication and re-imagination, and important national days provide an excellent opportunity to do so.
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