Vocal businessman and politician, Akwasi Addae Odike, has argued that the mindset of many Ghanaians continues to mirror the colonial era, stressing that the nation’s attitudes and approach to governance are nothing to write home about.
He maintains that Ghanaians continue to behave as if they are heavily influenced by the colonial structures and thinking. That said, Odike says has hindered Ghana’s full ability to embrace independence and find solutions to its problems.
Odike highlighted the necessity to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery before we can truly achieve independence.
He indicated that our sense of independence is intrinsically linked to the freedom of our minds; thus, we must eradicate mental slavery before we can bring about meaningful change in the country as a whole.
“It’s not about the celebrations, it is not about the euphoria, it is our behaviour. Ghanaians still act as if the colonial masters are still here. So if we do not emancipate our mental slavery, independence is meaningless,” he stated, speaking on the “Anopa Bofoɔ” show on Angel TV.
He further asserted that in everything we do, we are often dictated to by external influences, claiming that Ghana remains subject to the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He pointed out that, although the colonial powers may no longer be physically present, they continue to manage our leaders through their policies and conditions.
“Any civilised independent country does not trek around the globe with a cup in hand, begging. The very white people who were colonising us, whom we claimed to despise, still dictate our conditions. They have skewed the whole system to suit their interests to extract what they want from us,” he stated.
Source: Vanessa Elizabeth Nkum
