The Presbyterian University College of Ghana in Kwahu Abetifi has held its 3rd Discipline in Leadership Public lecture series with a call on Ghanaians to find and respect their natural identity.
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Rethinking Our Cultural Identify For Nation Building; The Role Of Tertiary Institutions In Ghana” the Special Guest Speaker Nana Ansah Kwao IV, Gyasihene of Tafoman Akwamu called on the general public not to take their natural identities for granted.
“The Ghanaian identity which encompasses good attitudes and characters seems to be missing and this is part of the reason of all of our woes. Even if we can not go back to pick all the good attitudes our forefathers taught us, we shouldn’t countenance the fear of shame and dishonour because of our life-changing attitudes. If we fail in finding our identity, as for the fear of shame and dishonour, let’s go back for it”.
Nana Ansah explained that Africans and especially Ghanaians have bought into foreign identities and are leaving behind cultural and moral values.
“People do not feel ashamed driving in luxury cars while pregnant women labour on the floor because there are no beds in our hospitals.”
“The loss of identity has over materialised us to the extent that the source of one’s money is no longer an issue, just get the money and you will be accepted.”
Nana Ansah Kwao, however, called on the management of tertiary institutions in the country to make cultural and moral values a key subject to help change attitudes.
The President of the Presbyterian University Rev. Prof Emmanuel Adow-Obeng called on parents to punish children by making them read books to inculcate good habits into them.
“As Africans, we had so many wonderful ways of doing things before the arrival of the Europeans so we should go back for them. Ghanaian parents and teachers should go back to the forms of punishments where kids we made to read books when they faulted rather than subjecting them to canes and assault. This form of punishment was really good because it inculcated the spirit of reading into children”.