A cartoon character refusing financial incentives from four different sources, values Ghanaians should uphold
Culture refers to a learned way of life that has served a group of people as it is believed to be valid to pass down for generations.
It emanates from tried and tested solutions to past problems that have been adopted as the best way to see, think and feel in similar situations. It consists of approved values, beliefs, and norms that inform specific socially acceptable behaviors. Furthermore, culture gives an identity to an individual.
Ghanaians have a culture based on indigenous knowledge derived from the wisdom of their ancestors, whose effectiveness for ethical living has long been proven, tested and passed down from generation to generation. rice field. Indigenous Ghanaian moral values promote human well-being and social harmony. They are descriptions of Ghanaian maxims warning against engaging in corrupt practices. They are commonly known to be frequently mentioned in conversation, but rarely act.
This article describes the neglected moral values of Ghanaian culture as practiced in the past and some corrupt values observed in contemporary Ghana, which need change to minimize corruption. Focus your attention on actions.
Corruption in our current culture
Corruption is generally attributed primarily to politicians and civil servants. Yet it cuts across all sectors of Ghanaian life and citizens.
Examples abound: illegal mining and pollution of water bodies; Includes destructive effects on the environment, such as engaging in criminal activities. Promiscuity has become a way of life, blackmailing for all sorts of selfish gains, haphazardly building in waterways, and seizing pieces of land plotted for roads. Drainage systems are clogged with waste, causing flooding during the rainy season. Landlords require advance payments of months or years of rent, even though they do not provide toilet facilities to tenants. You can also build, cook, and sell in close proximity to high-voltage poles without regard to danger.
Slums are created in cities, and authorities monitor them until they become overcrowded, then they start swearing. When authorities decide to respond by demolishing structures, citizens ask for mercy, arguing that such actions should have a “human face.” Hawkers sell in the middle of the road for speeding vehicles, and the passengers of these vehicles patronize the goods.
This list of corrupt practices is not exhaustive. Most importantly, the lack of enforcement of existing laws gives people the freedom to break the law with impunity. What provisions have been made in Ghanaian culture to address moral issues of the past? How can these provisions be revisited to curb corruption in Ghana?
ghana culture
In the past, people were educated to avoid corruption using maxims, and it worked quite well.Kwame Gyekye explains some moral values and their essence, Emphasized “a harmonious and cooperative life – concern for the interests of others and therefore a sense of duty to others.” Selfishness, theft, deception, and greed are vices that trample on the rights of others. As such, those who practiced them were punished, expelled from their communities, shunned, or encouraged to change.
He expressed this with the following maxim: In other words, corrupt practices never went unnoticed or punished. On the other hand, over-emphasizing rights such as liberty, the right to liberty, the right to happiness, and above all the right to neglect responsibility leads to corruption.
The old culture of Ghana was influenced by maxims that dealt with phenomenal issues of human well-being and social harmony. An example is “If you don’t let your neighbor have 9, he won’t have 10”. “When it sticks into your neighbor’s flesh, it’s like sticking into a piece of wood.” “People are not born with a bad ‘head’, they acquire it on earth”. “When virtue builds a city, it flourishes and survives”; “The decline and decay of a nation begins with its house”; “It is better to own little than to be a thief”, “The snail says, ‘Let me where I am, I am content.'” and “When there is one bad person in the community, he enslaves all others”.
A critical analysis of the above aphorism shows how Ghanaian culture curbs corruption and is rather attentive to sensitivity to the needs of others. This culture shows that no one is born corrupt, but the environment (home and external environment) nurtures the individual to become corrupt. Therefore, we need to create a conducive atmosphere for ethical behavior to thrive. Ghana’s progress depends on the ability of families to play a role in the moral upbringing of their children, so ethical behavior is encouraged to promote sustainable development.
There are great benefits when children are content and learn to make the most of the resources available to them. They often grow into ethical leaders who transform nations. Finally, it is important to boldly expose the bad guys to avoid being enslaved by them in our community.
The author is a lecturer at Ashibetsu University
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