Amid pomp and fanfare, students and faculty members turned out in numbers on Saturday night in Ping Center to celebrate Ghana's 47th Independence Day.
Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, was the first black African country to become independent. Its independence day, March 6, 1957, marked the beginning of a wave of independence that swept across Africa in the late 1950s and into the 1970s.
Kwame Nkrumah, one of the pioneers of Pan-Africanism, a movement that championed black freedom, led Ghana to independence. Nkrumah led other African reformists such as Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania in steering Africa to independence.
On the eve of our independence
Nkrumah said that independence of Ghana would be meaningless if it was not tied up to independence of the whole continent of Africa. He went on to spearhead independence in the whole of Africa said Nana Owusu-Kwarteng, Assistant Director of the Institute for the African Child, a Ghanaian. This is why this day is significant to all Africans.
Owusu-Kwarteng said he was happy that the event brought together African students, African-American students and friends of Africa.
The Saturday event kicked off with singing of the Ghanaian national anthem followed by the country's loyalty pledge. The anthem was sung in both English and Twi, a Ghanaian language, which is taught in Ohio University's department of Linguistics.
Most of the participants turned up in African attire. They were treated to poetry, High Life music, Ghanaian games such as Toli and Ampe, and a host of Ghanaian delicacies such as Kenkey, Waakye, (rice and beans), and Eto, (mashed plantains). There were dance and fashion competitions and the winners of both received gifts from Ghanaian culture.
It was a very impressive night. It brought out the best in our culture in terms of food clothing and music. By welcoming and entertaining guests from all nationalities
our hospitality was well displayed
said Fidelia Kokoroko, a Ghanaian graduate student in the African Studies program.
Andrew Ofori-Birikorang, a Ghanaian graduate student in the African Studies program, said it is important that people of many nationalities celebrate the event.
Ghana is an important country to all the people of African decent
he said. Historically
it was the place in the West Coast of Africa where the slaves during the slave trade were gathered before being shipped to Europe and America. And today the country is being used to showcase democracy in Africa.
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Ernest Waititu
