Professor Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana Has noted that Ghana’s over-reliance on alien cultural values has distorted the self-image of the individual and the country in general.
Prof. Anyidoho made this remark while answering questions at a lecture he gave on “Culture and the Health of the Nation” as part of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) 2000 taking place at Ho. He said the imitation of foreign values without considering their suitability has led to experiments, which have failed to produce solutions to the country’s problems.
Prof. Anyidoho recommended that the country’s perception of development and modernity based on foreign standards rather than cultural values should be re-examined. He said her electoral system, for instance, does not afford some eligible voters the chance to understand and independently go through the process, which is based on foreign values.
On why Ghanaian languages are no longer core subjects at the senior secondary school level, he said the policy might have been changed because initial senior secondary school certificate examination results showed that the children of the elite class failed in them.
Prof. Anyidoho said proficiency in the local languages by education authorities would be a strong basis for achieving academic excellence relevant to the country’s developmental needs.
