From the pit of galamsey to our children

By Prince HODEDZI

From the stories we heard growing up, some of us concluded that our grandparents were fools to exchange our golds for mirrors and whiskey. We said our grandparents acted in this manner because they were ‘illiterates’.

May we not be surprised when our children in turn say we, their Parents, weren’t just fools but irresponsible adults. Because with all our acclaimed literacy and exposure, without compulsion and loaded guns to our heads as subjects, we voluntarily, with our own hands destroyed our lands, forest, crops, rivers,  and aquatic lifes for gold.

History will tell these to our children: History will tell our children, their parents were not at war with United States of America, Russia or North Korea, yet they willfully poisoned their own water bodies.

History will tell our children, their parents  —unlike their  grandparents— were not slaves to the Britain, Portuguese and Dutch. Their parents were slaves to greed and corruption.

History will tell our children, their parents were irresponsible. Their parents inherited lands arable enough to make them the leading exporter of cocoa in the world. But bequeathed to them lands that could barely grow a grain of corn. Their parents stripped them of the bragging rights and gains as the net exporter of cocoa.

Let it be known to our children that their parents have caused some innocent children undeserving pains because of sheer greed. For some of their brothers and sisters born with deformities was as a result of ingesting water and foods (from Galamsey sites) filled with heavy metals and chemicals while in the wombs of their mothers.

Their parents gleefully with impudence desecrated their future. A future, as matter of responsibility, should have been safeguarded in trust for them. After what history tell our children, they will wonder, with a battle of thoughts on their minds competing for reasoning.

They will wonder if their Parents had conscience. They will wonder if their parents had value for life. And they will wonder if their country is the only country blessed with golds.

Our days are numbered. The day of reckoning is upon us. For we face an existential threat. Our hands, we cannot throw in despair. We still have a window of opportunities to savage this dire situation.

We have a chance to cause History to tell our children a better story about their parents. The tale of history must smile on us and not curse us. Let us put to death our greed and irresponsibility and put to life our sense of responsibility and selflessness. Because our children deserve better.

>>>the writer is a youth empowerment advocate who serves as head of operations at Codenation 1957(Code57). He can be reached via [email protected] and or 0546346870

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