A piece of my mind: Intimidating Ghanaian traditions and proverbs
A lecturer once said that most African proverbs and traditions are the reasons most African kids are not confident. I agree with him. I grew up in Ghana, so I would like to narrow it down to Ghanaian proverbs and traditions and examine their impact on the confidence level of Ghanaian children. But before I begin, allow me to remind you of a story the late ace broadcaster and BBC World News Anchor Komla Dumor once shared. The Late Komla Dumor, (may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace) once made a joke out of an incident that confirms how people know Ghanaians to be timid. It was Komla’s first time of meeting one of Nigeria’s renowned economists, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He introduced himself by saying ‘hello madam, am Komla from the BBC.’ Then the woman said ‘oh Kola, how are you?’ Komla then replied ‘excuse me ma, my name is Komla and I’m from Ghana.’ Then the woman replied ‘really, and you are so confident’. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala could not just place confident Komla Dumor among...