We need continue to foster tolerance, mutual cooperation and understanding in our society. This article is partly inspired by an earlier feature article on Ghanaweb entitled The Shackles of Religion in Ghana.

In Ghana three religions exist hand in hand. They are time time-old traditional religious practices (animism), Islam and Christianity. There are also a small minority who say they are atheists or agnostic (not the same thing) or do not believe in anything, yet consciously or subconsciously these folks often believe in science.

So let those who want to be Christians continue to be Christians. Let those who want to be Muslim continue to be Muslim. However also let those who want to remain true to our original animist religion and to the varied facets of our culture related to that religion be given the chance to do so without condemnation or stigma.

Ghanaians have come to be known as a peaceful people. Instilling an atmosphere of tolerance, mutual cooperation and understanding will pull together our unique strengths. What is important for all Ghanaians is to foster an atmosphere of tolerance, mutual cooperation and understanding. Together with our motto 'Freedom and Justice', ours can turn out to be a truly unique society.

My personal stand on the religion issue is a biased leaning towards the traditional religious practices as they seem to me to be the closest reflection of the original spirituality of Africans. I however do not go about condemning Christians and Muslims nor do I attempt to save anyone. Looking at human history over the last two thousand or so years, one may come to be painfully aware of the negative wars and different forms of oppression carried out in the name of the Christian and Muslim religions. There are however tons of people who have also found peace, meaning and personal truth through the study and acceptance of these two religions so I don't judge them but am happy for them to personally express their freewill and choice of religious practice.

With education anything is possible. It is true that Christianity and Islam are not the original religious practices of Africa although it is also interesting to observe how many African countries have evolved their own versions of Christian and Muslim forms of worship. In Ghana, the spiritual churches, even though some may deny it, have some similarities to the original African religion in their forms of celebration and worship. Even in the highly formulaic Catholic church nowadays charismatic bands have introduced free form singing, drumming and dancing. There are also churches like the Musama Disco Christo Church who broke away from conventional European church style to create a form of Christianity quite similar to traditional African spirituality.

In Senegal for instance, the predominantly Islamic people have created their own form of Islam. Contemporary Christians have their prophets while Muslims have their Marabouts and holy men. All one has to do is visit their holy city of Touba in Senegal to see African people in action, it is perhaps as impressive as going to Mecca. Touba is for the Senegalese, by the Senegalese and it is an impressive place.

Ghana today as a model for the rest of Africa will have a society with a wide range of individuals. Some individuals will be more interested in doing a good job in the business, economy and the industry side of things. That's good. Some individuals will be more interested in the academic, educational and research side of things. That's great. Yet some individuals will be interested in maintaining institutions that promote and develop our varied cultures and that maintain educational programs to ensure that the youth are not only given western education but also are made aware of their culture and that of the world at large. That's also great. There will be those who want to promote clean technologies, environmental causes and sustainable development. That is essential especially for a country like Ghana in its ambition to be a role model not only for democratic elections but also for responsible development. Some will be into theatre, the arts and entertainment. Kudos to them and more Ghanaian movies and music for the rest of us. Certainly there will be those interested in politics and government. Ghana needs to continue to have able and responsible leaders. We should also be grateful for the positive role everyone else plays (Doctors, Lawyers, Farmers, market women, school teachers etc) to make Ghanaian society what it is. The idea here is to acknowledge how important various concerted efforts are to create a society and a vibrant nation unlike any other that exists in Africa or indeed anywhere else in the world. To a large extent this is already happening in Ghana but the hope is to have things continue that way, in a positive manner.

To lose our culture will be a most sad thing. Japan, a country that has the second strongest economy in the world and is touted for its technological and industrial advances still has a strong and unique link with old Japanese culture. Even today the ancestors are still revered all over Japan, in ancestral shrines, so much so that the leader of the Japanese people sometimes visits a shrine. Japan, a country that learned a lot from the German model during the turn of the past century took that knowledge and turned it into something that works uniquely for the Japanese. Likewise Ghana as a model for African countries should maintain its unique cultures and not become a monolithic photocopy 'westernized' country. I don't think this will happen. Ghana is a multiethnic, multicultural vibrant society with a great number of creative and talented individuals both at home and away.

Young Ghanaian children should learn about the culture of their particular ethnic group and then also about those of other ethnic groups. Children should be encouraged to learn traditional values of respect for elders and caring for their siblings and all other good values. But I do agree that it is difficult for some Christians or Muslims to delve into aspects of our traditional religions because of their beliefs. I hope such Ghanaians will however not condemn or interfere with individuals and groups who are believers and practitioners of the animist religion since it is through these individuals non aligned to either Christianity or Islam that certain aspects of our traditions are likely to survive and flourish in their original form. With tolerance, mutual cooperation and understanding, Ghanaians can work out common problems and become great. After all, our motto is "Freedom and Justice". Let's not be divided by ethnicity, politics or religion instead let's celebrate our diversity of cultural, ethnic and religious expressions.

It is not the first time that various African groups have lived together in one state. It can be argued that in the ancient kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai many ethnic African people lived and worked together. Today our people have all been brought together under one national banner. Ghana can become a model for other African countries based on what we ourselves had already achieved before the Europeans arrived. Granted there are significant differences between those old cultures and times and current democratic states but the idea is to foster a sense of unity and purpose, the purpose being to build a progressive nation unlike any other in Africa and in deed in the world.

It has been said on this forum that Ghana can become an oasis of development and a nation of enlightenment for all of Africa to emulate. I believe this is possible and quite likely, it always starts with a vision and today Ghanaians are 'pumped-up' and in good spirits after the successful elections. What an exciting time it is! Ghana, on the verge of unprecedented greatness.

-- Nana Kwame Danquah currently lives in Ghana and in the UK and can be reached at akwadapa@hotmail.com