The recent continuous airing on TV stations of GMB 2022, visiting places of interest in faraway Dubai, evokes nostalgic feelings of our youthful days, especially those of us who happened to find ourselves in the harbour city of Tema in the 1970s. In those highly passionate moments, Tema community center was a place every kid would occasionally love to be.

Taking a trip down memory lane, weekends mostly found a greater number of Kids at Tema Community Center. In a skillfully decorated barricaded area within the Center are spectacular open-top miniature vehicles purposely assembled to suit kids within the age bracket of 6 to 14 years. A pesewa coin is all that one needs and this is inserted in a round designed compartment. The Driver then receives a signal and once the ignition knob is turned, the vehicle is good to go.

Apparently, as children, we would most often place down our hawking wares, hawking articles, ice water buckets; which our mothers and aunties expected us to make good sales; we will drive all day long with utmost enthusiasm, ‘damning the consequences’, forgetting we are on errands to hawk and render accounts after the day’s activity.

Emotionally, we would be so carried away in our delightful state of affair, to the extent that, we could lose most of our hawking stuff and articles to undesirable miscreants, whose foremost crave is to take advantage of the vulnerable ones; but woe betides anyone who dares point accusing fingers at these scoundrels, then you cease visiting the Center. You will definitely become their target of assault.

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Consequently, in the era of VALCO boom, miniature golf courses and many recreational facilities were provided at both Senior and Junior clubs in Tema. The golf course is succinctly configured in defined demarcations; it is so convoluted that it unequivocally radiates copious beauty to extent that having the opportunity to its proximity and besides playing golf alone ensures optimal gratification and contentment. Kids who are very fortunate to have access to play become envious of all.

Occasionally, at these Clubs, Kids are made to undertake a very rewarding game known as ‘EGG HUNTING’. In this connection, countless eggs are coated with varied watercolours, but fewer of these eggs are glazed with the colour ‘Golden Brown’, these are then covertly hidden or buried in innumerable selected spots. In the course of the hunting, the discovery of any of these golden brown eggs by these Kids earns exceptional prizes; and a superior committee of prominent personalities presides to award this.

It is significant to note that Tema Township was, unambiguously, built with many playgrounds, recreational facilities, and even provision of children's swimming pools scattered in defined areas within the various communities. The facilities were so relevant that it enhances the well-being of the children within the locality.

It promotes both psychological, physical and emotional well-being and inculcates self-confidence in kids. Additionally, the kids’ cognitive alertness are improved and this, no doubt, influences their learning prowess, both at home and in school.

Paradoxically, it is so unfortunate that over the years, virtually all the Playgrounds within the Tema metropolis, have been sold out, or taken over by certain elements, whilst TDC being the rightful administrators watched aloof. Dishearteningly, wooden kiosks, uncompleted structures and dens are what greet any visitor to such, hitherto, prudent facilities.

I must state without reservation that in contemporary times, the Tema Township has become a pale shadow of itself. It is difficult to identify a well-resourced recreational facility, geared towards inculcating good moral values in the life of the Ghanaian child. If my memory could serve me right, about three decades ago, a site very close to TEMASCO was acquired for development into a complex recreational facility that would inure to the benefit of kids within and outskirts of the city.

Today, as we speak now, the place is so bushy infested with pythons and other dangerous predators. What is practically left are remnants of a symbolic statue of a deadly serpent and pieces of items that have no value and significance, whatsoever, in our present dispensation.

Eccentrically, even in our present old age, we got so entangled in fun-making once we travel outside our jurisdiction. We enjoy much fun in Urban Water Parks and equally in the well-acclaimed Disneyland in various cities around the globe.

We take advantage of what other polities have researched, toiled and put in place, forgetting that we could also develop to transform our communities through the provision of these amusement parks that could similarly function as tourist destinations.

HUMBLE SUGGESTIONS

In this era of concomitant delinquency and hoodlums, playgrounds and recreational facilities are key to keep our kids in check as they progressively navigate through lives changing experiences. Consequently, it is time the authorities, clothed with powers, are made to congregate to fashion out rational schemes that would see to the provision of elaborate Children's Playgrounds and amusement parks.

In my conviction, the benefits would be so enormous that it will definitely extricate our Kids from, perhaps, all kinds of misdemeanors of different shades that have reared their ugly heads and continue to unleash devastations on the psyche of the contemporary child in this computerized age.

In my humble conclusion, I am passionately making a fervent appeal to TDC, TMA, the HON. Members of Parliament of the entire three constituencies of Tema enclave with the full backing of leading business entities to guarantee compatible and monumental playgrounds and amusement parks in the city of Tema.

This would definitely neutralize the negative effect of hooliganism often associated with our innocent kids and expose them to new ideas, new concepts, new frontiers, new perceptions and better attitudinal comportments’ that would, incontrovertibly, contribute to widening their scope of knowledge and understanding in all spheres of life.