The Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness (CenPOA) has called for the abolition of Founders’ Day, celebrated on August 4. According to CenPOA’s Executive Director, Michael Donyina Mensah, the holiday has failed to unify the country and has instead created division and distorted historical facts.
“The holiday intended to unite the country but has rather created division and distorted our history,” Mensah said. He argued that while recognizing the contributions of Ghana’s founders is important, using Founders’ Day to discredit Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the sole founder is dishonest and misleading.
Mensah’s comments were in response to President Akufo-Addo’s remarks rejecting the notion of Nkrumah as Ghana’s sole founder. “Nobody disputes that others contributed to our independence struggle,” Mensah noted. “However, the way the President made his remarks was unfortunate and did not represent the facts.”
CenPOA’s proposal to scrap Founders’ Day stems from the belief that the holiday no longer serves its intended purpose. “The idea behind the introduction of August 4 was good, but it seems the holiday has lost its focus and is no longer serving its purpose,” Mensah said.
He suggested that a future administration should consider removing the holiday. “This holiday cannot serve any useful purpose as it stands now. It’s beginning to represent division and confusion,” he stated.
Mensah also emphasized the need to review Ghana’s holidays to ensure they define the nation’s identity. “Several holidays are linked to our colonial past. We need holidays that celebrate important milestones and foster national unity,” he said.
He proposed that Independence Day should be the primary celebration of Ghana’s struggle for independence, without the need for multiple holidays marking various related events. “The holidays should be nationalistic, celebrate important milestones, and last forever,” Mensah added.
In his appeal, Mensah stressed the importance of unity. “The founders are supposed to come together in unity to build the country, but if this holiday represents division, then it is something we must do away with,” he concluded.
CenPOA plans to petition the next administration to scrap Founders’ Day and find a better alternative that promotes national unity and accurately reflects Ghana’s history. “We will petition a new government to scrap it,” Mensah said.
Source: Ghana Web
