We are getting to the final lap of this awesome series which I titled My Desk because it captures my thoughts on the day to day happening in Ghana while I run through my daily activities. I have taken the chance to write about youth unemployment, period tax, entrepreneurship, flooding, town and country planning, building and architecture, digital skills training and education, and the perceived Ghanaian dream, through this mind-boggling series. In today’s piece, I will focus on how we document our lives as a people. And so like always, you’re invited to sit with me by My Desk as we have a sizzling discussion.

Get it straight

Do not get me wrong, I love Ghana to bits. My posts are in no way intended to denigrate anyone’s efforts or contributions made towards national development in the past. Some of the articles I write are on everyday conversations that we have with our friends and colleagues at home, events or even at the workplace. However, my worry today is on how stories of Ghanaian torchbearers and inventors are not fully told or documented in one piece for referencing or archival purposes. We want to know how some notable Ghanaians started out in life, snippets of their journey, their achievements, people they mentored, and what have you.

Notable personalities

The lives of great leaders and living legends like John Agyekum Kuffour, Apostle Kwadwo Safo Katanka, Elizabeth Ohene, Prof Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Hellen Hagan, Madam Joyce Aryee, among others, for instance, need to be told through movies, books and documentaries. This will inspire other young Ghanaians to learn from their achievements.

Movies and documentaries about famous Ghanaians like Judge Annie Jiagge, Abedi Pele, Emphraim Amu, Adjoa Andoh (of Bridgetton fame), Ama Ata Aidoo, Esther Ocloo (Nkulenu fame), just to mention a few, will go a long way to guide and motivate the younger generation.

Special mentions

Special acknowledgment to producers of the documentary film titled, When Women Speak. This documentary which tells the stories of women’s contributions in the post colonial and current political systems in Ghana, is a must watch. The producers did a good job revisiting past and present achievements of some notable Ghanaian women in Ghana’s politics. Watching the documentary gave me ideas on how critical women involvement in the socio-economic development of a nation has been.

Young entrepreneurs

There have been several contributions of young Ghanaian entrepreneurs such as Farmerline, mPedigree, Sesi Technologies, mPharma, Developers in Vogue, Hacklab Foundation, Young at Heart, Caveman Watches, in the development of the nation. The stories and journeys of these entrepreneurs can be put together to give a roadmap on how entrepreneurship in Ghana runs. Although there have been interviews to guide us through their journeys, I believe that documentaries on their daily activities will go a long way to impact generations.

Diasporans

Ghanaians living abroad should join in the campaign. They can collaborate with some of Ghana’s creatives and filmmakers to inculcate appropriate storytelling techniques into our movies, music videos, books, theatre performances, comedy skits, and documentaries. The diasporans can also help the locals to assess funding for such projects which will go a long way to boost not only our entertainment and tourism industries, but also, increase foreign investment opportunities for the nation.

Conclusion

It is true that not all these personalities would want their lives out there in the media. However, the few who buy into the idea and collaborate to put their stories out there are the real MVPs that we all aspire to be like. We must make a deliberate effort in telling our stories or else our history will be retold by people who have no idea what we have been through in the past.

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