What does it take to be patriotic? What does it mean to love your country? Is it selfish to want better for a country you know has so much potential to be more?
Patriotism is a word many people like to throw around, especially when it comes at no personal cost.
It is easy to claim to be patriotic when there is absolutely nothing at stake but pride in your heart. But when it comes at the cost of your livelihood, future prospects and even your health, would it still be a worthy endeavor?
Patriotism is regarded as a rather noble endeavor, an exercise borne from a place of love for one’s country of birth. However, in Ghana these days, your act of patriotism could cost you all you have ever worked for.
Participating in a peaceful protest aimed at securing the future of the nation is an act of patriotism. But in this dispensation, being a patriotic Ghanaian could land you in some of the filthiest prisons on the continent.
Take Oliver Barker-Vormawor and the peaceful protestors who were only recently released after getting illegally arrested for protesting the pollution of our water bodies through galamsey, for example. They shared the same fate with hardened criminals, and all they did was stand up and speak out for the country.
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Charges have been dropped, but the damage has already been done. Some of the jailed protesters have lost livelihoods and opportunities. Benjamin Darko, who was not even at the protests himself somehow got arrested too for being associated with those detained.
He took to X to make a heartfelt statement. He chronicled how his patriotism has taken him back to square one. This has caused him to prematurely retire from activism.
Going through such an ordeal as a young person is certainly demoralizing. Nobody would want to voluntarily sign up for activism knowing what is at stake. This is a deliberate attempt to discourage voices of dissent. It reflects a broader pattern of intimidation faced by patriots and activists in Ghana.
A country that prides itself on being a beacon of democracy must not stifle patriotism. It cannot severely punish its citizens for holding authorities accountable. What is a country without citizens who love it enough to fight for it even at the peril of their lives? And what does it say about a government when it silences all those who disagree with the recklessness with which they have handled the nation?
SOURCE: theloudlaymen.com
Excellent analysis and explanation,ama pencil many thanks.