On 6 March 1957, Ghana became the first country in Subsaharan Africa to achieve independence from its colonial masters. Ever since, Independence Day has been celebrated, and particularly the decennial celebrations have provided opportunities for taking stock, reflecting on past achievements and setting out national aims. But all Ghanaians regard ‘Ghana@50′, as the official orthography would have it, as a very special occasion that evokes both pride and critical reflection. Under the motto ‘championing African excellence’, the entire year is marked by manifold commemorative events sponsored by government, private businesses and individuals.
However, the jubilee’s organisation has provoked heated debates among government employees, politicians and the broader public over how inclusive and truly ‘national’ the official celebrations are and how the nation’s golden jubilee should be appropriately commemorated. The controversies touch on main three issues. First, political inclusiveness, i.e. who precisely should organise, finance and lead the celebrations - a government body (as is currently the case), a committee comprised of representatives from all political parties, or an ‘a-political’ organisation that includes, among others, chiefs and representatives from various professional associations. The second issue regards social inclusiveness, i.e. the extent to which the symbols, performances and festivities should address the ‘grass-roots’, or whether they are and should be restricted to the (political) elite. The third point of contention regards ethnic and regional inclusiveness, i.e. how evenly jubilee events and funds are geographically distributed and to which degree all regions and ethnic groups can identify with the festivities’ symbols and slogans.
More generally, such national celebrations render visible processes of nation building, with all their political implications, as well as their symbolic and discursive strategies. In coming years it will be interesting to observe other nations as they too celebrate themselves, for the types of controversies and the natures of the celebrations will provide a unique opportunity to witness first hand the various forms of nationalism and concepts of nationhood.