[b]"A GNA feature by Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq
Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - One of the frequently played Ghanaian pseudo-gospel songs goes, "Osambarima, la-la-la-la-laa- laaaaa.." Then the chorus: "Igwe. Igwe!" We in Ghana, interestingly, seem to be suffering from a chronic dependency syndrome in our approach to most aspects of life, all our talents and intelligence notwithstanding. The spirit of cherishing one's own continues to elude Ghanaians, giving rise to the craving for things foreign. Exalting anything and everything that emanates from outside, while downgrading/devaluing anything local.

This tendency is manifested in the way we dress, the way some of us walk, the kind of food we prefer to eat, the music and other works of art we appreciate and invariably the way we think and act. For those who wonder why campaigns by successive governments to popularize the patronage of "Made in Ghana" products fail to make the desired impact, this is your answer. Consequently, we have become a nation of consumers providing good market, employment and wealth for other nations that continue to flood our country with their products.

It is common to see a Ghanaian youngman smartly dressed up in a pair of jeans from the United States; a designer shirt from France; a pair of shoes from Italy; a belt from Brazil and an imitated 'Rolex' wrist watch made in China, while he continues to lament about unemployment in the country. In contemporary times, primarily as a result of the emergence of "Nollywood" (the Nigerian film industry) and the influx of Nigerian movies into Ghana, Ghanaian society and culture have begun to assume a new dimension.

In what may be described as a 'Nigerianisation' of our society, one cannot fail to notice the rapidity with which certain aspects of life from our sister West African nation, both desirable and undesirable, are gaining roots in the Ghanaian society.

This phenomenon can be seen in our local movies, our music (both popular and pseudo-gospel) in the way we speak even from our pulpits. Words like "Chineke", "Orga", "Wahala" and "Tufiakwa" have gained currency both in our music and in ordinary conversation. It is common to see some Ghanaian young men trying to imitate the Nigerian Pidgin English on our campuses and at workplaces. On the negative side of this influence, some observers this writer spoke to in the streets of Accra cited instances like '419' fraud, while others also point to endemic violent robbery as having been imported by Ghanaian hustlers, who returned from "Agege" following their expulsion by the Nigerian authorities in the 1970s.

Of course this is not to say that those vices did not exist in Ghana, or that this country was populated by angels prior to the advent of Agege. The crux of the argument lies in the intensity, frequency and sophistication of such crimes. On countless occasions the Nigerian High Commission in Accra has had to come out with caution notices for citizens of that country resident in Ghana. The inclusion of people bearing Nigerian names among armed robbers that are often nabbed by the Police has contributed in strengthening this perception. Far from being negative alone, it must be acknowledged that the Nigerian influence referred to herein also has some positive sides.

The growing popularity of the "agbada", "kaftan" and other indigenous African attire/fabric in Ghana today can be attributed to the Nigerian influence. Like them or not, no one can take away the credit due our Nigerian brothers and sisters for their dedication to indigenous culture/tradition. On a normal day, a Nigerian Chief Executive Officer (CEO) would go to the office in a three-piece "agbada" or gown, crowned with the customary indigenous cap, rather than a Western suit and tie. To a large extent, this cultural uniqueness of the Nigerian has been the underlying secret of the Nollywood success story and which we in Ghana must copy.

Today, Nigerian movies sell like hot cake not only across the African continent, but also in Europe and the Americas, thus generating employment and wealth for thousands of young men and young women in that country. Chinua Achebe's book "Things Fall Apart" has won global acclaim as a classic because of its originality and the vivid manner he portrays indigenous Nigerian/Ibo culture in the book Another development from the Nigerian influence worthy of commendation is the collaboration between Ghanaian and Nigerian actors, which has undeniably brought a cast improvement in the Ghanaian movie industry so far.

The fusion of different ideas can only enrich creativity and yield immense benefits for the two sides involved. It is on this score that the two governments (Ghana and Nigeria) need to encourage and support such collaborative efforts in the interest of cultural cooperation, which both the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union Charters seek to promote.

Throughout history, societies and nations that have made it are those that have taken pride in their indigenous way of life, maximized the use of local resources while curtailing the taste for foreign goods. Check it from China, India, Malaysia and Japan, among other countries. Therefore, if it would take the influence of our Nigerian brothers and sisters for us to rediscover/revive our rich cultural heritage, foster a strong sense of belonging and eradicate the foreign taste from Ghanaian society, so be it!

The opinion of this Writer with regard to the subject of imitation is that even though it may not be an entirely bad practice to pick an idea or two from foreign lands, it should not become a permanent habit as that could kill indigenous initiative/creativity and give rise to a dependency syndrome and lead to some form of mental/cultural colonization. In instances where one adopts a foreign idea, especially in the literary and entertainment spheres, the smart thing to do is to modify or improve upon it rather than applying it verbatim, thereby exposing oneself to sanctions under existing Copyright Laws. It is heart-warming to note that the directive requiring Ghanaian civil servants to wear indigenous attire to work on Fridays is yielding positive results, but there is still room for improvement. The objective of that policy would have been achieved when Ghanaians in both the public and private sectors come to appreciate our locally-made products, and don themselves in rich African fabrics each day of the week rather than Fridays only.

Let us Ghanaians take pride in what we have and express without apology for being Ghanaians and Africans on every convenient occasion.

Having said that, it must, however, be emphasized that the logical starting point for nurturing a sustainable citizenship consciousness and national pride is right from the pre-school level, through primary to junior and senior high schools. The concept must be enshrined in the school curricula, with parents lending a hand of support in the homes.

It is not too late yet, and the earlier the relevant Ministries took up the challenge the better it would be for both the present and future generations."[/b]
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=190916

BBC news special on How Nigeria Impacted The Rest Of Africa
https://www.nairaland.com/777550/bbc-news-special-nigerias-impact
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11429067

another article on the topic: http://www.nigeriafilms.com/news/9056/33/a-growing-nigerianisation-of-ghanaian-society.html

One word for article and writer : "Kwasia" !

ifyalways: One word for article and writer : "Kwasia" !

lol, wow, are you Ghanian? any way what is your views of why you think the article and the writer of the article are fools? just curious?

@Post

I understand what the writer of the article is saying but we live in a globalized world where everyone seems to be copying everyone. In our dear Nigeria, you have many Nigerian youths and adults under age 40 trying to act american, dress like them and even speak like them. You have Nigerian youths who use perverse language and cuss like a sailor because they see americans cuss all over the place and think it is cool to act that way.

I have watched some Ghanian movies and I think that sometimes they try to emulate the west by showcasing alot of love scenes in their movies. The use of foul language is also prevalent in Ghanian movies such as '4Play' and '4Play reloaded', 'Best Friends' and the likes where the F-word and B-word is casually thrown around. What I am curious to know is why the writer concludes that the Ghanian society is growing to become Nigerianized when in actuality Ghanian youths seem to emulate americans/the west more just like their Nigerian counterparts. All over English speaking Africa we say 'Hi' when greeting people nowadays except for when greeting the elderly. Does it mean our societies are now americanized?

As for some Ghanians singing "Igwe, Igwe", it reminded me of a gospel song I clicked on while on youtube. I was listening to some Nigerian worship videos on youtube and then I saw a song titled 'IGWE' so I clicked on the video to listen to it. It happened to be a compilation of songs by a Liberian female gospel group and the first song has the chorous 'Igwe'. My first thought was, they speak Igbo in Liberia? LOL Then I was listening to one of my favourite Liberian gospel artists namely Minister Eveine Natt Kamara and there is this song she sang called "I'm Blessed". In the song she sings in english for the first 1 minute 27 seconds and the rest of the song (6:29 minutes in total length) is in yoruba where the chorus is 'Ewa gbami gbe Jesu ga' (sorry if I wrote that wrong. I am not an expert in the yoruba language).

So, does this mean Nigerians are Nigerianizing Liberia too? I think not. So the writer needs to calm down and take a deep breath. We live in a global village and due to technology, people are being exposed to other cultures besides theirs at a very fast pace. I agree with the writer that we need to retain our respective cultural values and not throw them away but at the same time, we should not be so paranoid about emulating one or two good things from other cultures if need be. Sorry for the long post.

dasparrow: @Post

I understand what the writer of the article is saying but we live in a globalized world where everyone seems to be copying everyone. In our dear Nigeria, you have many Nigerian youths and adults under age 40 trying to act american, dress like them and even speak like them. You have Nigerian youths who use perverse language and cuss like a sailor because they see americans cuss all over the place and think it is cool to act that way.

I have watched some Ghanian movies and I think that sometimes they try to emulate the west by showcasing alot of love scenes in their movies. The use of foul language is also prevalent in Ghanian movies such as '4Play' and '4Play reloaded', 'Best Friends' and the likes where the F-word and B-word is casually thrown around. What I am curious to know is why the writer concludes that the Ghanian society is growing to become Nigerianized when in actuality Ghanian youths seem to emulate americans/the west more just like their Nigerian counterparts. All over English speaking Africa we say 'Hi' when greeting people nowadays except for when greeting the elderly. Does it mean our societies are now americanized?

As for some Ghanians singing "Igwe, Igwe", it reminded me of a gospel song I clicked on while on youtube. I was listening to some Nigerian worship videos on youtube and then I saw a song titled 'IGWE' so I clicked on the video to listen to it. It happened to be a compilation of songs by a Liberian female gospel group and the first song has the chorous 'Igwe'. My first thought was, they speak Igbo in Liberia? LOL Then I was listening to one of my favourite Liberian gospel artists namely Minister Eveine Natt Kamara and there is this song she sang called "I'm Blessed". In the song she sings in english for the first 1 minute 27 seconds and the rest of the song (6:29 minutes in total length) is in yoruba where the chorus is 'Ewa gbami gbe Jesu ga' (sorry if I wrote that wrong. I am not an expert in the yoruba language).

So, does this mean Nigerians are Nigerianizing Liberia too? I think not. So the writer needs to calm down and take a deep breath. We live in a global village and due to technology, people are being exposed to other cultures besides theirs at a very fast pace. I agree with the writer that we need to retain our respective cultural values and not throw them away but at the same time, we should not be so paranoid about emulating one or two good things from other cultures if need be. Sorry for the long post.

Excellent response, took the words out of my mouth

is it westernized to enjoy sex? ghanians embrace sensuality, showing it in the movies is just their way of expressing themselves, nigerians not doing it is just another show of hypocrisy, given nigerians are promiscuous people.

I think it is a two way thing. Ghanian influence is found very much in the evolved traditional Igbo music which is now "Highlife". It is a fusion of old Ghanian music with Igbo instruments and language. Nigerians also make some of their traditional clothes with Ghanian fabrics.

queensmith: is it westernized to enjoy sex? ghanians embrace sensuality, showing it in the movies is just their way of expressing themselves, nigerians not doing it is just another show of hypocrisy, given nigerians are promiscuous people.

sorry I disagree, Ghanians don't show sensuality in their movies, maybe a few like a perfect picture but in some of their movies it is just porn(ex. Hot fork, 4play, kiss me if you can, heart of men, and etc is not sensuality). Nigerians don't do it for the most part because it is a more conservative society then ghanians. Lastly it is not only about the sexuality but in Ghanian movies their is more western flair then Ghanian flair in their movies compared to Nollywood.

anonymous6:

sorry I disagree, Ghanians don't show sensuality in their movies, maybe a few like a perfect picture but in some of their movies it is just porn(ex. Hot fork, 4play, kiss me if you can, heart of men, and etc is not sensuality). Nigerians don't do it for the most part because it is a more conservative society then ghanians. Lastly it is not only about the sexuality but in Ghanian movies their is more western flair then Ghanian flair in their movies compared to Nollywood.

i meant to say sexuality but i wasnt sure if it will be edited.

We don't have a conservative society, lets stop lying to ourselves. The std rates are sky high because nigerians are dem promiscuous.
Ghanaian embrace sex, i do not see anything wrong with that, they even have a porn industry. If you are sexual people whats wrong with expressing it? Nigerias larger problem stems from the facade. Just because we don't show it in the movies or play it in the songs doesnt mean it doesnt exist?

queensmith:

i meant to say sexuality but i wasnt sure if it will be edited.

We don't have a conservative society, lets stop lying to ourselves. The std rates are sky high because nigerians are dem promiscuous.
Ghanaian embrace sex, i do not see anything wrong with that, they even have a porn industry. If you are sexual people whats wrong with expressing it? Nigerias larger problem stems from the facade. Just because we don't show it in the movies or play it in the songs doesnt mean it doesnt exist?

We do have a more conservative society then ghanians when it comes to the movie industry, I am not saying Nigerians are perfect but they are not as ghanians when it comes to their direct sexuality in their moves, so overall they are conservative. In the Yoruba Nollywood movies industry and Kannywood you rarely see that and Nollywood movies well most of them don't have sexuality in it.

examples: http://www.ghanatoghana.com/Ghanahomepage/ghana-porn-movie-adult-only-watch
http://www.nollywoodgossip.net/2011/12/18/adults-only-shocking-ghana-porn-movie-video/
https://www.nairaland.com/738505/rise-x-rated-movies-ghollywood-movie
http://nollywoodrave..com/2012/01/porn-fame-whores-and-ghana-movies.html

queensmith:

i meant to say sexuality but i wasnt sure if it will be edited.

We don't have a conservative society, lets stop lying to ourselves.

Look at how the Nigerian government banned gays vs. the Ghanian government didn't ban them, is just a example

Its better that thousands of Nigerian youth are in Ghanaian universities than in Europe where any fool would try to downgrade them as niggers. But this man is instigating bad blood, perhaps for well disguised religious purposes. And it wont work. He cant start any kind of haram in Ghana. And he cant do anything about Nigerians, who're too much for European racists, how much more on African soil. IGWE, Oba nla, Oba t'ogaaaaa!

ckkris: Its better that thousands of Nigerian youth are in Ghanaian universities than in Europe where any fool would try to downgrade them as niggers. But this man is instigating bad blood, perhaps for well disguised religious purposes. And it wont work. He cant start any kind of haram in Ghana. And he cant do anything about Nigerians, who're too much for European racists, how much more on African soil. IGWE, Oba nla, Oba t'ogaaaaa!

Cosign 100%; what the author is instigating?, I really don't know though

Is the word Nigerianisation not enough to create problems? Why is this man, I won't even cite his name, parroting the opinion of BBC? Oyinbo people say they're superior, so we leave them, to eat their superiority, and send our children to Ghana, where no one will molest them. Their own money is never enough for them. Suddenly they begin to engineer confusion, and find one nonsense man to amplify it, and one mumu anonymous to post non-existing cultural issues in Nairaland. I was taught about Ghana in Primary One, and Ghanaians have been familiar with Nigeria. If we speak any language how that one come concern oyinbo. Is it good to know more than one African language. Any evil they plan for us we reject, and return them back to sender.

ckkris: Is the word Nigerianisation not enough to create problems? Why is this man, I won't even cite his name, parroting the opinion of BBC? Oyinbo people say they're superior, so we leave them, to eat their superiority, and send our children to Ghana, where no one will molest them. Their own money is never enough for them. Suddenly they begin to engineer confusion, and find one nonsense man to amplify it, and one mumu anonymous to post non-existing cultural issues in Nairaland. I was taught about Ghana in Primary One, and Ghanaians have been familiar with Nigeria. If we speak any language how that one come concern oyinbo. Is it good to know more than one African language. Any evil they plan for us we reject, and return them back to sender.

ok let me get this straight because I posted a article that is a cultural issue(not a non-cultural issue) on Nairaland for the fact that I am not the first person bringing this to light even though I have no part in the article and I won't be the last I am all of a sudden MUMU. Based on what you posted you are the mumu because no matter how you twist this, it is a cultural issue if Ghana WEB and Nigerian online news adds these articles unto their sites, especially since many people are still talking about this article till now on some of these sites and here on Nairaland about ghana vs. Nigerians: http://www.nigeriafilms.com/news/9056/33/a-growing-nigerianisation-of-ghanaian-society.html

There must be many mumu's including the owners of Ghana web and etc because based on what you said any one who talks about this is mumu because to you it is a "non cultural issue", well it is as far as I am concerned and the author himself, which is his right, talks about the cultural issues he thinks it is a problem. You may want to even call the Op who posted this same article before me a mumu as well: https://www.nairaland.com/520508/growing-nigerianisation-ghanaian-society

Next time think before you write things, and if you want respect you need to earn it because some of the things you mentioned about it being from the BBC is nutts to me as far as I am concerned, because BBC is not the ones who started this at all and have nothing to do with this what so ever because they didn't start this Ghana vs. Nigeria at all(it is up to both communities to stop the tug of war, no matter how small it is). Nobody is saying Nigerians can't school in Ghana or vice versa and that will always happen but the main issue this is a issue because I see this also mentioned on Youtube amongst Nigerians and ghanians. To me personally I have no issues with Ghanians but it doesn't change the fact of what the author brought to light, and if it is issue to the author you must be sure other have the same opinion which is a known fact.

Don't insult me just because I did something I have the right to do or call me somebody used to cause a issue(which has already been a issue) based on you nuttso conspiracy theories. These are the issues that should be discussed not 24/7 on beauty threads, and etc. next time go and express you anger to the author not to me, you have a right to a opinion but if you are going to insult me, for sure you will get it right back MR MUMU CK

There will never be any matter of Ghana vs Nigeria outside the regular entertaining football matches.