Myths of Modernity

In my development classes, we have been learning about the history behind what has caused such unequal wealth distribution and living quality across the world. It is really incredible how a minority of the world's population can alter history and shift events. I wonder where Ghana, and other countries labeled as "underdeveloped," would be had African inhabitants not been coerced into colonialism. With the slave trade, ignorance and disregard for native inhabitant's traditions and identity, and the international labor distribution the Western world imposed on other nations, countries like Ghana inevitably lost much of the cultural fiber that held their societies together. And even when Ghana and other African countries started to gain independence from their British colonizers in the mid-1900s, they were at a disadvantage to quickly start up a successful nation and government because of this loss of social continuity. Even with their independence, the affects of colonialism are still very much present. Ghanaians are still dependent on farming cocoa, and selling it to the West, where companies like Cadbury become wealthier and Ghanaians remain poor.

One of the biggest lessons I have taken so far from learning about the history behind colonialism and development is that Western mentality has often been sucked down the narrow-minded drain of modernity. We gauge success and advancement based on how much technology a society has. Intelligence and competence are represented by computers and gadgets. However, with the post-modernism movement, it is finally starting to be somewhat understood that technological advancement and the Western version of being "modern" may not be what is best for the rest of the world. I want to remember this as I prepare for Ghana. I need to change my thinking, because technology and the constant flow of information that comes with it, literally shapes my consciousness. This could be very limiting to the ways I allow myself to attempt to understand Ghanaian culture, and the things the people value. Therefore, I will try to open my mind to see the other elements that make a people competent, skilled, and happy - ways that may be extremely different from the lifestyle in America.