Analysis

How Colonialism, Christianity, and Missionary Education Destroyed African Culture and Transformed Africans

Mensah Adinkrah1 month ago1 month ago05 mins

With colonialism came missionaries who sought to convert Africans to Christianity and, in the process, reshape African ways of life. This encounter was not culturally neutral. It involved a systematic attempt—sometimes subtle, often overt—to redefine African identity, values, and social institutions. While missionary education brought literacy and formal schooling, it also carried profound cultural consequences…

Are Criminals Born or Made?

Mensah Adinkrah2 months ago2 months ago04 mins

Are people born criminals, or do they learn to become criminal? Is there a “crime gene”? Can criminal behavior be inherited, or do people have control over their actions? These questions have intrigued scholars, parents, and the public for decades. Some people assume that crime is inherited. They look at families where multiple members have…

Dear Africans: Don’t Confuse “Fear” with “Respect”

Mensah Adinkrah2 months ago2 months ago03 mins

Oftentimes, in Africa, people conflate respect with fear, treating them as if they are interchangeable. Yet within Akan moral language, a clear distinction is maintained between fɛreɛ (respect) and suro (fear). To say “me fɛre wo” is fundamentally different from “me suro wo.” The former connotes esteem, regard, and moral acknowledgment; the latter signals apprehension,…

Symbols of Success in Ghanaian Society: What is “The Ghanaian Dream”?

Mensah Adinkrah3 months ago3 months ago04 mins

In every society, there are culturally accepted symbols of success. There are also culturally approved means for attaining these symbols of success. These aspirations and goals form what can be called a society’s “dream.” In the same way that some people speak of their national dream, it is possible to speak of the Ghanaian Dream…

How Colonialism Changed Africa

Mensah Adinkrah3 months ago3 months ago07 mins

The Slave Trade and Demographic Devastation When we talk about Africa today—its borders, its languages, its religions, its politics—we are also talking about colonialism. The Africa we know in the twenty-first century did not emerge naturally from the past. It was profoundly shaped by centuries of foreign intrusion, exploitation, and rule. To understand present-day Africa,…

Why Are Ghanaian “Witches” 99% Female?

Mensah Adinkrah4 months ago4 months ago03 mins

In Ghana, the overwhelming majority of people accused of witchcraft are women and girls. Nearly all victims killed during witch hunts are female. In the so-called “witch camps” or “outcast homes” in northern Ghana, it is rare to find a man among the residents. The population is almost entirely women—elderly women, widows, divorced women, poor…

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency in Ghana

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago4 months ago03 mins

Children and the Future of the Nation Children are the future of every society. When a nation fails to nurture and guide its children properly, it mortgages its own future. Ghana today faces a troubling situation: unless deliberate efforts are made to mould children into disciplined, responsible, and law-abiding citizens, the consequences will be felt…

Alcohol Abuse in Ghana: Social, Economic, and Health Consequences

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago03 mins

Irresponsible alcohol consumption has become a growing social problem in Ghana, with serious consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Some drinkers spend a large proportion of their income on alcohol, leaving little or nothing for basic necessities such as food, clothing, rent, medication, and utilities. For those with spouses and dependent children, excessive spending on…

The Pains of Incarceration in Ghana: What Prison Really Means

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago05 mins

Imprisonment, also known as incarceration, is one of the most severe penalties imposed by courts in Ghana and elsewhere. Judges and magistrates have several sentencing options at their disposal, including fines, probation, community service, and custodial sentences. Prison is usually reserved for people convicted of serious offences such as robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and murder….

Feminism Should Not Frighten Us

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago2 months ago02 mins

Feminism Is Not a Dirty Word Sexism is wrong. It is prejudice and discrimination against people because of their sex or gender. In many societies, including Ghana, sexist attitudes are often directed at women and girls. These attitudes show up in everyday behavior—how women are spoken to, how their abilities are questioned, and how their…

Rising Divorce in Ghana: Why Many Marriages Are Failing

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago04 mins

In the past, Ghanaian marriages were widely regarded as enduring unions. Separations were rare, and divorce was uncommon. Marriages were expected to last a lifetime, sustained not only by the couple but also by their extended families and lineages. Today, however, the situation has changed dramatically. Marital breakdowns are increasingly common, and divorce has become…

The Effects of Wife-Beating in Ghana

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago05 mins

When Two Elephants Fight, the Earth Underneath Suffers Marriage is ideally meant to be a source of companionship, love, and emotional security between husband and wife. Yet in Ghana, as in many societies across the world, the promise of marital bliss is too often shattered by domestic violence, particularly wife-beating. While both men and women…

A Ghanaian Perspective on Crime, Justice, and Social Control

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago06 mins

Punishment is a central feature of every organized society, including Ghana. While rewards are designed to encourage conformity and socially approved behavior, punishment exists to negatively sanction deviant behavior. When individuals act in ways that align with societal norms, they are often rewarded through praise, status, social recognition, or material benefits. When they violate those…

What Is Punishment—and Why Do Societies Punish?

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago04 mins

Punishment is a central feature of every organized society. While rewards are designed to encourage conformity and socially approved behavior, punishment exists to negatively sanction deviant behavior. When individuals act in ways that align with societal norms, they are often rewarded through praise, status, or material benefits. When they violate those norms, society—or its authorized…

Cohabitation in Ghanaian Society: Living Together Without Being Married

Mensah Adinkrah5 months ago5 months ago04 mins

Cohabitation refers to an intimate arrangement in which a man and a woman live together in a shared residence without being formally married. While cohabitation has become increasingly common in many contemporary societies, it is generally frowned upon in Akan society and regarded as socially improper. Within the Akan marital system, there is a strong…

Road to World Cup 26 I: Ghana’s Lightning Strike — The Fastest Goal of the 2006 World Cup

Ordeals of Stardom in Sports: The Ghanaian story

African Soldiers and the Spread of Football During World War I

The Wisdom of My Mother: Lessons in Self-Reliance from a Ghanaian Childhood

From Childhood Struggles to Professional Triumph: How a Father’s Vision Problems Inspired His Daughter to Become a Doctor of Optometry

Nationwide Reaction to the Suarez Handball Incident

Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwamena: A Pillar of Development in Kwahu Nkwatia

Why Kwahus Are Proudly Called Obuoba

The Rise and Fall of Ghana Airways: Africa’s Forgotten Airline Giant

Exploits and achievements of Ghana’s “Dream Team”

Symbols of Success in Ghanaian Society: What is “The Ghanaian Dream”?

How Colonialism Changed Africa