Friday, January 1, 2010

TEMA CELEBRATES GOLDEN JUBILEE (PAGE 18, JAN 1)

A member of the Council of State, Mr Emmanuel Adjei Annang, has launched the 50th anniversary celebration of the resettlement of the people of Tema.
Fifty years ago, the people of indigenous Tema, then known as Manmomo (Old Town) were moved to Manhean (Newtown) to pave way for the modernisation and industrialisation of the area as well as the construction of a harbour for Ghana.
The year-long celebration will be marked with visits to indigenous landmarks and lectures to highlight their roots.
In his address, Mr Annang urged the people of Manhean to reflect on the sacrifices they made for the benefit the nation.
He recounted how the people were forcefully moved from their original homes and re-settled for the then government to build the Tema Harbour to convey equipment for the construction of the Akosombo Dam.
Mr Annang said because of in-fighting, the sacrifice they made had turned into a curse.
He explained that the sacrifice had not benefited the new generation of the indigenes of Tema but had rather created poverty in the area.
Mr Annang appealed to the elders to halt the sale of the lands and channel revenue accrued from the sale of landed property into the development and education of the people.
He also urged them to inculcate their cultural values into their children who are the assets of the area and discard outmoded cultural values.
Mr Annang was optimistic that all these would not be achieved if the people did not unite. He, therefore, urged them to unite.
He also appealed to the stool elders to play a vital role to ensure peace and development .
Mr Annang noted that with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the resettlement of the people of Tema , there should be a change to ensure positive development as a sign of their maturity .
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, recounted the history of Tema and how the people had to be resettled at the present site .
He mentioned some areas which still had some signs of Old Tema and called on residents of Tema who are currently occupying modern flats and houses at the expense of the indigenous people to join in the celebration to mark the movement of the people to modernise Tema into an industrial city .
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, commended the people for accepting their resettlement despite the difficulty it created for them.
He said by agreeing to the resettlement 50 years ago, the chiefs and people of Tema had taken a very bold and patriotic decision which had enabled the government at the time to roll out Ghana’s industrialisation.
Mr Ofosuware commended the people for their sacrifices that enabled Dr Kwame Nkrumah to implement his great visi on which Ghana had benefited from.

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