LET'S PROMOTE RESPECT FOR THE DIVERSITY OF CULTURES, RELIGIONS AND ETHNICITY-NCCE

he National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) commemorates International Day for Tolerance with Ghanaians and the world as a whole. The theme for this year is “Tolerance is Respect, Acceptance, and Appreciation of the Rich Diversity of Our World’s Cultures, Our Forms of Expression and Ways of Being Human”.

The day is every 16th of November each year since its inception in 1995. It is marked to denounce intolerance and celebrate the mutual respect and understanding between people of different cultures.

The United Nations (UN) defines tolerance as respect, appreciation, and acceptance of the diversity of the world’s cultures and all the ways that we are human. It is the right of a person to receive love and tolerance and should be expected to be practiced by not just individuals, but groups and states (UNESCO 2017). This reflects the philosophy of Ubuntu, which literary means “I am because we are,” or “humanity towards other”, being that your sense of self is shaped by your relationship with other people, recognizing each other's uniqueness and differences.

However, the world has experienced violence, intolerance, injustice, racism, marginalization, and discrimination against a person or groups of persons. This has affected groups and individuals across nations. All these have to be avoided to foster tolerance and development all over the world.

Likewise, Ghana has had its share of intolerance over the years ranging from pollical, religious, and ethnic among others. There have been a few isolated cases and instances where Muslim women have been prevented from wearing their hijab by certain institutions, Muslim students are compelled to attend church services, or Christian students have been compelled to attend Muslim congregational prayers. These cases need the attention and interventions of stakeholders and opinion leaders (World Bulletin 2015). Also, Ghana has experienced ethnic conflicts and litigations which have lasted for decades leading to many casualties. This, as a result, has created a deep-rooted hatred between groups that have been passed on from one generation to the other. Intolerance has also caused clashes between political parties, security agencies, and civilians. It is against this backdrop that the NCCE calls on all global citizens including Ghanaians to imbibe the culture of tolerance to help promote a just and peaceful world.

The 1992 Constitution buttresses this in Article 35 (5) and states that “The State shall actively promote the integration of the people of Ghana and prohibit discrimination and prejudice on the grounds of place of origin, circumstances of birth, ethnic origin, gender or religion, creed or other beliefs”.

In consolidating the gains made in our democratic dispensation, the NCCE urges all Ghanaians to put Ghana first and let the spirit of tolerance influence their actions in all facets of life and continue to work together to promote tolerance, peaceful coexistence, unity, and national cohesion.

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