Rural Urban Migration In Ghana Cultural Studies Essay

Rural Urban Migration In Ghana Cultural Studies Essay One of the main challenges which Africa must take up at this crucial time of its development is that of feeding its people. The continent is known for its rich agricultural potential, which constitutes the major highlight of the economy in most of its countries. It is then difficult to believe that the continent is still in a race to reach a level of self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, such is the situation, and we ask ourselves millions of questions. In a country like Ghana, which is not exempt of such a situation, and where agriculture is the key sector of the economy, we wonder why rural areas are so underdeveloped, or why poverty seems to crack it and why young people are increasingly becoming rare in those areas. Moreover, we are lost as to the situation of products consumed by Ghanaians, which are mostly imported. The answer to these questions appears to be found in the substantial difference between living conditions in the urban and rural areas, which leads to the phenomenon of rural exodus. Rural-urban migration in Ghana reduces the development of agriculture, which deeply affects the economy. After the colonial period, the black continent took up an effective development race for its countries. This is reflected in urbanization, and Ghana does not make an exception. With most businesses and activities being concentrated in Ghanas urban areas, rural areas tend to lack basic needs. It is then normal to see the youth fleeing those areas for the conquest of the city. They have, indeed, many valid reasons to leave rural areas for cities like Accra or Kumasi for example. The effects of an issue cannot be discussed without looking into its causes. Likewise, we cannot also talk about the effects of rural urban migrations without, even briefly, mentioning its causes. Indeed, attracted by the beauty of the cities and its infrastructural developments, rural youth troop to the urban areas with the hope of finding a well-paid job and living a less stressful life. Whats more, the intensity of agricultural works, which are accentuated by the use rudimentary tools and ancient agricultural techniques applied make them take flight. These agricultural works are mainly determined by climate; therefore, farmers are indulged in seasonal unemployment, which does affect their financial conditions as well as their living ones. In short, the youth leave rural areas in search of greener pastures. Nevertheless, with the massive arrival of rural dwellers into the city coupled with the issues they generate, the urban areas are quickly becoming agonized with certain effects of the migration. What are they? The main effects of rural migration in Ghana are felt in the agricultural sector, which makes-up a big portion of the Ghanaian economy. The concentration of infrastructures in the city leading to the rural urban migration is making the countryside becoming more underdeveloped and devoid of strong energetic youth. The latters presence being the fuel for development in the countryside; their departure negatively affects the area by pushing it deeper into underdevelopment. Indeed, the youth leave behind aged and infants who are not able to put much energy into the intricate work of farming, which constitutes most of the economic development of the area, and of the country as a whole (Rural to Urban migration). Consequently, the rarity of youth, that is, the labour hand in the countryside doesnt favor agricultural activities but rather brings both rural and urban dwellers deeper into poverty and starvation. Like Liebenow said in 1986: The mass exodusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from the impoverished countryside leaves not only fewer hands to grow the nations food but more mouths to feed (Liebenow, qtd in Twumasi-Ankrah, 180-184). This quote shortly explains the dire effects of rural to urban migration on both the city and the countryside. With an increasing number of people leaving the rural areas, which happens to be the fertile grounds of development for any developing country, a limited number of labor forces begin to be felt as time goes by (Rural to Urban migration). Food production therefore becomes low, while there are more and more people in the urban areas who need to be fed. A report by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicates that a total of 1.2 million Ghanaians have limited access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year, while another 2 million are at risk, or become food insecure (Ghana News Agency, 1). It becomes obvious that once the agricultural motor which is the labor hand is affected, the farming revenue too is attacked and is seriously decreasing. Agriculture has then a central role to play in promoting growth and poverty reduction in the Ghanaian economy at this stage of our development, and Ghana needs an agricultural revolution based on productivity growth; this will raise almost a million more Ghanaians out of poverty (Nankani, 2). In agriculture-based countries in South Saharan Africa, like Ghana, agriculture accounts for 32 percent of GDP growth, mainly because it already is a large share of GDP (Nankani). Therefore, any mistake in farms is directly negatively affecting the whole economy of the country. Moreover, this situation favours the development of the agriculture of subsistence since farmers dont have adequate tools and conditions for a massive production. This type of agriculture production is on family scale, that is, not even enough to reach the city. Therefore, the country is no more able to export food supplies, but rather import them. The government, then, has to spend a lot of money trying to prevent its people from starvation. Such conditions slow down then Ghana in its process of becoming alimentary auto-sufficient. In addition, developing countries usually have a limited number of social amenities to cater for their population. This situation worsens with an increasing number of people trooping from the rural areas to the urban areas. Usage of limited facilities increases. With such increases, facilities wear out quicker than expected, and this affects the economy by increasing costs for the government (Rural to Urban migration). An increase in the number of migrants does not only put pressure on limited facilities, but it also endangers the security of others when these migrants finally realize that the job markets are not suitable for them. With no job and no sources of income, rural migrants must make ends meet. The situation becomes a desperate one where people are ready to do anything to get money. Most migrants from rural areas then result to practices such as stealing, armed robbery, prostitution. Furthermore, since they cannot afford a decent shelter, they are likely to settle in what is popularly known as kiosks. Once started by one person, the trend follows. The area quickly becomes overcrowded with an atmosphere not worthy of living in (Rural to Urban migration) Other examples of migrants who end up engaging in any activity that would earn them some money are the Kayayos. They are young women or girls who work as porters, carrying heavy loads on their heads (DiCampo, 1). They usually migrate from rural areas in the northern region to the bustling cities in the south (DiCampo, 1). These young girls and women usually get very little for the hard work they do. I wont go back to that place. They are suffering there. If you dont have money, you suffer. You wont eat. At home, you can always cook and eat, said Amariya, a woman in her 20s who worked in Ghanas capital, Accra, until she had enough money to return to her village and marry (DiCampo, 1). This is the reality once in the city. Like Amariya, some of them choose to leave; others keep fighting for a better urban life and become exposed to many social vices that they further cultivate. These people for example, with such instabilities in their lives are not able to send their children to school either in the countryside or in the city since such infrastructures are missing in the rural areas while they are expensive in town. In addition, we must not forget that rural to urban migration has devoid the countryside of teachers, a form of brain drain on the rural population (Twumasi-Ankrah). Rural-urban migration then, is an important factor of analphabetism which represents a danger for the future of the country, that is, the unavailability of elites to push the country forward in its development processes. It is amazing to see how much these issues are slowly but surely affecting the country. It becomes obvious that something must be done to slow down this phenomenon. The countryside represents the power hands that feed a country and it needs to be developed, that is, to have infrastructures and good conditions of life to insure good productivity. The decentralization of the city then becomes an emergency for the survival of the country and the stability of its economic situation. In conclusion, we can deduce from this analysis that the rural areas and urban areas are intrinsically related which besides has serious impacts on the Ghanaian economy. Rural migration is a realistic phenomenon, a real scourge that undermines the Ghanaian society and Africa as a whole, weakening at the same time the efforts for an effective development, which is mainly based on agriculture. The fact of the matter is that the rural youth desert the villages for the cities, and it creates many negative consequences for both the cities and the rural areas. It is then imperative that the government must take more effective actions in order to establish the lacking infrastructures, that is, to fix this ongoing problem. This seems to be the only way for the country to solve the problem, and to make effective steps towards development. Does the fact that rural urban migration is tearing Ghana mean that it doesnt have beneficial effects on both the city and the countryside?

The Voice of Reason

At the end of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague decide to make peace. Lord Montague promises to raise a gold statue of Juliet and Lord Capulet vows to do the same for Romeo. By this point in the story, there is no doubt that the families will keep their word. However, one is left thinking whether the peace will last or not. The deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Juliet and Romeo were all caused by the feud between the two families, yet it took Juliet’s death, combined with Romeo’s to end the feud.The lives that were lost might be enough to maintain harmony between them for a long time, maybe forever. The Prince is the voice of reason in Romeo and Juliet. He was the one who forbade the Capulet’s and the Montague’s from fighting in the streets because they would disturb the peace. Either way, Mercutio and Tybalt died, resulting in the banishment of Romeo. However, while the Prince tried to maintain the peace, he never qui te laid down the law with the battling families. It’s like they say, if you can’t see it, it’s not there.Once the Capulet’s and the Montague’s were battling in full view of the people of Verona, the Prince just couldn’t ignore it anymore. Yet what he did had no impact on the families whatsoever. Threats didn’t scare them. So they continued hating each other. â€Å"Where be these enemies? /Capulet! Montague! /See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,/That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love. /And I for winking at your discords too/Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd. †(V. 3. 291-296) . In this quote, the prince is berating himself for doing almost nothing about the feud.He exclaims that because of their hatred for each other, the heavens punished them by taking their children, Juliet and Romeo. Finally understanding the horrors the feud had created, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague make amends to each other by agreeing to end the feud and raising gold statues in honor of Romeo and Juliet‘s deaths. â€Å"Capulet: O brother Montague, give me thy hand: This is my daughter’s jointure, for no more Can I demand. Montague: But I can give thee more:For I will raise her statue in pure gold;That while Verona by that name is known,There shall no figure at such rate be setAs that of true and faithful Juliet.Capulet: As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie;Poor sacrifices of our enmity! † (V. 3. 297-306) For generations to come, the story of Romeo and Juliet will be passed down from Capulet to Montague to Capulet, maintaining the peace and uniting the families. Maybe there will be another Montague who falls in love with a Capulet and maybe this time, the ending will be a happy one. As the Prince mournfully states â€Å" Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:For never was a story of more woeThan this of Juliet and her Romeo. †(V. 3. 308-310)

Emotional Attachments Essay

In Alistair MacLeod’s short story, â€Å"The Boat†, there are many examples of where human emotions are attached to places and/or objects; known as physicalization. The emotions these things show, also depend on the person they are being viewed by. There are examples of how one space can have two very different emotional attachments. These differences in opinion can cause tension in some relationships and are there with a constant reminder of the contrast between two people. A good representation of physicalization is the object that is in the title. The boat, is one of the most important possessions to this Nova Scotian family. It provides their livelihood and everything that the mother perceives to be important. For the mother in this story, the boat embodies what it means to be a fishing family. She â€Å"was of the sea as were all her people,† which is why all her brothers were fishermen and she wanted to be married to a fisherman (paragraph 15). In her eyes, there was no other way to respectfully earn a living and she believed that people who weren’t from around where she lived did not know what it was like to work hard. For her, the boat was who they were and held all her emotions of hope and accomplishment. This is different from the emotions that the boat held for the father. He fished for a living, to keep his wife happy, but he was never truly a fisherman. He did not enjoy fishing like the rest of his wife’s family did. His skin was not tough enough as â€Å"the salt water irritated his skin as it had for sixty years†¦and his arms, especially the left, broke out into the oozing saltwater boils†. (paragraph 60) The sun and wind took a toll on his body that the others did not experience. To him, the boat held emotions such as pain, despair and struggle. He would rather be inside, reading and learning, but was instead forced to fish. The differences in physicalization in this story are also represented in the opinions of the father’s room. For him, it was a place where he could finally relax after a long day of work. It was his escape from the world; somewhere he could enjoy his books and not worry about his mess. The room was home to his emotions of calm and comfort, and was somewhere he could really be himself. Even within this room he could not escape the sea as the only window in the room overlooked it. His room was a place where he connected with his precious children in an unconditional manner. Here they learned about their true father and they learned how to gain knowledge. The father’s room, while a source of aggravation for the mother, was a place of safety and comfort for the father. For his wife, his room was a constant battle. â€Å"She despised the room and all it stood for†. (paragraph 23) She had long ago stopped trying to clean it, and had started to simply ignore it. To her, all his reading was a waste of time, but she was able to ignore it until it started to influence their children. To her, the room was a challenge and represented some of the main differences between she and her husband. The use of physicalization, allowed the author to show the tension that is between the parents and in the whole family. Somewhere that makes one person feel comfort, is the same place that makes another person feel stress. Sometimes these contrasts in emotion can be ignored, but often they lead to issues. This is clearly not a perfect family, and challenges they face are made obvious by the difference in emotions for certain things between the parents.

Alexander As A Man Of Greatness - 1434 Words

Alexander III of Macedon also known as, Alexander the Great, made a name for himself many years ago but today his â€Å"greatness† is being questioned because of research conducted due to modern technology. In order for someone to be viewed as great, they would need lots of evidence supporting that they were a well-rounded person. I believe that alexander had rightfully earned this title because through my research I have only found evidence that Alexander was indeed a man of greatness. Although Alexander displayed many characteristics of greatness there are three that have stood out me, his strategy, selflessness, and influence. These reasons show clear support that Alexander was Great and never anything less. The first reason why I believe Alexander is great is because of his strong strategy. All leaders have their own strategy but in order to be remembered in a positive way their strategy needs to be unique. In Document A a map is shown with a key and in the map, you can see that Alexander was able to travel immense distances and conquer many cities along the way. The fact that Alexander was able to travel far and conquer land shows that he understands what he is doing in order to achieve a favorable result. The ability to understand a concept this advanced is a clear indication that he had a strong strategy. The map and key shown in Document A is the first indication that Alexander was great because of his strategy. Document B highlights a battle in which Alexander isShow MoreRelatedQ - Does Alexander the Great deserve to be called the Great?1510 Words   |  7 PagesThe greatness of Alexander III, as he was originally, has been disputed in the past. His legend has survived for thousands of years, and his name is well-known, but just how great was he? In answering this question it is necessary to define the terms deserve and great. For these purposes, to deserve will mean to be worthy of. 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