World Tolerance Day has been marked every 16th of November since 1995. It was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to denounce intolerance and celebrate the mutual respect and understanding between people of different cultures. The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) marks this day with the citizens of Ghana and the world as a whole. To celebrate this day, one of UNESCO,s affiliates, International Institute for Tolerance (IIT) is organizing the second edition of World Tolerance Summit with the theme
“Tolerance in Multiculturalism: Achieving the Social, Economic and Humane Benefits of a Tolerant World”,
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 others,”. When people coexist with one another regardless of their diverse cultural backgrounds, the result is a peaceful and Tolerant World. Socially, the world has become a much smaller place today; globalisation has blurred borders with regards to trade and socialization throughout the world. More people from different nations, cultures, religions and lifestyles are working together and living in the same neighbourhoods than ever before.
However, in the absence of tolerance, the world has experienced violence, injustice, racism, marginalization and discrimination against a person or groups of people. This has affected ethnic and linguistic minorities, migrant workers, religious people, refugees, and immigrants. All these have to be avoided to foster tolerance and development all over the world.
In spite of our religious tolerance as a country, we have had our share of the consequences of intolerance over the years. There have been few isolated cases which need to be pointed out; instances where Muslim women have been prevented from wearing their hijab by certain institutions and instances where Muslim students are compelled to attend church services, or Christian students being compelled to attend Muslim congregational prayers, these cases drew the attention and interventions of stakeholders and opinion leaders (World Bulletin 2015)
Apart from the religious cases, Ghana also had tribal conflicts and litigations which have lasted for decades leading to many casualties from both sides. This, as a result, has created a deep-rooted hatred for the other which has been passed on from one generation to the next. Intolerance has also caused clashes between political parties, and also between police and civilians. The Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency experience is a typical example that recorded casualties and loss of properties. Currently, Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) is locking shops of Nigerian trader whiles Nigeria has also closed its borders on informal trade with neighbouring countries. NCCE entreats all culprits to refrain from doing acts detrimental to the welfare of other persons as enshrined in Article 41(d) of the 1992 Constitution, and allow the law enforcers to do their work. That notwithstanding, the Commission also calls on the state and Law Enforcement Agencies to act swiftly to regain sanity and order as stated in Article 35(9): The state shall promote among the people of Ghana the culture of political tolerance.
As we prepare towards the upcoming District Level Elections (DLEs) and National Referendum on December 17, 2019, NCCE urges all Ghanaians to put Ghana first and let the spirit of tolerance influence their actions. This, the Commission believes will guide citizens to vote on developmental issues and not to be influenced by political, ethnic or religious affiliations. Indeed the NCCE will like to take this opportunity to emphasize once again that the Referendum is not to elect Metropolitan Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) but to vote on the proposed amendment of Article 55 (3) whether we want Political Party participation in our Local Governance system.
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