THE FAMILY HOME

The jemmy engaged with the lock mechanism, lifting it away from
the door frame. It always amazed Torrance that people installed expensive security for the front of their houses but economised with the locks on their back doors. No alarm beeped menacingly, so Torrance stepped softly into the kitchen and began checking for any late-night insomniacs.

Crayon drawings adorned the refrigerator, revealing a typical modern family: mum, dad, boy, girl, cat. He assumed it was a cat - the doodle looked more like an alligator, but Torrance thought that unlikely. A family schedule was posted on one wall, a reminder that Dad would arrive at the airport the next day. Decided good fortune for a burglar; tough luck for the hysterical housewife who would have to patch up a ransacked home the following morning.

A parade of photographs decorated the walls of the lounge: ubiquitous baby photos giving way to formal school portraits and hastily snapped birthday parties. The girl reminded Torrance of his own daughter. The boy was a couple of years older; clearly the apple of his father's eye. A pile of comic books lay on a nearby coffee table, heralding the adventures of a troupe of Marvel superheroes, but they were of no interest to Torrance. He was there to hunt for treasure.

An elegant handbag was the first item thrown into the backpack. The credit cards would be cancelled the next morning, but Torrance knew an internet site that wouldn't look twice at where the numbers came from. A search of the cloakroom turned up two cell phones and a palmtop. A nearly full chequebook lay hidden inside a drawer. A wad of bank notes, wrapped in a rubber band, was tucked behind the engraved tin plate of some bowling competition. Torrance didn't bother with the television or satellite decoder. Instead he took a screwdriver to the computer in the den, ripping out its hard-drive and dropping it in his backpack. Chances were he would find account numbers and passwords that would allow him to plunder this family a second time. No one ever said that life was fair.

Torrance saw the girl out of the corner of his eye and a momentary panic seized him. But all she did was stand there, confused by the debris that littered the floor. A glass of milk hung nervously from tiny fingers.

"May I help you?" he asked, seizing the initiative.

"I I was thirsty. I came down for a drink."

"That's okay." Gently, Torrance placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and led her to a sofa. "You come and sit down. Now what's your name?"

"Hannah."

"That's a nice name. How old are you, Hannah?"

"I'm six." Hannah's eyes took in the mess on the floor, the contents of upturned drawers. "What are you doing in our house?"

"Your mommy asked me to tidy up. Would you like to help?"

Hannah started chewing her bottom lip and playing with a lock of her long brown hair. "Uh huh," she said at last. "I don't mind."

Torrance crouched down beside the sofa and covered her hand with his. "It's a big job and I could really do with your help. Your mommy asked me to put away all of the valuable things first. Let me show you what I've found so far."

Hannah glanced inside the proffered backpack but didn't comment.

"I need you to think really hard. Is there anything that I have missed?"

The girl nodded once, then pointed to a book on the shelf. "There."

He snatched the book and began leafing through its pages. Nothing fell out. Neither could he see anything written inside. It seemed an ordinary Bible. "Are you sure?"

Hannah nodded even more vigorously. "My daddy says so. He says that book's the greatest treasure our family owns. And Mrs. Bannister thinks so too."

Torrance could feel his patience starting to fray. "Who exactly is Mrs Bannister?"

"She's my Sunday School teacher. She knows everything about God's Word. She says it's more valuable than gold."

The click echoed round the still room. Torrance didn't need to turn round to know what the woman was holding. "Move away from her or I swear I'll use this, so help me God."

Torrance raised his arms in the air and turned slowly to face his captor. In the distance he could hear the faint howl of approaching sirens. He had let his guard down - and all because of a stupid good-for-nothing Bible.

HISTORY ABOUT GOLD COST/ GHANA

Ghana's Golden Jubilee

March 6, 2007 marks the golden jubilee of Ghana's freedom from British colonial rule. While jubilees have been celebrated since time immemorial, the golden jubilee celebration of Ghana's independence is particularly significant for the Pan-African world and for all who love freedom.

At the time of its independence 50 years ago, Ghana was the first country south of the Sahara to break away from over two centuries of British colonial rule. Until then, Ghana and other African countries were under the tight grip of European colonization. Resistance to colonial rule in Ghana took several forms, but what stands out is the long-standing Ashanti military campaign against British invasion and extension of its territorial powers. Although the Ashanti people ultimately suffered defeat at the hands of the British in 1900, the latter nevertheless succumbed in a couple of battles, which led to a memorable statement by one of the Ashanti Kings: "the whiteman brought his cannon to the bush, but the bush was stronger than the cannon."

Ghana's independence provided impetus for the total liberation of the African continent. At one minute past midnight, March 6, 1957, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first Prime Minister, delivered a famous speech in which he said, "My fellow Ghanaians, at long last, Ghana your beloved country, is free forever." He continued, "the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa." Well, the rest is history! Namibia's attainment of independence in 1990 marked the end of direct political control of Africa by any foreign country or power, thereby fulfilling the dream of the pioneers of Pan-Africanism.

Ghana's role as a pace-setter for the decolonization of Africa was solidified by Kwame Nkrumah's willingness to train and equip other African leaders to take up the task of leading their respective countries to freedom. Young African leaders whom Kwame Nkrumah had met in his sojourn in Europe and the United States came to stay in Ghana under Nkrumah's tutelage and mentoring, including Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.

Ghana's independence also bolstered confidence in black leadership in the United States in their struggle for freedom, equality and civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. represented the United States at Ghana's Independence celebration in 1957 and witnessed the hoisting of the Ghana flag in place of the Union Jack (of Britain). He commented that this picturesque image of a black African country's triumph (re)affirmed his belief that with perseverance black people in the United States could also secure their rights as citizens.

Nkrumah's success in decolonizing Ghana from the grip of imperialism could not have been achieved without the influence of other Pan-Africanists; both those he met in his sojourn and those whose works shaped his thinking about Pan-Africanism. The Pan-African philosophy stresses the fact that Africa is one; Africa's people on the continent and in the diaspora must unite and help Africa to free itself from colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, racism and economic exploitation.

The Pan-African philosophy is geared for unification, liberation, cultural and economic independence of Africa and African people everywhere. This philosophical stance influenced the works of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Edward Wilmot Blyden, Patrice Lumumba and many others. Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana became the very embodiment of what the pioneers had dreamed, a concrete physical space, managed and controlled by black people, and used as a platform to promote African unity, United States of Africa, African High Command and decolonization of other African countries and people.

Ghana's journey as a free country for the past 50 years has been characterized by progress, growing pains, bumps and bruises. While Ghanaians may be blamed for being their worst enemies, for the most part, the odds were stacked against this new-born country right from the beginning. Overcoming the residual effects of colonialism and learning to direct the energies of a diverse group of people towards national development in a modern era was no mean task. However, there are definite signs that Ghanaians have learned from their mistakes, wrong starts and difficulties.

The significance of Ghana's independence and pioneering role still looms large. The state of the union in Ghana is a healthy one: peace through reconciliation, strong macro-economic foundation, and democratic ethos have once again brought Ghana to the world's attention. The Black Star is poised to lead other African countries in the search for possibilities and progress, and maximizing her full potential in a global community.

However, Ghana is still plagued with several challenges: its people largely consume what they do not produce, and produce what they do not consume. Although it is endowed with rich and precious mineral resources such as gold, diamond, bauxite, and manganese, it is at the mercy of its lenders in London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C, Tokyo, and Beijing. Whether in the next 50 years Ghana will overcome such dislocations in its economy and reduce its dependence on neo-colonial global institutions will be a test of coming of age in the 21st century.