The Spell of Our Tongues: How Ghanaians Are Speaking Against Ghana’s Progress

Words are not just sounds. They are spells. Every word we speak has the power to shape reality, to build or to break. Many ancient traditions understood this sacred truth, and modern science is catching up. But perhaps nowhere is this truth more pressing than in Ghana today, where our own negative utterances about ourselves and our nation are casting a dangerous spell of self-sabotage.

Words Create Worlds: The Spiritual Science

In the Bible, God spoke the world into existence: “Let there be light” and there was light.

In Islam, the Qur’an begins with the instruction to “Read!” a divine revelation that linked speech to destiny.

In African Traditional Religions, words are sacred. Proverbs, incantations, and praise names are used not just as language, but as instruments of transformation and power. Even in Buddhism and Hinduism, mantras are repeated not just to pray, but to create a shift in energy and reality.

These traditions all teach us one thing: SPEECH IS POWER.

The Danger of Familiar Cynicism

Recently, a wonderful initiative called Aldi Cycles was launched at the University of Ghana, allowing students to rent bicycles on campus. It is an eco-friendly, forward-thinking project, something we need more of. Yet, in the comment sections of social media, many Ghanaians responded not with hope, but with contempt:

“Oh just give it time, Ghanaians will steal them.”

“This won’t last. You know us.”

“Another failed project loading.”

These aren’t just harmless jokes. They are verbal agreements with failure. They are reinforcements of a dark expectation that feeds the very behaviors we claim to be against. Someone on the fence about stealing a bike might feel justified. “After all, everyone expects it.”

So when Ghanaians declare with certainty that “the bikes will be stolen” or “we will mess this up like we always do,” we’re not just expressing opinions. We are prophesying doom. We are, in essence, enchanting ourselves backward.

And what’s worse? This commentary becomes a script that we live out.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: When We Expect the Worst

This is a nation rich with potential, brimming with brilliant, resilient people. But we’ve normalized speaking negatively about ourselves to the point where we expect the worst of each other and that expectation becomes our reality.

We say:

“Ghanaians don’t maintain anything.”

“This country is hard, and it will always be.”

“Nothing works here.”

“It’s Ghana, what do you expect?”

But what if we flipped the script?

What if we said:

“This project will work because we’ve learned.”

“We’re getting better at maintenance.”

“Things are changing for the better.”

“We can rise, and we will.”

Why Positivity Is Not Naivety

Choosing positive speech isn’t about ignoring problems, it’s about framing solutions. Yes, littering is a huge issue in Ghana, contributing to flooding, cholera, malaria, and urban decay. But what if, instead of just calling Ghanaians dirty or lazy, we said:

“More and more Ghanaians are becoming environmentally conscious.”

“We’re learning. We’ll get there.”

“Each clean-up campaign plants a seed.”

This kind of language invites change. It encourages growth. It uplifts the spirit. And just like negative words, it too spreads but this time, like light.

Speak Life Into Ghana

We cannot build a prosperous nation while tearing it down with our tongues. We must speak life into Ghana. Speak life into our youth. Speak life into our streets, our schools, our leaders, and even our difficult days. The more we align our words with progress, the more our actions individually and collectively will follow.

Let us remember the ancient truth from Proverbs 18:21:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

We are eating the fruit of our speech today. If we want better fruit tomorrow, we must start planting better words today.

Let’s be the generation that breaks the curse.

Let’s be the spell-casters of progress.

Let’s speak of the Ghana we want and then build it… ONE POSITIVE WORD AT A TIME