COLOURISM, A FACTOR FOR BLEACHING?

         Colourism May be no different from racism in the sence that with racism it refer to the situation where a particular race or people feel supreme over another race or group of people and with colourism, the skin colour is the main factor here such that to some people, light skinned people are somewhat better than dark skinned people. This issue of colourism is most of the time expressed and experienced by ladies/women in and around the world. Now I ask, is Ghana any different when it comes to this particular situation? Gone are the days when our ancestors were so proud of each other no matter what colour they looked like, but now it seems like one appears to be a social misfit when he or she is dark skinned. Believe what I'm saying or not it's true and trending at work places, schools, societies and others, but the question here is that' Is all of that necessary?'
          I'm sure of the fact that what a so called light skinned person can do a dark person can do same as well, and so I see no need for such colour discrimination. Now in Ghana most people, particularly young ladies are fueling their minds with the impression that they want to be fair or light skin coloured and so the only way to do that is to apply some so called light skin giving products.I think at this point I will give credit to a colleague writer (Felix Ntehene of KNUST,Ghana) who made it clear that people of today only want nothing but lies. Just imagine how insane it is for most of these young ladies knowing perfectly the side effects of these skin products but yet pursue to get them and use them. What I am trying to say is that ,use of these products must be administered under the prescription of a medical practitioner and not some peer group or some cornered skin doctor. I strongly believe there are qualified and authentic skin care doctors all over the world who can be of so much help in terms of prescribing skin care products to these 'eager to change colour' individuals. The only best way to treat the skin with care even without skin care products is to be conscious of the type of foods we take in, how we take them and certain creams we apply on our bodies. I may not be a skin care expert but with the little knowledge I know, I know that it's best for one to stick to one particular cream or skin products thus ranging from bathing soaps to hair creams as well.
          Now my little advice to the young ladies out there especially the dark skinned ladies who think that without being light or fair in complexion you're not part of the society, I encourage you to cherish your colour because true beauty they say is Black/Dark. As a matter of fact it only takes the able minded person to make an impact in the society and not a coloured person. What catches me by surprise these days is that in as much as we are always accusing our ladies of bleaching, some shameless gentlemen also find themselves in such acts. Its quite pathetic that society has giving in chance for people to think that their lives are theirs and so whatever they do is up to them. But we always forget that whatever happens in our societies there are younger ones looking at what these young adults and some adults are doing and so this gives everyone in the society a task to deal with. Without pointing fingers, we all know few people who have bleached their skins either for one or two reasons and for those who managed to survive through what I call 'transitional period' Can attest to the fact that the end results ain't always the best. So to whoever out there thinking of toning or bleaching your skin rather than taking good care of it, I'm encouraging you all to discard such thoughts. Just as racism shouldn't be entertained so shouldn't colourism be, especially with how advanced the world has reached.
          Yes indeed, the government has a say and a part to play when it comes to such social issues. When a new government is sworn to power she signs a social contract with its citizens to protect and care for their social needs which is why in this case, I believe that once sworn in they have every right to use any means at their disposal to deliver their promises. Again, I believe that one way the government can deal with this issue of colourism is to ensure safe importation of skin product. Also a law could be passed to restrict individuals from the use of skin bleaching products and as a matter of fact gather all (available in the country) and get rid of them.
          Finally, I want to urge each and everyone to maintain and care as well as cherish whichever skin colour they've got and also prevent the engagement and toleration of colourism in the society. A healthy mind they say, lives in a healthy body so care for your skin the right way. Once again just as King Midas would say, "We Have A Duty". Stay Safe.