Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi Calls for Cultural Refinement, Better Attitudes Among Ghanaians

Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi has called on Africans, particularly Ghanaians, to cultivate better attitudes, arguing that the continent’s biggest challenge is not a lack of resources but a lack of proper conduct and social refinement.

In a thought-provoking piece titled “Uncouth Attitude,” Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi argued that resources and opportunities alone cannot guarantee progress if people lack discipline, courtesy and good character.

He used a series of analogies to emphasise his point, noting that a person with an uncouth attitude could be given a golden throne and still turn it into a dirty stool.

According to him, even a luxury vehicle could be misused by someone who lacks proper values, while a beautiful marriage could be destroyed by a partner whose behaviour causes constant pain.

“Because attitude is the engine, not the car,” he wrote.

Ras Caleb described an uncouth attitude as the behaviour of someone who is “uncultured, untrained, unrefined and unmannered,” particularly a person whose actions bring shame to themselves and their communities.

He identified several areas where he believes uncouth behaviour has become prevalent in Ghanaian society.

He criticised what he described as the growing lack of courtesy in public conversations, especially on radio and social media.

According to him, some young people insult elders on radio under the guise of exercising freedom of speech, while others attack their employers online and describe the conduct as expressing an “honest opinion.”

He also criticised callers on radio programmes who resort to insults and shouting instead of engaging in respectful debate.

He questioned whether society still values expressions such as “please,” “thank you” and “I beg to differ,” warning that careless speech can eventually translate into careless living.

“We talk anyhow. And anyhow talk leads to anyhow life,” he stated.

Ras Caleb also raised concerns about how some Ghanaians treat public spaces and property.

He pointed to the practice of people throwing sachet-water plastics from moving vehicles, even after keeping their own homes clean.

He further cited incidents of football fans damaging stadium seats after their teams lose matches and members of the public verbally abusing healthcare workers who are attending to them.

He argued that such behaviour reflects a failure to appreciate that public facilities and spaces belong to everyone.

“We treat what belongs to all of us as if it belongs to nobody. That is uncouth,” he wrote.

The writer described the misuse of authority as one of the most damaging forms of uncouth behaviour.

He argued that some individuals become disrespectful when given even small amounts of power or authority.

He cited examples of security personnel abusing their positions at barriers, individuals in administrative positions refusing to show basic courtesy, and political appointees allegedly becoming inaccessible after attaining office.

According to him, acquiring power does not fundamentally change a person’s character but rather exposes what was already there.

“Power does not change a man; it exposes him,” he stated.

He added that someone who was uncouth before attaining a position of influence could become even more difficult to deal with after gaining authority.

Ras Caleb further criticised aspects of social media culture, arguing that technology has amplified some negative behaviours.

He lamented the tendency of people to mock others who are suffering, record accidents instead of helping victims and circulate intimate images of people for online attention.

He also expressed concern about the manner in which some people insult Presidents, Chiefs, Pastors and Imams online.

According to him, freedom of expression should not be separated from responsibility and good manners.

“Freedom without manners is madness. Technology without culture is disaster,” he wrote.

Ras Caleb invoked the legacy of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as an example of leadership combined with culture and refinement.

He argued that Nkrumah’s influence was not based solely on intelligence but also on his ability to communicate, show respect, inspire others and conduct himself with dignity.

He maintained that these qualities contributed to the respect Nkrumah commanded internationally.

Ras Caleb urged Ghanaians and Africans to deliberately rebuild a culture of courtesy, discipline and respect.

Among the values he encouraged people to embrace are learning to greet others, apologising when they are wrong, observing queues, listening before responding aggressively, respecting the elderly and showing regard for public offices, uniforms and traditional authority.

He also called for greater responsibility towards the environment, stressing that people should keep public spaces as clean as they keep their personal surroundings.

He concluded his message by describing good manners as a valuable quality that can open doors that money cannot.

“An uncouth attitude is a cheap dress on an expensive body. It reduces your value.”

He urged individuals to change their attitudes as a pathway to improving their personal lives and society as a whole, ending with the message: “Change your attitude, and you change your altitude. Blessed times.”