4th August, 2023 was declared a Founders’ Day holiday in Ghana and celebrated as such Today we reproduce on article published in September, 2017 for its relevance.
Leaders of Ghana’s first two elected governments, Kwame Nkrumah of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Kofi AbrefaBusia of the Progress Party (PP) symbolize the two major political ideologies that have dominated our political history since independence: Socialism and Liberal Democracy, respectively. Prof. George Yaw Gyan-Bafour – Mp For Wenchi
Forward To ‘Axioms Of K.A. Busia’
“A useless, wasteful holiday to honour that (unprintable words) who stowed away in a ship to the U.S.A. and changed his name from Kofi Nwiah, to Kwame Nkrumah; invited to Ghana by the UGCC; returned with a (unprintable word) title of ‘Doctor’ when he did not possess one, changed Ghana into a one –party state, jailed his own hench-men: Gbedemah, Ako-Adjei, Tawiah Adamafio, Coffie Crabbe… God have mercy on Ghana…”
That was the lamentation of Solomon Hughes Tackie, one of the last victims of the Preventive Detention Act, imprisoned in Nsawam and saved only by the 24th February, 1966 coup led by E.K. Kotoka and Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa.
21st September, 2017, marked the 108th anniversary of the birth of ‘Dr’ Kwame Nkrumah, and as expected, the ‘Big One’ (they call it) is coming off at National Theatre, Accra, The chairperson is Professor Raymond Atuguba, law lecturer at the University of Ghana; the speakers are Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr ex-vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana Comrade Susan Adu-Amankwaa and Comrade Kwasi Pratt, Jnr with special guests being the leadership of the Socialist Party of Zambia.
Sixty years after independence, Ghanaians are still debating the issue of whether there was a founder or there were founders of Ghana. Intellectuals and ordinary men and women are drawn in the debate; some people are arguing it is sheer waste of time – there being other important issues to discuss. Who are strident in this line of thought? The ‘socialists’, ‘Nkrumahists’ who, having got what they wanted, would want the world to shut up and accept Nkrumah as a hero should democrats acquiesce, and sit idle allowing the ‘socialists’ to have their way.
Nkrumah could be a hero to some people but to others, he could be a villain. The reasoning is simple: those who were beneficiaries of the Nkrumah regime would be grateful to their benefactor; those who suffered agony would lick their pain – and the fight would continue to fester and bloom from generation to generation. ‘Se keka-keka no annyae a, kukru-kukru on nsorennyae’. (Loosely translated as: ‘If the noise of a mouse will not cease, the noise of a cat will not cease either).
The President of the Nation, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made a proposal to Parliament for consideration of August 4 as Founders’ Day and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
The Executive instrument, signed by Mr. Eugene Arhin noted: “It is clear that successive generations of Ghanaians made vital contributions to the liberation of our country from imperialism and colonialism.
It is, therefore, fitting that we honour them as those who contributed to the founding of our nation: On that day in 1987, the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society (ARPS) was formed in Cape Coast… to ensure that control of Ghanaian lands remained in Ghanaian hands…
Exactly 50 years later, on August 4, 1947 at Saltpond, the great nationalists of the time gathered to inaugurate the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the first truly nationalist party of the Gold Coast, to demand independence of our nation from British rule at a gathering which included paramount chiefs, clergymen, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, traders and men and women from all works of life in the Gold Coast… That day… is the most appropriate day to signing our recognition and appreciation of the collective efforts of our forebears towards the founding of a free, independent Ghana.”
‘The Insight’ edited by Comrade Kwasi Pratt on Wednesday, 20th September, 2017, states in its editorial: “Tomorrow will mark the 108th official birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Founder of the modern Republic of Ghana. As was expected, the Akufo-Addo Government has taken steps to devalue the special role Nkrumah played in the struggle for national independence… Nothing will, and can, devalue the role played by Osagyefo in the bold confrontation of the people of Ghana with imperialism.” Is one afraid of being accused of ‘re-writing history’, if it is to tell the truth?
But who is twisting history’? Who is ‘re-writing history’? Who is re-writing the history of ‘The Big Six’ into the history of ‘The Big One’? Only one? Did the Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) protest the alienation of the land of the Colony after its formation in 1847? Did Ashanti and the Northern Territories become British Protectorates in 1902? Was the Trans-Volta Togoland ceded to Britain after the defeat of the Germans in 1916? Was the first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention formed in 1947? Was Nkrumah invited to Ghana and paid for his work as General Secretary? Who paid for Nkrumah’s journey back to Ghana? Was the Convention Youth Organization originally a youth wing of the UGCC? Was the CPP formed in 1949 originally part of the UGCC? What was Nkrumah to do? One could go on and on and on…
J.B. Danquah is rightfully acknowledged as the person who traced our history to Ghana Empire and suggested the name ‘Ghana’ for the Gold Coast When Ghana achieved independence in 1957 and became a Republic in 1960, the currency had embossed on it ‘Conditor Civitatis Ghanaiensis’ (Founder of the State of Ghana). Nkrumah’s effigy was embossed. However, in the Hansard of September and November 1956, Nkrumah had acknowledged ‘all the people’ who had contributed to the political growth of the nation.
But by 1965, Nkrumah had become so megalomanic that he turned Ghana into a one-party state replacing the Ghana flag of red – gold – green with the CPP flag of red – white – green. The Nsawam Prison was at its full operation. And the slightest ‘show’ of opposition would see one being jailed up to 10years without being tried. Any criticism to this was and still is labelled ‘imperialist propaganda’. Does the fact that the Preventive Detention Act was passed by the People’s representatives in parliament make it a good one? Nkrumah, who started as a democrat, becoming a dictator!
Nkrumah could have been an inspiration to other African leaders; he could have contributed immensely to Pan –Africanism. Why should some of us be prevailed upon to change our minds about our impressions about Nkrumah just because subscribers to the BBC had voted him as ‘Personality of the Millennium’? True, there is bitterness in some people; some people have bitter memories of the past.
We need to build Ghana. Agreed. But so long as some people want to turn the history of Ghana upside down, so long will some people try to straighten it.
At least, some of us are happy that the one-party system was kicked out, and now, everyone, including those who proclaim themselves to be anti- Akufo–Addo can speak their minds, why not?
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” so says Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a friend of Voltaire; and we concur.
AfricanusOwusu-Ansah
africanusoa@gmail.com