Daughter of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and a former Chairperson of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Samia Yaba Nkrumah, has stated that her father’s role as Ghana’s first President and his pan-African vision warrants his special standing in Ghana’s history towards independence.
She said unlike others who also played their part even before his father came into the scene, Dr, Kwame Nkrumah was the catalyst in the struggle and final attainment of independence. President Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech on Independence Day, has sparked some debate over the perceived sidelining of other Ghanaians who contributed to the independence struggle.
President Akufo-Addo’s speech was criticized by some, including the CPP, as being a skewed account of history to suit his father, Edward Akufo-Addo, and uncle, J. B Danquah who also played their roles on the road to independence.
Samia Nkrumah described the whole debate as “a huge distraction” in an interview on Point Blank on Eyewitness News, as she reminded that “Kwame Nkrumah himself said the independence struggle started before him.” She however stressed that, her father definitely played the role of a catalyst, and would have given him more prominence had she been the one who gave the Independence Day speech. “We agree that there were so many other people [in the independence struggle] but his role was significant.
Nobody can take that away from him.” “If I was giving that speech, I would have given Kwame Nkrumah more prominence. All the records show who the main catalyst was. Kwame Nkrumah had a vision… even though he came to collaborate with UGCC [United Gold Coast Convention], but we know from history he was going to come down anyway.” “Kwame Nkrumah had a particular pan-African vision for our independence so he was bound to be the catalyst. So yes, thousands were instrumental, but he was the catalyst and let’s give him is due,” Samia Nkrumah asserted.
Nkrumah is the founder of modern day Ghana
She went a step further to state that, Kwame Nkrumah’s influence was even being felt today because, according to her, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), an offshoot of the main opposition to Nkrumah’s CPP, was riding on his vision.
Samia Nkrumah said “we can praise all the others, but this is a man who fashioned our whole nation building policy; free and compulsory education, the Akosombo dam, the industries… I am happy, that finally even the offshoot of the old opposition to Kwame Nkrumah is saying one district, one factory and one village one dam. That is what Kwame Nkrumah was planning.”
“The day we realise Kwame Nkrumah’s ideas are for now, is the day we will stop quarreling over Kwame Nkrumah,” she concluded.
Nkrumah was the best African leader – Mugabe
Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, has described Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as a true revolutionist who fought for the emancipation of Ghana and Africa.
The 93-year old President made the remark while addressing the media at a special gathering at a hotel in Accra on Tuesday.
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