Nkrumah Students Poster

8/12/2019 Nkrumah Students Poster

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The Life and Times ofKwame Nkrumah,Africas Man of the

MillenniumNeha Deol

Chi Won Jenny Lee

Jessica Oliveira

Course: Racialization & Ethnicity in Canada

Instructor: Dr. Charles Quist-Adade


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Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Africa:Chief architect of Ghanas

Independence 50 Years Ago


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Kwame Nkrumah(1909 1972)

Ghanas Prime Minister 1957-1960

Ghanas President 1960-1966

An international symbol of freedom as

the leader of the first black Africancountry to shake off the chains ofcolonial rule.


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Early Life & Education

Kwame Nkrumah was

born in 1909 in Nkroful,a small town in westernGhana.

He graduated fromAchimota College in1930, and taught at aseminary in Axim.

1939: He went to U.S.and graduated with B.A.degrees in economicsand sociology.

1942: He earned atheology degree andreceived M.A. degrees ineducation andphilosophy from theUniversity of

Pennsylvania.


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Return to Ghana (Gold Coast)

Nkrumah sailed to England in 1945, after attaining his

Doctorate in the U.S.

He left London for Ghana (Gold Coast) and joined theUnited Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) Party in 1947.

His aim was to help gain the independence of Ghanafrom Britain

Six UGCC leaders including Nkrumah were arrestedand detained, with Nkrumah being singled out as theprincipal trouble causer.

He was later removed from the position of SecretaryGeneral and was appointed the Party's Treasurer.


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On February 28, 1948, Ghanaian WW veteranswere massacred by British police in Accraduring a protest rally.

Nkrumah condemned the massacre and brokeoff from the UGCC which showed littleagitation. The popular Sergeant Adjetey was onof the slain.

In 1951, Ghanaians elected Nkrumahs CPP asthe leading party of the General Assembly,prompting the British Colonial Government torelease him from prison.


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Independence of Ghana

Agitation against, and dialogue with, the Britishcolonial government continued. Finally, 6th March,1957 was officially set as Independence Day.

Having steered the first independence movement insub-Sahara Africa, Nkrumah emphasized that the workwas only beginning and articulated that the

independence of Ghana is meaningless, unless it islinked to the total liberation of the African continent.

Ghana was declared a republic in 1960 and became acharter member of the Organization of African Unityin 1963.


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Politics

He believed :

A non-aligned Marxist perspective oneconomics

Believed that socialism was a better system

to capitalism (socialism already existed inAfrica)

Respecting African values at the same time.

He was best known politically for hispromotion of Pan-Africanism, all Africanism.(United States of Africa)

President Nkrumah quickly set out to sponsora conference for the All-African Trade UnionFederation.

His biggest success in this area coming withhis significant influence in the founding of theOrganization of African Unity.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foDlCCudcsE&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foDlCCudcsE&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foDlCCudcsE&NR=1


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Nkrumah continued to push for the Charter ofAfrican States in 1961. To him, theOrganization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963fell short of his vision for a united Africa.

He courted Ethiopia to join Ghana, Guinea andMali in a unifying accord.

He built economic alliances with the East.


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Economy of Ghana He attempted to move Ghanas economy toward a

more industrial model. His reasoning was that

moving Ghana out of the colonial trade system byreducing its dependence on foreign capital,technology, and material goods would allow it tobecome truly independent.

Building alliances, he met with JFK in March 1961

to discuss bilateral agreements and regional issuesincluding the Congo question

Nkrumah and JFK

Nkrumah and US President Dwight D.Eisenhower


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US Vice-President Richard Nixon at Ghanas independence celebrationin 1957 in Accra


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As Ghanas president, Nkrumahs foreign policyagenda included

- The formation of the United States of Africa.

- World peace; an end to the Cold War- Harmonization of economic and political

relations with the East and the West

Ghana took enormous steps forward under

Nkrumahs leadership.Nkrumah created

- a welfare system

- started various community programs

- established schools.

Kwame meets the East


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Exile, Death & Tributes

Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accr

His nationalist and radical anti-imperialist andMarxist policies and actions drew ire of Westerngovernments, Britain and the USA in particular.

Was overthrown by US Central Intelligence Agency(C.I.A.) sponsored coup detat in 1966

Was domiciled in Guinea, Conakry, where he wasinstalled co-president with ideological bedfellow,Sekou Toure.

Nkrumah never returned to Ghana, but continuedto push for his vision of African unity.

Despite his retirement, his fear of western

intelligence agencies did not abate. He lived inconstant fear of abduction and assassination.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/chronology/graphics/big/570312-013.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/details/570312-013.htm&h=219&w=256&sz=30&hl=en&sig2=dXkLgl_w6LpCOxAmy6hpbQ&start=1&tbnid=irncMyb0Y0UQOM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=111&ei=43EARq7yHo2mrQOIhLiLDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNKRUMAH%2BAND%2BKING%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DGhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/chronology/graphics/big/570312-013.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/details/570312-013.htm&h=219&w=256&sz=30&hl=en&sig2=dXkLgl_w6LpCOxAmy6hpbQ&start=1&tbnid=irncMyb0Y0UQOM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=111&ei=43EARq7yHo2mrQOIhLiLDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNKRUMAH%2BAND%2BKING%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG


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In addition, Nkrumah:

was the only world leader to attempt a peaceaccord with America to end the Vietnam War;

was one of the most important players in the

non-aligned movement;

introduced a free healthcare delivery system

as well as free, compulsory universal

elementary education in Ghana;

Established 68 new state-owned factories

within a record time of nine years.


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Africas Man of the Millennium

He died of skin cancer in April 1972 inRomania.

He was buried in Ghana in a tomb at thevillage of his birth, Nkroful. (Re-buriedin Accra in the Nkrumah Mauseleum )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5ITBKZ4HY

Today, Nkrumah is still one of the mostrespected leaders in African history.

Voted as Africas Man of the Millenniumby the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5ITBKZ4HYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5ITBKZ4HYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5ITBKZ4HYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5ITBKZ4HY


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On the flipside

But Nkrumah also had his flaws. His one-party state

democracy stifled different and divergent views from the

other side of the political divide.

His installation as Life President of his party, the

Convention Peoples Party, made him a dictator in theeyes of many.

Did nothing to discourage party cronies from turning him

into a demigod.

Nkrumah used the Preventative Detention Act (PDA)

enacted by the British Colonial Administration to throw

his political opponents into jail without trial.

His enforcement of the PDA to crack down on his

opponents, who were bent on unseating him throughterrorist bombings and numerous assassination

attempts, was criticized as dictatorial and draconian.


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I speak of freedom (anexcerpt)

Divided we are weak; united, Africa couldbecome one of the greatest forces for good in theworld. I believe strongly and sincerely that with

the deep-rooted wisdom and dignity, the innaterespect for human lives, the intense humanitythat is our heritage, the African race, unitedunder one federal government, will emerge notas just another world bloc to flaunt its wealth

and strength, but as a Great Power whosegreatness is indestructible because it is built noton fear, envy and suspicion, nor won at theexpense of others, but founded on hope, trust,

friendship and directed to the good of allmankind'


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Books by

Kwame Nkrumah

Dr. Nkrumah published over 14books in his life time.

The following are some of hisworks;

Towards Colonial Freedom (1947)

Ghana: The Autobiography ofKwame Nkrumah [InternationalPublishers (1957)

Africa Must Unite (1963)

Consciencism: Philosophy &Ideology for De-Colonization(1964)

Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stageof Imperialism (1965)

I Speak of Freedom (1973)

Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah(Freedom Fighters Edition)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nkrumah-King.jpg


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Nkrumah & Martin Luther King Jr. inAccra March 1957

Nkrumah & W.E.B Bois


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Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah

It has often been said that Africa is poor.What nonsense! It is not Africa that is poor. Itis the Africans, who are impoverished bycenturies of exploitation and domination(Speech in National Assembly, Accra. 8 August

1960

I can see no security for African states unlessAfrican leaders like ourselves have realizedbeyond all doubt that salvation for Africa liesin unity (Speech at the closing session of the

Casablanca Conference, 7 January, 1981)

The African personality is defined by the cluster ofhumanist principles which underlie the traditionalAfrican Society (Consciencism, first published 1964)


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AXIOMS-CONTD

We do not see ourselves merely as Arab

Africa, Black Africa, English Africa, French

Africa. We are one people, one continent with

one destiny.

Africa is marching forward to freedom and

no power on this Earth can halt her now

The continent of Africa is compact, self

sufficient and unique.

We Must Organize as never before, fororganization decides everything.


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Without discipline true freedom cannot

survive.

I do not know how anyone can refuse to

acknowledge the right of humans to be

free.

Freedom is not a commodity which is"given" to the enslaved upon demand; it is

a precious reward, the shinning trophy of

struggle and sacrifice.


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We are prepared to move ahead side by side

with African patriots everywhere until Africa is

totally free and united under an All-African Union

Government.

A Revolutionary fails only if he/she surrenders.

The guerrilla is the masses in arms.

Time is on the side of the masses, and nothing

can permanently frustrate their ultimate

fulfillment


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AXIOMS-CONTD

Our armed struggle for freedom is neither moral

nor immoral, it is a scientific historically

determined necessity.

Practice without thought is blind, thought without

practise is empty.

In a revolutionary situation it is a crime against

the people to forgive those who have betrayedthem.

There is no force, however formidable that a

united people cannot overcome.


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We are running out of time in Africa not

only have we to eliminate or eradicate the

deficiencies of our past, but we must also,

in the shortest possible time, attempt tocatch up with modern techniques of our

time.

The secret of life is to have no fear.

Capitalism is but the gentlemen's method

of slavery.


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Political power is the inescapable prerequisite to

economic and social power.

The Degree of a country's revolutionaryawareness may be measured by the political

maturity of its women.

Africa wants her freedom, AFRICA MUST BE

FREE, It is a simple call, but it is also a signallighting a red warning to those who would tend

to ignore it.


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AXIOMS-CONTD

Real Black freedom will only come when Africa

is politically united. it is only then that the Black

man will be free to breathe, the air of freedom,

which is his to breathe, in any part of the world.

No man is born a criminal, society makes him

so, and the only way to change things is to

change the social conditions.

Where ever there is economic dependencethere is no freedom.

As long as a single foot of African soil remains

under foreign domination, the world shall know

no peace.

Freedom without law is anarchy.


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It is my deep conviction that all peoples

wish to be free, and that the desire for

freedom is rooted in the soul of everyone

of us.

When all is said and done, it is the so-

called little man, the bent-backed,

exploited, malnourished, blood-coveredfighter for independence who decides, and

he invariably decides for freedom.

Neo-colonialism has no permanent

friends, its only companions are its own

interests.


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Let us remember always that in the final analysis

the masses are the final arbiter. They will always

choose freedom and justice, as against

oppression and corruption.

The people's armed struggle, the highest form of

political action, is a revolutionary catalyst in the

neo-colonialist situation.


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AXIOMS-CONTD

It has often been said that Africa is poor, what

nonsense! It is not Africa that is poor, it is the

Africans, who are impoverished by centuries of

exploitation and domination.

To Suggest that the time is not yet ripe for

considering a political union of Africa is to evade

the facts and ignore realities in Africa today.

Africa is clearly fragmented into too many small,

uneconomic and non-viable states, many of

whom are having a vey hard struggle to survive.


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I do not know of any greater satisfaction

than honest and efficient service rendered

to the people in the best interest of all the

people.

The people are the makers of history and

it is they who, in the final analysis, win or

lose wars.

Our war is not a war of conquest, it is a

war of revolutionary liberation, we fight not

only in self-defence but to free, unite and

reconstruct.


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The case for African unity is very strong and the

instinct of the mass of the people right.

Only a united Africa can redeem its past gloryand renew and reinforce its strength for the

realisation of its destiny.

We are today the richest and yet the poorest of

continents, but in unity our continent could smilein a new era of prosperity and power.


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If we do not formulate plans for unity and

take active steps to form political union,

we will soon be fighting and warring

among ourselves with the imperialists andcolonialist standing behind the screen and

pulling vicious wires, to make us cut each

other's throats for the sake of their

diabolical purposes in Africa


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References

www.wikipedia.org (Bibliography &Photographs)

www.africawithin.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhI3noTmaeQ&mode=related&search=

I Speak of Freedom, Kwame Nkrumah 1961

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