We’ll see we know Ghana was the first country to gain independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. But do we know the person behind this great mark in Ghana’s nation history? A man by Kwame, Nkrumah, was a revolutionary figure that helped lead Ghana throughout the whole process of gaining its own independence. But before I get to the how’s and what he had done, let’s get to know who he was and where he came from.
Kwame Nkrumah was born 1909 in Nkroful, Gold Coast. From 1925-1935, he studied to be a teacher at the school of Achimota located in Accra. Afterwards, he served as teacher in multiple schools within the Gold Coast. While working, Kwame saved his money in order to further his education in the United States of America. In 1935 he made his way to London, where he then received his student visa from the “American Embassy”. For those who may not know, a citizen of foreign country must obtain a visa in order to enter the United States. Since Kwame wanted to study in the U.S this was needed upon his entrance
In late 1935, Kwame was touched by the news he heard of the “Invasion of Abyssinia by fascist Italy”. This motivated him to seeking a political career. In October 1935, Kwame finally reached the United States, where he then attended Lincoln University, later receiving his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in 1939. But wait, Kwame was not done with his education, and wanted to pursue more. In 1942, he earned his Bachelor of Scared Theology, then his Master of Science degree at the University of Pennsylvania, in 1942, lastly his Masters of Arts degree in Philosophy.Very educated right? Not to mention over the course of his studies, he was very involved with the school, and was elected president of the “African Students Organization”. Kwame even preached at churches, read books about politics, and tutored students in philosophy.
Now that we know a little about his early life, lets see how his astonishing education led him to being looked upon as Ghana’s revolutionary figure!
In 1947, Kwame was invited to serve as the General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention. This political convention explored new ways to independence. Kwame took upon the offer, becoming the Secretary. During the time of his title, he was arrested because of the government suspected him and his fellow organization members to be victims of protests on March 12, 1948. Upon his release, Kwame figured the Gold Coast needed their own “self governance”. After just taking matters into his own hands, Kwame built a larger power base. However, he did not stop there and kept making changes.
The Gold Coast was the wealthiest and most socially advanced area of Africa. Rather than allowing British colonies to take over what wasn’t theirs, Kwame stood up for his and his countries own. His promotion of Pan Africanism was strong as well. On July 10 1953, Kwama proposal “Motion of Destiny” to the assembly, requesting independence from the British Commonwealth was approved. Later in 1957, on March 3rd, Ghana independence was declared.
Kwame fight for Ghana’s independence was not that easy. He had to learn to do many things such as governing, uniting, and standing up for what he believed. But because he was highly educated and an opportunist, it allowed him to prosper not only his personal goals, but also the rights of Ghana. His tools of teachings, writings, knowledge on politics and philosophy, allowed his advocacy as well too. No to mention that he was also inspired by the writings of well-known black political leaders such as W.E.B Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and George Padmore as well as the relationships he shared with them. Under Kwame leadership, Ghana adopted socialist policies and practices, a welfare system was created, new schools were built within the communities, and lastly a host of community programs were created.
But I’m going to just end it with this. Philosophy is being able to see the world with new eyes. Let’s just say Kwame was a clear example. Kwame had that power to open Ghana citizen’s eyes to real world, and the existence of their own country. Without him do you think Ghana’s nation would have been first gain their independence? That’s something we cannot answer. But what we could say is that Kwame was the first president of Ghana’s country, who contributed towards their independence, symbolizing him as a revolutionary figure!