The Planning Committee for the 2017 Founder’s Day celebration has described as palpable falsehood and “cynical nonsense” assertions that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is not the founder of Ghana.
September 21 was originally instituted by the late President John Evans Atta Mills in 2010 to honour the memory of Nkrumah but critics say the holiday serves to exclusively credit Nkrumah with Ghana’s independence when he actually achieved that with the support of others, especially the Big Six – Obetsebi Lamptey, Ako Adjei, William Ofori-Atta, J.B. Danquah, and Edward Akufo-Addo.
Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, at a lecture on the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in Accra had stated that Nkrumah’s role in fighting for independence cannot be underestimated but pointed out that he is not the sole founder of Ghana.
Prof. Oquaye indicated that the UGCC leaders fashioned the independence struggle and Nkrumah came later through their invitation, adding that, it can only be an element of propaganda for anyone to claim that Nkrumah is Ghana's founder.
But at a press conference in Accra, Thursday, to announce plans to mark Nkrumah’s 108th anniversary, Moses Asante Mireku, Public Relations Officer of the Founder’s Day 2017 Preparatory Committee said the ruling New Patriotic Party’s attempt to minimize the role of Nkrumah and elevate the Big Six to the status of co-founders of Ghana will be defeated.
Mr. Mireku announced that a symposium on the theme: “Nkrumah Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” will be held on September 21 at the National Theatre to correct the inaccuracies as well as educate the public on the historical, current and future relevance of the life and work of Nkrumah.
“This year’s observation of Founder’s Day and the defence of historical truth has special urgency. The elitist, anti-nationalist forces that worked to sabotage independence under Osagyefo because it involved empowerment of the masses and a fundamental challenge to the colonial system of privilege which they sought to prevent have launched a new campaign to distort and rewrite the history of Ghana’s independence struggle… In attacking history, of course, their objective is to control the future by undermining the confidence of today’s popular forces and strengthen the programme of exploitation and hardship that the NPP is implementing.
“Fortunately, most Ghanaians have dismissed the ‘August 4’ campaign as either desperate wishful thinking or a clumsy effort to distract the public from the crisis of the current government. However, there may be a few, especially young citizens, who might be led astray by this cynical nonsense. This event will enable all young people who seek clarity on Nkrumaism and how it offers solutions to the challenges of vanishing educational opportunity, unemployment and secure futures,” he said.
Speakers for the occasion, according to the committee, include Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana and a member of the Council of State; Susan Adu Amankwa, a scientist and Nkrumaist Activist; and Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a member of the Socialists Forum of Ghana.
