On the eve of independence day in 1957, a young photographer called J. K. Bruce Vanderpuije went to the polo grounds where the first President of the Republic, Dr Kwame Nkrumah had gathered with 3 others to declare Ghana an independent country.
The photograph of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on the stage with his allies; Krobo Adusei, Kojo Botsio, and Komla Agbeli Gbedemah was captured by the founder of Deo Gratias studio.
Speaking on GhanaWeb TV's People and Places programme, a historian, Kofi Yeboah said though the picture has not found its way onto the internet, the young photographer had diverse angles of the independence day celebration.
“This picture is peculiar because, Mr. Vanderpuije was there and he took it by himself. It has not found its way on the internet. This is the picture but with a different angle, see Kwame Nkrumah with the hand,” he said.
• Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is one of Ghana’s Founding Fathers
• He was at the forefront of the independence declaration in March 1957
• A rare photograph was taken of Nkrumah on the day
6th March, 1957 was a day of joy for all Ghanaians. It was the day the country regained its freedom from the shackles of colonialism and became an independent country.
On this day, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his close allies at a rally, declared the country’s independence with the famous words;
“At long last, the battle has ended, and Ghana our beloved country, is free forever!”, a statement that shook the very foundations of the newly birthed country with tremendous joy.
On the eve of this occasion; 5th March 1957, J. K. Bruce Vanderpuije, a young and vibrant photographer- founder of Deo Gratias studio, found his way to the polo grounds and captured his own version of the event.
It was a photograph of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on the stage with his allies; Krobo Adusei, Kojo Botsio, and Komla Agbeli Gbedemah.
This picture, according to historian – Kofi Yeboah, is not the one which has been used over time by many in articles and history books – one which depicted the other allies of Nkrumah lifting their hands whilst Nkrumah made his speech.
“This picture is peculiar because, Mr. Vanderpuije was there and he took it by himself. It has not found its way on the internet. This is the picture but with a different angle, see Kwame Nkrumah with the hand,” he told GhanaWeb’s Wonder Ami Hagan on the People & Places show.
Meanwhile, Founders’ Day - 4th August is set aside annually to celebrate the ‘Big Six’ and their contributions towards Ghana’s independence.
