Ghana marked its 60th anniversary on Monday, March 6, 2017 at the Independence Square in Accra with colourful displays of the nation's rich culture.
The parade was graced by the three former Presidents of the country – Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufour and John Mahama as well as heads of states and dignitaries from neighbouring countries.
It was also a sight to behold as students and contigents from the security services, performed a march past to salute the president, who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Delivering a speech to climax the event, President Nana Akufo-Addo stoked embers of the debate over whether Ghana should have founding fathers or just a founding father.
Commending the country's fore fathers for fighting a good battle to liberate the nation from the British colonial rule, the president noted that the independence struggle had been started by members of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) 10 years before it was granted.
"We are met here, today, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our nation’s independence, to celebrate our freedom from the clutches of British imperialism, to celebrate the final achievement of the struggle of successive generations of Ghanaian patriots to establish a free, sovereign Ghana. Today is a celebration of our independence. Being independent means you have the freedom and ability to make informed decisions in life without having to ask other people for permission, help or money and you take full responsibility for seeing things through.
"Our founders chose this day, March 6, as the date of our independence, in order to repudiate the Bond of 6th March 1844, which led to our land becoming a British colony...The founders of the UGCC, then, met to demand independence from the British and 70 years after that event, one still marvels at the clarity of thought and the passion that they displayed. Some of the names of that momentous day have survived in our written history and folk memory...The speech, the Ghanaian colossus, Danquah, made on that day, deserves to be quoted liberally on a day like this," he said.
"...Danquah captured the mood of the time and set our country on the path to independence," the President added.
Touting the major roles played by Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, and his father Edward Akufo-Addo, the President pointed out that it was when the UGCC leaders decided they needed a full-time person to man the party’s affairs that they brought in the "dynamic" nationalist Kwame Nkrumah.
“Soon thereafter, on 28the February, 1948, the notorious and senseless killings of three ex-servicemen, Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey...which, undoubtedly, quickened the pace of the independence movement,” he said.
But some have accused the president of attempting to distort history in his speech.
Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, Bernard Allotey Jacobs believes Nkrumah's contributions were deliberately altered by the president, who sought to rather credit J.B Danquah for the change of the country's name from Gold Coast to Ghana.
“Step by step, paragraph by paragraph, the deceptive nature of his speech; it was like it was centered on J.B Danquah. It was centered on J.B Danquah. A statement the President gave (the name Ghana); who gave the name Ghana has been in dispute…It is giving recognition to J.B Danquah as the man who mooted the idea that should we have our independence, it means we should have the name Ghana. So, that is being credited to him and not to President Kwame Nkrumah” but to him, the question is “who gave Ghana independence? The credit goes to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. You can never run away from that fact”, he replied President Akufo-Addo and further begged him to accept that "the founder of Ghana is Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Period! Nothing else…” he said on PeaceFM.
Also addressing the issue on the station's flagship programme "Kokrokoo", Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako opined that the President perhaps exaggerated historical facts.
Kweku Baako told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that there's no other person who founded the country than Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
According to him, there are historical records that point to the heroic efforts by Dr. Nkrumah in achieving independence for the country.
Alluding to some historical records including Parliamentary Hansards to buttress his comments which wowed listeners of the show, the Senior Journalist noted that Dr. Nkrumah became the person to declare Ghana's independence for specific reasons.
"....Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah...the one that declared independence on March 6, 1957. Let’s be dispassionate. Let’s ask those questions. You’ll know that that is the reason why he has become and I’m being charitable first among equals. As an Nkrumahist, I’m biased. That’s the key man. I will go for him as the key founder of this country. (Kwame) he’s number one. There’s no dispute about it."
“There’s nothing the President said that wasn’t factual but sometimes, I remember I saw somewhere that says if you exaggerate the truth; you undermine the essence of the truth," he added.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi /Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Dalebo and others you may have done your research but the truth has to be told. No one has ever understated the contribution of others. The fight for independence did not begin with the BIG SIX, it began several decades before any of the ever took the baton. Now in soccer, we have team efforts yielding to best team and best player of a tourney or a match. In life, many people fortunately find themselves crowning the efforts of others but this is never to say the others didn't play their role. That is how fortunate Nkrumah was. Whether someone invited him to join the fight or campaign or not is neither here nor there. Remember Paa Grant also invited Danquah, and again he was the main convener of the UGCC. Has anybody ever asked why Paa Grant and others after him don't form part of the accolade BIG SIX? Talking of dictatorship, I believe that is what some historians want us to believe. Today, the West and historians sign praises to the late Lee Kuan Yew for turning the fortunes of Singapore around. Was he not once also tagged a dictator when he decided to crack the whip on opposition? We shouldn't forget most of the oppositions in those days were doing the bidding of the White man who wanted nothing good for the colony but prove that the Black man can't indeed rule himself.
Mr Documents!!!
The facts were contorted to achieve a dubious agenda. The world all over know about Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana. His position as the main architect of our Independence can't be compromised. Whereas the Danquahs and the Akufo-Addos were for eternity willing to lick the boots of the Oppressor to satisfy their own selfish creed, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah was for the masses. He fought for the neglected and the down-trodden. He was for both the man on the street and the one in the office. The Danquahs were satisfied with the high tables of the white man like the pharisees in the Roman empire. The sins of the Danquahs still tell on their descendants, that is why they continue to be the enemies of progress. They are the sycophants who sold Nkrumah out to the CIA because they didn't want to see the common man rise to their standard. Are we still not witnessing this in the current NPP led administration, they did everything possible to deride the Atta-Mills and Mahama led governments. They did same to Rawlings, but for his selfish agenda he is now a friend and soon they would be crossed with each other. The haughtiness of the Danquahs run in their veins. If it's not them, then it is not good, and that's why we are still being inundated with their empty rhetoric of 'we are competent.' Anybody remember what the current President Nana Akufo-Addo did to the Late Professor Adu-Boahen? What of the former President Agyekum Kufour? Nana Akufo-Addo undermined the leadership of these giants of the NPP. Who knows may be the saying people become wise and sober when age tells on them is what we're witnessing in Nana Akufo-Addo today? I doubt with this falsehood humility of his. Time will expose him for all Ghanaians to see his true character. I sincerely believe God has brought this government to let us know how ungrateful we have been to genuine men who could do better in leading this country.
AKRONFUO ADDICT THE LIAR!
Just like nkrumah, Kwaku and co don't want to recognise the contributions of others other than nkrumah. Just think of this; will we have been talking about this if others had not invited nkrumahd to join in the struggle? Kwaku, there is nothing call exaggerated truth when I tell you, one-plus-one is two. Did nkrumah start the struggle or JB and others started it before inviting nkrumah after some years? I think an answer to this question settle it all.
Mr President divided the ghana history cake equally. Indeed Nkrumah was invited to come be the secretary to a group fighting for indece. The torch had been lit before Nkrumah arrived. He alone can't take credit for the Ghana story.
This whole thing is very funny. Nkrumah a chief propagandist would also have exaggerated his role. But the fact is, Nkrumah was at the head of the party that constantly and insistently agitated for Ghana's independence. There is equally a role that was played by the remaining "Big Five". They fought for Ghana's independence as well. They have 2 things against them though; 1. They thought when the Brits left, they'd become the natural successors. That took their focus away from continuing to fight. They became complacent. 2. Dr. Busia headed a delegation to the Queen, Queen Elizabeth of U.K. To get her government to slow the process of independence. They didn't want the CPP headed by Dr Nkrumah to become the beneficiary of the Independence mantle. Post Independence violence supposedly orchestrated by the Opposition threatened to derail the independence. The Preventative Detention Act of 1958 was arguably necessary for stability. It was stu-p1d of Nkrumah to extend the use of these emergency powers to victimise the opposition. He became a "***barred word***" in the midst of all these opposition. With hindsight, he should have opened dialog with the opposition rather than take a hard stance against them. Of course there were some "hard nuts" in the opposition but this is where it called for some wisdom on the part of the government. Rawlings somehow managed some of it by breaking opposition front . He appointed the "noise makers" from the opposition into his PNDC. Nkrumah could have tried harder. Leaving Danquah to die in prison was a very low point. The opposition was also to blame for some of Nkrumah's attitude. The arrest of Modesto Apaloo and RR Amponsah at the seaside one night neck deep in a plot to overthrow the CPP government didn't help. Both sides had faults, but both sides fought for independence on a different track. The CPP government wouldn't give credit to the NPP government or perhaps vice versa. Having done enormous research on how we attained independence, I like the recent version told on 6th March 2017. It does justice to both sides.......
Nana just gave us the true history of Ghana.
If the speech was factual then the truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth was told. There is nothing like exaggerated truth.
Kwaku I really love you so much but today you have disappointed my soul but will continue to love. Your comments today simple means you really love CPP because that is where your father belongs to and that is where you also belong. Why do you have to condemn your own good friend Nana Addo. In any case Nana will not be surprised at all because, he understands you. But I am surprised you cant understand Nana Addo His Grand uncles and his own father belong to the UGCC and were part of those who started the struggle. They invited Kwame Nkrumah to come and be part of them. Did Kwame Nkrumah started the struggle before JB Dankwa and others, NO. All that Nana said is true. Those in support of the founder's day for Nkrumah what role are we giving to JB Danquah and the rest who started the struggling, those who invited Kwame Nkrumah to be their secretary and he separated from them to form his own party what should we create for them? I believe even though Nkrumah did well in terms of socio-economic development he was a power driven and selfish person. Most of you are condemning what Nana said but none has pinpoint which part is not true. Was he having that in mind to come and declare an independence for. if yes why did he come at the expense of the main strugglers