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Kwame Nkrumah - Centenary

Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum Nkroful

Centenary 2009

The Story

Birth – September 21, 1909

1909

Event: Kwame Nkrumah is born in Nkroful, located in the Western Region of the Gold Coast (now Ghana).

Significance: He would go on to play a pivotal role in African independence movements and emerge as a prominent advocate for Pan-Africanism.

Ghana Gains Independence – March 6, 1957

1957

Event: The Gold Coast is declared the independent nation of Ghana, with Kwame Nkrumah serving as its inaugural Prime Minister.

Significance: Ghana becomes the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from colonial rule.

Nkrumah's Role: He spearheaded the movement for independence through the Convention People's Party (CPP).

Overthrown in Coup – February 24, 1966

1966

Event: Nkrumah is ousted in a military and police coup while on a diplomatic mission in Vietnam.

Significance: His one-party rule and economic policies had lost support, leading to the end of his presidency.

Aftermath: Nkrumah lives in exile in Guinea, where he is appointed honorary co-president.

Death – April 27, 1972

1972

Event: Kwame Nkrumah passes away in Bucharest, Romania, due to prostate cancer.

Significance: Although he dies in exile, he is subsequently honored as a national hero and visionary, celebrated in Ghana and throughout Africa.


Kwame Nkrumah was more than Ghana’s first President. He was the voice of Africa rising, the mind that dreamed beyond borders. Nkroful not just to celebrate his birth, but to rekindle his vision—for a united, self-reliant Africa.

Centenary Details

Nkroful, Ghana – September 21, 2009 A Century of Legacy: Kwame Nkrumah’s 100th Birthday Celebration in Nkroful

On September 21, 2009, the small town of Nkroful in Ghana’s Western Region came alive with pride, memory, and celebration. It was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah—Ghana’s first President and a towering figure in African independence movements. Born in this quiet village, Nkrumah would go on to become one of the most influential Pan-African leaders of the 20th century. The centenary celebration in 2009 brought together citizens, dignitaries, and visitors from across Ghana, Africa, and the diaspora to honor the life and enduring legacy of the man many still call Osagyefo, or "the Redeemer."


The year-long centenary was officially launched in January 2009 under the theme “A Life of Struggle; A Vision of Africa Unbound.” It featured a series of activities across the country—public lectures, cultural reenactments, tree-planting campaigns, and exhibitions that reflected on Nkrumah’s vision for a united, independent Africa. The main celebration, however, was reserved for his actual birthday, and Nkroful, his birthplace, became the symbolic heart of the event.


By the morning of September 21, thousands had gathered in the village. The occasion included a durbar of traditional chiefs from the Nzema area, cultural performances, youth parades, and speeches that recalled Nkrumah’s pivotal role in the struggle for Ghana’s independence in 1957. Schoolchildren recited his famous speeches, while local musicians performed songs praising his vision of Pan-Africanism and social justice.


Among the many dignitaries in attendance were Vice President John Dramani Mahama, members of Parliament, political party leaders, and family members of Nkrumah—including his children Francis, Sekou, and Samia. Speaking at the ceremony in Nkroful, Vice President Mahama described the centenary not simply as a celebration, but as a political pilgrimage, urging Ghanaians, especially the youth, to revisit the ideals of patriotism, service, and self-reliance that Nkrumah championed. President John Evans Atta Mills, in declaring the day a statutory public holiday now known as Founder’s Day, emphasized Nkrumah’s lasting contributions to Ghana and Africa, calling on citizens to honor his legacy through unity and national development.


The celebrations in Nkroful were not without their deeper reflections. In the years leading up to the centenary, many residents of the town had expressed concerns that Nkroful had been neglected in national planning, even though it was the birthplace and original burial site of Nkrumah. 


The 2009 celebrations helped restore national attention to the village, and there were calls for infrastructure development and better preservation of Nkrumah’s original mausoleum there. The renewed attention to Nkroful was seen as a step toward recognizing its rightful place in the historical and political landscape of Ghana.


The centenary was not confined to Nkroful alone. A big centenary event were held at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park in Accra, a few days later, where his remains were later reinterred. There, political leaders and citizens from all walks of life also paid tribute through wreath-laying ceremonies, scholarly discussions, and youth-led events focused on African unity and self-determination.


In all, the 100th birthday of Kwame Nkrumah was more than just a national observance. It was a moment of collective reflection on the journey of Ghana, the soul of Africa, and the unfinished work of liberation and unity that Nkrumah so passionately pursued. For Nkroful, the centenary celebration was both a homecoming and a promise—that the legacy of its most famous son would continue to inspire future generations, not only in Ghana, but across the African continent.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's quotes:

Non‑Alignment "We face neither East nor West;  We face forward"

“We face neither East nor West;
We face forward.”
— Address at a conference in Accra, 7 April 1960

Liberation and Change

“Never before in history has such a sweeping fervor for freedom expressed itself in great mass movements which are driving down the bastions of empire. This wind of change blowing through Africa… is a raging hurricane against which the old order cannot stand…“ — From Africa Must Unite

Photos Of The Memorial Side

 

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About Kwame Nkrumah

Kwame Nkrumah was born on September 21, 1909, in Nkroful, a small village in the Western Region of the then Gold Coast (now Ghana). Raised in a modest, spiritual home, Nkrumah showed early promise as a student.


He attended the Government Training College (now Achimota School) in Accra and trained as a teacher. His early exposure to colonial injustice shaped his strong anti-imperialist views and planted the seeds of his Pan-Africanist ideology.

In 1935, Nkrumah traveled to the United States, studying at Lincoln University and later at the University of Pennsylvania. It was during this period that he was deeply influenced by Black intellectuals like W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey.


Nkrumah immersed himself in socialist and Pan-African movements, becoming a vocal advocate for African unity and liberation. By 1945, he had moved to London, where he co-organized the 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester, which became a turning point in the decolonization of Africa.

Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast in 1947 and became the General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). After a split, he founded the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in 1949. His bold slogan—"Self-government now!"—galvanized the masses.


Despite multiple arrests, Nkrumah’s popularity soared. On March 6, 1957, under his leadership, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule. He became Prime Minister, and later, President of the Republic in 1960.


Nkrumah spearheaded major national development projects, the most iconic of which was the Akosombo Dam, completed in 1965 with support from the United States and the World Bank. The dam formed Lake Volta, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, and provided electricity for Ghana’s industrial ambitions. Other developments included the establishment of Ghana Airways, Tema Harbour, numerous schools and universities (notably the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), and early plans for the African Union.


However, his government was increasingly displayed as an authoritarian rule, one-party state, and some economic difficulties stirred discontent, which was promoted and used by CIA and British MI5 to initiate a coup together, with some leading figures within the government.

Coup, Exile, and Death (1966 – 1972)

On February 24, 1966, while Nkrumah was on a peace mission in Vietnam, he was overthrown in a military coup backed in part by foreign interests. The National Liberation Council seized power, banned the CPP, and Nkrumah never returned to Ghana.


He lived in exile in Guinea, where he was made honorary co-president by President Ahmed Sékou Touré. He continued to write and campaign for African unity, but his influence waned.


Nkrumah died of cancer on April 27, 1972, in Bucharest, Romania. His body was later returned to Ghana and buried in Nkroful. In 1992, his remains were reinterred at a national mausoleum in Accra, which became the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.

After his death, Nkrumah’s image and ideology underwent a profound reassessment. Though once vilified by opponents, he came to be widely recognized as a visionary leader, Pan-African icon, and founding father of modern Ghana.


In 2009, Ghana commemorated the 100th anniversary of his birth with a year-long centenary celebration under the theme “A Life of Struggle; A Vision of Africa Unbound.” Events took place in Accra, where the national mausoleum stands, and most importantly in Nkroful, his birthplace. The Nkroful celebration featured a grand durbar of chiefs, traditional music and dance, youth activities, and speeches by national leaders including President John Evans Atta Mills and Vice President John Mahama.


President Mills declared September 21st a public holiday, known as Founder’s Day, to honor Nkrumah’s role in Ghana’s independence. Nkrumah’s children—Francis, Sekou, and Samia—also participated in the events, which drew people from across Africa and the diaspora.

The centenary not only rekindled interest in Nkrumah’s achievements, but also prompted efforts to preserve Nkroful as a heritage site, and to revive public discourse on African unity, industrialization, and sovereign development.

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