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Betrayal, Isolation, and Opposition: Joe Appiah's tumultuous relationship with Kwame Nkrumah

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Left) in a pose with Joe Appiah (Right] and his British wife Peggy Cripps

Sun, 1 Dec 2024 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

In the late 1960s, Joe Appiah and Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who were once close allies, endured a complex and shifting relationship during a tumultuous period in Ghana's history.

Appiah, a prominent lawyer and activist, returned to Ghana in 1954 to join Nkrumah's government but eventually fell out with him and later became one of the most vocal figures in the opposition.

According to excerpts of their estranged relationship contained in Yepoka Yeebo's book, "Anansi's Gold," Dr. Kwame Nkrumah faced growing isolation in his later years in power as many of his long-time allies, such as George Padmore, had passed away while others were imprisoned or in exile.

Amid these challenges, Kwame Nkrumah reached out to Joe Appiah, who had been released from Nsawam Prison at the time, for a private meeting at the Flagstaff House.

During their encounter, Nkrumah reportedly lamented, "Joe, Ghana is in pieces. My people have let me down; they fed me on lies and enriched themselves. This is not the country you and I dreamt of and fought for. I should have listened to you long ago. Joe, it's never too late to mend."

Despite this emotional admission and plea, none of the plans discussed and hatched by the pair that night, in a bid to address Ghana's woes, ever came to fruition as Nkrumah was overthrown in February 1966 while he was away on a peace-making mission in Hanoi, Vietnam.

At the end of Nkrumah's presidency, Joe Appiah emerged as a leading opposition figure in Ghana's political landscape.

According to Yepoka Yeebo's book, Appiah became notorious for his public opposition to Nkrumah's policies, often using Parliament as a stage for political drama.

A journalist recounted how Joe Appiah would monitor the entrance to Parliament House in Accra and, upon spotting Krobo Edusei, one of Nkrumah's allies entering the House, he [Joe Appiah] would raise his arm and shout, "SAVUUUU!"—a signal that would prompt the opposition to respond in unison with, "SAVUUUUNDRA!"

The chant became a hallmark of their dissent against Nkrumah's government and his nationalist policies.

Although Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's vision for Ghana remained unfulfilled during his presidency, his relationship with Joe Appiah and others serves as a stark reminder of the challenges of leadership and the personal costs of political rivalry.