Ghana’s National Anthem which was ‘changed’ after Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow

There are some controversies surrounding the National Anthem of Ghana, with some factions alleging the anthem was changed to spit the country’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

History has it that the current National Anthem of Ghana, ‘God Bless Our Home Land, Ghana’, which was composed by Philip Gbeho, was the first anthem of Ghana after the country attained independence.

But after Ghana became a Republic on July 1, 1960, the anthem was changed to ‘Lift High the Flag of Ghana’. For the entire reign of Dr Kwame Nkrumah (between 1960 and 1966), every Ghanaian rose to the sound of ‘Lift High the Flag of Ghana’ at every public event.

The lyrics of the four-stanzas ‘thrilling’ anthem which was also composed by Philip Gbeho are as follows.

1. Lift high the flag of Ghana, The gay star shining in the sky, Bright with the souls of our fathers, Beneath whose shade we'll live and die! Red for the blood of the heroes in the fight, Green for the precious farms of our birth-right, And linked with this the shining golden band That marks the richness of our Fatherland.

2. We'll live and die for Ghana, Our land of hope for ages to come! Shout it aloud, O Ghana, And beat it upon the drum! Come from the palm-lined shore, from the broad northern plain, From the farm and the forest, the mountain and mine. Your children sing with ancient minstrel lore: Freedom for ever, for evermore!

3. God be with us in Ghana And make our nation great and strong, Brave to defend for ever The cause of freedom and of right. For ever the flag of Ghana proudly flies In distant seas or else beneath our skies. Let peace and fellow-feeling be our might, And may our name be a radiant light.

4. This be our vow, O Ghana, To live as one, in unity, And in your strength, O Ghana, To build a new fraternity! Africa waits in the night of the clouded years For the spreading light that now appears To give us all a place beneath the sun: The destined ending of a task well done.

But after the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah in 1966, the anthem was reversed to ‘God Bless Our Home Land, Ghana’ by Philip Gbeho.

According to nationalanthems.com, the current lyrics of Ghana’s National Anthem were adopted after a contest was held for new lyrics.

Some scholars say that the original lyrics of Philip Gbeho were "Lord God our Father we pray thee, Be thou our guide in all our ways, May we unite together, proclaim the dawn of our new day! Children of Ghana arise and uphold your cause, And blaze the trail of freedom far and wide, O God our Father harken to our call, and bring us peace here in our fatherland.”

But a student of Philip Gbeho, Michael Kwame Gbordzoe, composed new lyrics for the anthem with the same tune which brought about: “God bless our homeland Ghana And make our nation great and strong, Bold to defend forever. The cause of Freedom and of Right; Fill our hearts with true humility, Make us cherish fearless honesty, And help us to resist oppressors' rule. With all our will and might for evermore” in 1970.

Listen to the enchanting first stance of ‘Lift High the Flag of Ghana’ below:

BAI/OGB

You can also watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below:



Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.