The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has disclosed some historical facts about Ghana’s founder, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
According to him, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the only president in world history whose coffin was mainly carried by presidents in Guinea following his death.
Giving further details about the account on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show on August 6, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. asserted that key personalities, including Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro, honoured Kwame Nkrumah by serving as pallbearers at his funeral.
“I’ve done some checks, which are very interesting. In the world's history, there has been no president who died, and their coffin was solely carried by presidents from different countries in Guinea. It is unheard of, and the only person to achieve this was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. That is a huge statement.
“Presidents like Fidel Castro were part of the pall bearers who carried Kwame Nkrumah’s coffin. Aside from that, there is no sitting or dead president who was able to write and produce 13 classical books being studied worldwide. It's unheard of," he said.
Furthermore, Kwesi Pratt emphasized that Ghana’s most valuable tourist commodity is Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and that he must be respected for his legacy.
“We always say we want to promote tourism and our culture to the world. In Ghana, our most valuable tourist commodity is Kwame Nkrumah, but we are always the ones destroying his legacy," he noted.
Kwesi Pratt’s remarks come in the wake of debate over who the founding father of Ghana is, following comments by President Akufo-Addo.
During an address to Ghanaians on the eve of Founders’ Day, President Akufo-Addo called on Ghanaians to reject the notion that a single individual founded Ghana.
According to Akufo-Addo, the contributions of the other founding members, known as the Big Six, as well as other groups, cannot be sidelined.
“I speak to you this evening, rejecting completely the notion that Ghana was founded by one man. While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable, it is important to acknowledge that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” the president said in his broadcast.
MAG/OGB