Sankofa Series: What the posture of Kwame Nkrumah's famous statue really means

Have you wondered what the posture of the famous statue of Ghana's First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, denotes?

Well, the large bronze statue where he stands erect, with his head up and forefinger pointing into the future is a powerful symbol of Ghana's independence.

Shedding more light on the symbolism of the famous huge bronze statue, the Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Edward Quao, told Ernestina Serwaa Asante on GhanaWeb TV's People and Places, that it reflects the slogan of the Convention People's Party (CPP), a party he formed in 1949.

"So, his posture, the posture of his statue means forward ever backwards ever," he stated.

Additionally, he explained that the seven-kneeling trumpet-blowers facing the statue of the great leader, who has inspired millions across the world, are rooted in the traditions of the Akans, where horn blowers announce the arrival of a great leader or pay tribute to the dead.

"These are an expression of our traditional culture. Traditionally, when a chief is about to come to the gathering, you often would have some of the servants going ahead of him, going to announce his arrival. And the same way to when a very important person dies, by our custom, we also blow horns to announce the person's death.

"So, in this case, symbolically, the same thing has been done for Dr. Nkrumah. But what they observe is that when you are blowing the horn they are supposed to be standing and not kneeling. They are in this posture because they're giving him honour or respect," he added.

The statue and the seven kneeling trumpet blowers make a profound statement of Nkrumah’s vision for a free, united, and self-reliant Africa.

These iconic symbols continue to serve as powerful reminders of Ghana's journey to independence.

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