Nkrumah Did Not Force His Views On African Leaders 7

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SARPONG 10 years ago

He might not have forced his views on anybody but he gave and laid the foundation for how to perpetuate monarchical democracy with his President for life and one Party rule template.

Nkrumah should be given credit for what ...
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He might not have forced his views on anybody but he gave and laid the foundation for how to perpetuate monarchical democracy with his President for life and one Party rule template.

Nkrumah should be given credit for what is happening in Burundi.
Kojo 10 years ago

The worst intelletuals the are ones who seem intelligent but soon reveal themselves as Believers. They pick a few pieces of faulty data and convince themselves that they have discovered the truth and proceed to miseducate tha ...
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The worst intelletuals the are ones who seem intelligent but soon reveal themselves as Believers. They pick a few pieces of faulty data and convince themselves that they have discovered the truth and proceed to miseducate that populace ( twist history)
Yaw Kyere 10 years ago

CHINA IS NOTHING BUT A COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP, YET WE BORROW MONEY AND GET AID FROM CHINA.

CHINA IS NOTHING BUT A COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP, YET WE BORROW MONEY AND GET AID FROM CHINA.
SARPONG 10 years ago

China is not a dictatorship like Nkrumah Cpp. At least the Central committee of the Communist party with hundreds of members vote to for somebody to be the leader.

They can remove the leader. As a matter of fact, decisions ...
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China is not a dictatorship like Nkrumah Cpp. At least the Central committee of the Communist party with hundreds of members vote to for somebody to be the leader.

They can remove the leader. As a matter of fact, decisions are taken by the Central committee unlike Nkrumah dictatorship that he alone made decisions.
Mahmoud 10 years ago

"Aspirations for African and World Leadership

Nkrumah, who is driven by ambition to be far more than Ghana's leader, aspires to be recognized not only as the predominant African political personality but as a man to be rec ...
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"Aspirations for African and World Leadership

Nkrumah, who is driven by ambition to be far more than Ghana's leader, aspires to be recognized not only as the predominant African political personality but as a man to be reckoned with on the international stage. His dreams of grandeur have led to a number of attempts to make Ghana the focal point of wider African political entities -- the abortive Ghana Guinea-Mali union, the defunct Joint African High Command, and his current project of a united Africa -- all of which have foundered in the face of reality and because of the refusal of other African leaders to accord Nkrumah the position of predominance implicit in all of his schemes. Instead, Ghana has become increasingly isolated, and Nkrumah has •earned the distrust of most African leaders and has even alienated his erstwhile radical cronies in Guinea, Mali, and the UAR.

On the international scene, Nkrumah's conception of himself as a world leader has led him to make contacts with other leaders whose real or fancied friendship he values highly. His self-created role has also resulted in frequent offers of gratuitous advice in resolving non-African problems, the details and complexities of which he is largely ignorant. He has thus attempted to insert himself in the Cuban missile crisis, the Sino-Indian border conflict, the Arab-Israeli dispute, the nuclear-disarmament question, and the Vietnamese situation. Nothing has come of any of these efforts.

Although he has succeeded in projecting himself into the African and international scene to a greater extent than most African leaders, Nkrumah is considered by most world leaders to be more of a nuisance and a figure of ridicule than a statesman. These rebuffs, and Nkrumah's consequent sense of extreme frustration, are in part responsible for his policy of encouraging and abetting subversion in Africa, activity which he also rationalizes on the grounds that many African nations -- including all of his close neighbors-- do not support the radical policies which he advocates and are followed by his government."
Kwaku 10 years ago

Mahmoud,

Sounds like a quotation straight from a CIA report or an assessment by a national security adviser under J.F. Kennedy or Lyndon B. Johnson!

Absolute rubbish.

Mahmoud,

Sounds like a quotation straight from a CIA report or an assessment by a national security adviser under J.F. Kennedy or Lyndon B. Johnson!

Absolute rubbish.
Judcrislam 10 years ago

My friend multiparty system of politics does not breed progress at all. It only breeds corruption confusion, anarchy and most of all tribal war.

My friend multiparty system of politics does not breed progress at all. It only breeds corruption confusion, anarchy and most of all tribal war.
Kwaku 10 years ago

"multiparty system of politics does not breed progress at all. It only breeds corruption confusion, anarchy and most of all tribal war."

In most African countries, multiparty democracy is multi-tribal politics, with politi ...
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"multiparty system of politics does not breed progress at all. It only breeds corruption confusion, anarchy and most of all tribal war."

In most African countries, multiparty democracy is multi-tribal politics, with political parties structured along ethno-regional lines with clearly identifiable regional and tribal strongholds. That is a tragedy for Africa.
madiba 10 years ago

Do we have intellectuals who think about the future of ghana and africa. This continious talk about nkrumah and danquah are bullshit. If nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a sucess. Writer use yo ...
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Do we have intellectuals who think about the future of ghana and africa. This continious talk about nkrumah and danquah are bullshit. If nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a sucess. Writer use your time to talk about the present and the future.
Kwaku 10 years ago

“Madiba,” you state:

“If Nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a success.”

Have you checked some of the sources cited by Francis Kwarteng on Nkrumah's ouster?

One of the best acco ...
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“Madiba,” you state:

“If Nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a success.”

Have you checked some of the sources cited by Francis Kwarteng on Nkrumah's ouster?

One of the best accounts on Nkrumah's ouster is Godfrey Mwakikagile's book, "Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall," cited by Kwarteng.

The United States and other Western powers, Britain, France and West Germany, engineered and masterminded Nkrumah's downfall.

The highly notorious Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States, known for overthrowing and assassinating foreign leaders the United States does not like, such as Patrice Lumumba, played the leading role in Nkrumah's ouster.

A number of CIA agents such as John Stockwell have admitted that. Yet you glorify traitors, used by the United States and other Western powers, who overthrew Nkrumah by blaming him for his downfall.

Like all other leaders, Nkrumah made mistakes. He was not perfect - who is? But that is not why the United States and other Western powers overthrew him. They overthrew him because he was a threat to Western interests in Africa.

Even American officials admitted that. They include G. Mennen Williams who was the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. It's all documented in Godfrey Mwakikagile's book on Nkrumah's downfall.

Don't be blind to reality by blaming Nkrumah for his ouster, ignoring the bigger role played by Western powers, especially the United States, in getting rid of him.

Even some highly educated Ghanaians pretend they don't know and also claim there is no proof showing that the United States was behind Nkrumah's downfall. Professor George Ayittey is one of them. He has even denied that in his writings on discussion forums such as Mwananchi because of his hatred for Nkrumah in spite of all available evidence, from the CIA itself, showing that it was the American government through the CIA which authorised Nkrumah's ouster.

Yaw Kyere 10 years ago

NKRUMAH WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE CIA. KOTOKA ND THE REST WERE JUST STOOGES WHO DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

NKRUMAH WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE CIA. KOTOKA ND THE REST WERE JUST STOOGES WHO DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
Kwaku 10 years ago

American leaders were furious when Nkrumah published his book, "Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism," in which he blamed the United States for massively exploiting Africa and for causing all kinds of problems on th ...
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American leaders were furious when Nkrumah published his book, "Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism," in which he blamed the United States for massively exploiting Africa and for causing all kinds of problems on the continent, especially against truly nationalist governments and leaders who wanted Africa to be truly independent. The book was published in October 1965 to coincide with the Accra summit of the African heads of state and government held in that month where Nkrumah spoke eloquently and passionately about the imperative need for unity – for African countries to unite under one government in order to develop and protect the continent against her predators, especially Western imperialists led by the United States, who wanted to keep Africans in perpetual bondage. He was overthrown four months later.

Coincidence?

For some inexplicable reason, Nkrumah is far more appreciated in many other African countries than he is by some of his fellow countrymen in Ghana many of whom were some of the biggest beneficiaries of his policies in terms of education and employment. He laid the foundation for modern Ghana and achieved so much in only a few years of his leadership since independence.

After he was overthrown, four African leaders offered him asylum right away: Sekou Toure, Nasser, Nyerere and Modibo Keita.

President Nyerere refused to recognise the new military rulers of Ghana. He also refused to recognise Busia's government. When Victor Owusu, the foreign minister under Busia, went to Tanzania to seek recognition for his government, Nyerere refused to see him. Even Tanzania's minister of foreign affairs refused to meet with him. Like Nyerere, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia also refused to recognise Ghana's leaders who succeeded Nkrumah.

It is also in those two countries where Nkrumah was greatly honoured and is still remembered with great affection even today. In Tanzania, the largest conference hall at the University of Dar es Salaam which also serves as an international conference centre and is one of the largest in the country is named after Nkrumah. It is called Nkrumah Hall. There is also Nkrumah Street in Dar es Salaam where some of the offices of the liberation movements including the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa and FRELIMO of Mozambique had their headquarters during the liberation struggle. And there is Nkrumah College in Zanzibar. In Zambia, there is Kwame Nkrumah University.

You should read Godfrey Mwakikagile's book, "Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall." It has all those details including interviews with American ambassadors to Ghana and what they said about Nkrumah and other Ghanaian leaders, including their admission that American leaders hated Nkrumah and were infuriated by him.

One Ghanaian, Augustine Kyei-Boateng, in his review of Mwakikagile's book on amazon.co.uk stated: "Very nice historical narrative. Excellent and true to the topic. Like to read more of this author's books on Ghana's post-Nkrumah rule."
Kwaku 10 years ago

There is also this:

Tanzanian and Zambian delegations, led by their ministers of foreign affairs, walked out of the UN General Assembly as soon as Ghana's representative rose up and went to the podium to address the assemb ...
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There is also this:

Tanzanian and Zambian delegations, led by their ministers of foreign affairs, walked out of the UN General Assembly as soon as Ghana's representative rose up and went to the podium to address the assembly. They did so when Ghana was under military rule after Nkrumah was overthrown and when Busia was prime minister.
Augustine Kyei-Boateng. 10 years ago

Thank you Kwaku for enlightening me and others on the refusal of the two former East African Presidents who refused to recognise both the NLC and Busia's govts and even refusing to see Victor,the Foreign Secretary.It beggars ...
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Thank you Kwaku for enlightening me and others on the refusal of the two former East African Presidents who refused to recognise both the NLC and Busia's govts and even refusing to see Victor,the Foreign Secretary.It beggars belief that Ghanaians still do not appreciate what Dr.Nkrumah did for Ghana.What head of state of present day Ghana has been able to add to what Nkrumah did with regard to infrastructural and educational development in the country? Kwame Nkrumah is,and will remain the BEST HEAD OF STATE Ghana has ever had.The spirit of Nkrumaism will forever live among those of us who experienced his dynamism to move Ghana forward in spite of the naivety of his political opponents.Many thanks to you,Kwaku and may God bless you.
Kwaku 10 years ago

Thank you Augustine.

Nkrumah was in a class by himself and will always be.

I remember when even Nyerere during Ghana's 40th independence anniversary said in his speech in Accra that after Nkrumah was gone, no other Afr ...
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Thank you Augustine.

Nkrumah was in a class by himself and will always be.

I remember when even Nyerere during Ghana's 40th independence anniversary said in his speech in Accra that after Nkrumah was gone, no other African leader carried on the task Nkrumah started of trying to unite the continent so that we could truly be free and safe.
Kwaku 10 years ago

Augustine,

After Nkrumah was overthrown, President Nyerere not only refused to recognise the leaders who succeeded him; he also invited him to go and live in Tanzania and strongly denounced the coup at a press conference i ...
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Augustine,

After Nkrumah was overthrown, President Nyerere not only refused to recognise the leaders who succeeded him; he also invited him to go and live in Tanzania and strongly denounced the coup at a press conference in Dar es Salaam. He said the following at that press conference about Nkrumah:

“What is happening in Africa? What are the coups about? The last few months have seen changes of governments in many African countries. The latest has been in Ghana. What is behind all this? Are these 'revolutions' intended to remove humiliation and oppression from Africa?

Let us take the latest in Ghana. The enemies of Africa are now jubilant. There is jubilation in Salisbury and Johannesburg. Even a fool could begin to wonder whether these 'revolutions' would help Africa.

What was Kwame trying to do? He stood for the liberation of Africa. There is not a single leader in Africa more committed to this than Kwame. Whom did he anger with his commitment to freedom? Certainly not Africa. He was committed to true independence. He was not merely against ordinary colonialism; he was against neo-colonialism – against a colonial power going out through the political door and controlling the country through the economic door.” - (Julius Nyerere, quoted by Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, New Africa Press, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2015, pp. 66, 217).

Nkrumah himself, in his book “Dark Days in Ghana”, quoted what Nyerere said at that press conference, denouncing the coup and its sponsors.

Besides his role as an uncompromising champion of African unity and liberation, Nkrumah also stood out for his economic and educational achievements in Ghana. Th infrastructure and institutions he built during the few years he was in power were unequalled anywhere else in Africa. What other African leader achieved so much in so short a time – in less than ten years he was prime minister and president? How much would he have achieved had he been in power longer?

His achievements, the foundation he laid for modern Ghana, clearly refute what Professor Ali Mazrui said about Nkrumah: “He was a great African but not a great Ghanaian.” (Ali Mazrui, quoted by G. Mwakikagile, ibid., p. 183).

He was both – a great Ghanaian and a great African.
SARPONG 10 years ago

A brutal dictator was ousted and I don't feel sorry even if Satan would have come down to earth to remove him.

Nobody on earth can impose himself on a country and tell them I will be your President whether you like it or n ...
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A brutal dictator was ousted and I don't feel sorry even if Satan would have come down to earth to remove him.

Nobody on earth can impose himself on a country and tell them I will be your President whether you like it or not until I die and I will not allow another party in Ghana except my CPP as Nkrumah did.

When you borrow money from a worm and refuse to pay, they send rattle snakes to demand payment.

Nkrumah took docile Ghanaian civilians for fools and the Military and the CIA came calling at his doorsteps.
Francis C. Quainoo 10 years ago

Kwaku, I am NOT sure whether you are agreeing with madiba, in his deliberations to the effect that, " if Nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a success".

My beef is that, are you trying to chall ...
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Kwaku, I am NOT sure whether you are agreeing with madiba, in his deliberations to the effect that, " if Nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a success".

My beef is that, are you trying to challenge what madiba has contributed or otherwise???

After the overthrow of the DICTATOR, very many writers and intellectuals had come into the fray to give their views and opinions most of whom NEVER reflet on the mainstream Ghanaian opinions.

The views therefore of Madiba, is simply put, that "if Nkrumah had done things right the plot itself will not have been a success".

The writer of this article, being Francis Kwarteng, ostensibly is NOT the first to air the views he has just enunciated. In that very many actors and writers have made some distorted facts which led to the overthrow of the DICTATOR.

There sure would have been others who may NOT have been born when the DICTATOR was ruling Ghana, yet they do express sentiments as if they were around and witnessed things on first hand.

Needless to say, I was EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD and just come out of Secondary School when the Coup happened.

Besides, POLITICS had been played from my Family Home from day one that I had been a kid. And we had always been on the DANQUAH/BUSIA/DOMBO TRADITION.

Without going onto the nitty gritty of the writer's antics, we had always viewed the DICTATOR NKRUMAH'S RULE and ANTICIDENTS as one that had gone contrary to the views and aspirations of Human Rights and DIGNITY.

My Cape Coast Household and elsewhere may have been the most JUBILANT OVER THE DICTATOR'S OUSTER given the sufferings we encountered.

Furthermore, the massive DEMONSTRATIONS all over the country and the aftermath of the Commission of Enquiries were just enough justifications of the BASTARD.

Whether the Coup was orchestrated by GOD or a Tin god is completely immaterial. What needs to be done is to move on and save Mother Ghana from the Inhumane and Treacherousness that he and Murderer Rawlings left behind, with the latter NOT letting Ghanaians have enough sleep.

Sorry, IF YOU BASTARDS WOUN'T GHANAIANS PUT THESE EPISODES BEHIND THEM AND MOVE FORWARD, THEN YOU ARE ALL CUNTS!!!!

Best Regards,

Francis C. Quainoo
Western Australia
Pakus 10 years ago

Francis C Quainoo, you are the most CUNT. Tell me between Ivory Coast Houmphrey Boigney and Ghana's Nkrumah who was a dictator?

Francis C Quainoo, you are the most CUNT. Tell me between Ivory Coast Houmphrey Boigney and Ghana's Nkrumah who was a dictator?
Kwaku 10 years ago

Francis,

What mistake or mistakes did Nkrumah make against Ghana and Africa as a whole to justify Western involvement in his ouster?

Did Western powers conspire to overthrow him because they cared about the wellbeing of ...
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Francis,

What mistake or mistakes did Nkrumah make against Ghana and Africa as a whole to justify Western involvement in his ouster?

Did Western powers conspire to overthrow him because they cared about the wellbeing of Ghanaians who were supposedly suffering under Nkrumah and other Africans who were being "misled" by him? Or did they do so to preserve and protect their interests in Africa - which they considered to be their property and sphere of influence, no more than an appendage to the West?

The truth 10 years ago

There is n will be only one kwame nkrumah. Nkrumah never dies

There is n will be only one kwame nkrumah. Nkrumah never dies
Brave Heart 10 years ago

Rubbish , go back to the history book and read more about Nkrumah and his main aim of OAU, and what he wanted.
Nkrumah was forcing African leaders to accept the concept of Africa can be one, and he was championing it with th ...
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Rubbish , go back to the history book and read more about Nkrumah and his main aim of OAU, and what he wanted.
Nkrumah was forcing African leaders to accept the concept of Africa can be one, and he was championing it with the main aim of becoming the leader should it had happened.
Concerned 10 years ago

Aren't you aware of the strategic benefits of a large United Africa in terms of bargaining power for our products, security, economies of scale, market. Just look around the world and you will see a correlation between size a ...
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Aren't you aware of the strategic benefits of a large United Africa in terms of bargaining power for our products, security, economies of scale, market. Just look around the world and you will see a correlation between size and prosperity /power and it's not accidental. To reduce everything to Nkrumah fought for African unity just because he wanted to be president of African is a rather shallow argument for any grown man to make
Kwasi Jones 10 years ago

SANKOFA. This word we can never wipe out from our Country. Nkrumah was a Prophet and unless Ghanaians agree, we shall have no peace and would be cursed forever.

SANKOFA. This word we can never wipe out from our Country. Nkrumah was a Prophet and unless Ghanaians agree, we shall have no peace and would be cursed forever.
SARPONG 10 years ago

Yes, Prophet of doom we avoided by sending him to Guinea where even his wife and children stayed away from. Nkrumah never saw Fathia again the day he left Ghana for Vietnam.

Yes, Prophet of doom we avoided by sending him to Guinea where even his wife and children stayed away from. Nkrumah never saw Fathia again the day he left Ghana for Vietnam.
Shabi 10 years ago

This childish kindergarten nonsense about Nkrumah never seeing Fathia again, even when he was in Guinea is curiously reminiscent of the same idiotic crackpot outbursts from a certain Mahmoud, who it seems, takes turns with Sa ...
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This childish kindergarten nonsense about Nkrumah never seeing Fathia again, even when he was in Guinea is curiously reminiscent of the same idiotic crackpot outbursts from a certain Mahmoud, who it seems, takes turns with Sarpong to make fools of themselves on this platform. The question is that, do they really take turns or is it that they are one and the same person trapped in a confused mind?

Surely, God in His infinite wisdom, could not have created the same terrible mistake twice on the same premises of Ghana.

And by the way, where is your ring-leader, the most despicable and detestable 'intellectual' ignoramus, Dr SAS, who boasts that he can today buy nice cars which Nkrumah was incapable of buying when he was in Europe and the US? Has he done a 'runner' on us in the face of the invincibility of historical truth and good sense?

Sarpong, if by any chance you have any links to him, please let him know that we miss him sorely on this platform. He inspires to realize how futile, how shameful and how painfully idiotic one appears to be on hindsight, when one confronts the prophetic weight and enormity of the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his unassailable historical posture. Dr SAS has in accidental retrospect, taught some of us to stay committed to the truth, good sense and to remain loyal to the cause of the struggle to extricate Africa from the evil and oppressive grips of global imperialism - his mentor, by not being like him and the way he thinks.

Dr SAS is a mirror of the futility and the destructive potential inherent in the dark obnoxious minds of the still largely 'unliberated' educated African.

Much as some of us learn how daft an educated African can be from his 'interesting' interventions on this platform, tell him it is also in his own interest to come back on the platform. It will serve as a purgative therapy that will sanctify him to once again become a true, thinking and dedicated Africa.

As for you Sarpong, the least said about minions like you the better. I will not go after the madman who takes my clothes when Im bathing to expose my nakedness.
SARPONG 10 years ago

Idiot, is it not true that Fathia and her children did not see Nkrumah again when he was overthrown?

Idiot, Nkrumah even said he did not want his family to see him in Guinea because of his condition which was a lie.

The ...
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Idiot, is it not true that Fathia and her children did not see Nkrumah again when he was overthrown?

Idiot, Nkrumah even said he did not want his family to see him in Guinea because of his condition which was a lie.

The truth is that Fathia Egyptian family gave her ultimatum, either she sees Nkrumah and get banished from the family. Fathia mother was against her marrying Nkrumah and the only Fathia family member who attended Fathia and Nkrumah marriage was only the Uncle who introduced Fathia to Nkrumah.

Fool I know a lot about Nkrumah playboy nonsense more than you fools will ever know. I met Maya Angelou in the mid eighties and learned a lot about Nkrumah. Do you know Maya Angelou in early sixties spent some months in Ghana as the guest Kwame Nkrumah?

Fathia family banished her not to see Nkrumah again and she and their children never saw Nkrumah again after 22nd February 1966.
Shabi 10 years ago

So Sarpong, is it because you cant deal with the superior intellectual plane and extraordinary literary and academic accomplishments of both Kwame Nkrumah and Francis Kwarteng that makes you always succumb into these disorder ...
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So Sarpong, is it because you cant deal with the superior intellectual plane and extraordinary literary and academic accomplishments of both Kwame Nkrumah and Francis Kwarteng that makes you always succumb into these disorderly fits of uncontrollable tantrums (gbligbli) when you see their names on this platform? Why do you punish yourself so much? It is definitely not good for your health. The very least you can do is to avoid reading Francis Kwarteng and anything about Kwame Nkrumah. For the sake of your health, it would be better to let the House-Nigger-in-Chief, the so-titled, Dr SAS, stand up in your stead - that is if he too can gather sufficient courage to come back for another round of bashing. This is a free piece of advice, no ill-will or intent meant.

Oh, so you met Maya Angelou in the eigthies did you? Wow! Thats a great achievement in itself. And er,.... ahem! the lady who has now passed on, told you a lot of nasty things about Kwame Nkrumah eh? Sarpong, you know something, this Maya Angelou bit really sent me into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It just simply freaked me out. Damn! How old are you by the way? Just curious, no pun intended.

Now come on Sarpong, you dont have to stoop so low to make your point. The next thing we will hear from you is that you also met Fathia somewhere in the nineties who told you in strict confidence that Nkrumah used to wear underwear and socks with holes in them. This, it seems, is where you are now taking us.

Now really, Sarpong, you are going over the edge. You dont need to get so personal in these matters, its just a discussion on the history of our country and if your opinions cannot stand the test of truth, well, so be it.

Admittedly we may all throw a few invectives at each other here and there but fabricating tall tales to prop up your palpable lies will not impress any mature adult on this platform. On the contrary, your reputation will nose-dive and crash and you may end up like BBC News who reasonable people will avoid reading his contributions like they would avoid the plague.

It seems to me that its about time you are made to understand that we cant all always be right all the time. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The important thing is not to break down into intemperate foul moods like a baby in colic. 'Making' patapaa á la Rawlings or Bulom Banku will not gel or impress me or my likes.
SARPONG 10 years ago

Stupid Kwarteng is now Shabi, what a coward.

Stupid Kwarteng is now Shabi, what a coward.
Shabi 10 years ago

It is a privilege and an honour to be compared to or likened to Francis Kwarteng. Thank you.

It is a privilege and an honour to be compared to or likened to Francis Kwarteng. Thank you.

francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brothers Shabi Sarpong,

Sarpong, you very well know I am not Shabi and you also know others can produce IP data to counter what you are saying here.

You have the IP sofwtare and you can do us the favor of giving u ...
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Dear Brothers Shabi Sarpong,

Sarpong, you very well know I am not Shabi and you also know others can produce IP data to counter what you are saying here.

You have the IP sofwtare and you can do us the favor of giving us IP information on Shabi and I. DO US THE FAVOR.

Besides that, you are not the only one who met Maya Angelou. I have read nearly all her works and conceivably have (as many others do) access to all her speeches and public lectures that touch on Nkrumah, etc.

There also a number of scholarly works (books, essays, etc) that deal with the work people of African descent did in Ghana under Nkrumah, including Maya Angelou. I will make some of these available latter.

After all is said and done, I have personal friends (African-American and White-American (one or two) friends who also collaborated with Maya Angelou! Lest I am not mistaken, this should be taken to mean "dropping" names. I am more concerned about "facts."

If that is what you want, Sarpong, I can do a long series on Maya Angelou and Nkrumah.

To Brother Shabi, thanks for your insightful contributions. I am learning a great deal from your commentaries as I find you one of the most knowledgeable commentators on this forum. And as for Maya Angelou and Nkrumah, I have tons of information that will blast Sarpong's ego into smithereens!

If that is what Sarpong wants, then I will make that information available to him. In the meantime, I want him [Sarpong] to go back and read all the articles in this series because he is giving me the "impression" that he has not been reading them! Brother Sarpong, no insults please. Let's deal with the facts!

I hope the next in the series will be published soon!

All errors are mine!

Thanks to you both!

Have a great weekend.
Shabi 10 years ago

Bro' Francis, thank you for the nice comments you made about my humble and modest contributions on this platform. You should see me 'blushing' in vermilion black.

As for Sarpongs tittle-tattle name-dropping misdemeanor, re ...
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Bro' Francis, thank you for the nice comments you made about my humble and modest contributions on this platform. You should see me 'blushing' in vermilion black.

As for Sarpongs tittle-tattle name-dropping misdemeanor, relating to Maya Angelou, please I stand on his unsolicited behalf to plead with you to forgive him whilst I deal with him.

They, (Sarpong & co) are obviously not aware of the fact, but they, curiously, are rather the unfortunate front-line victims of the very antagonistic forces which they seek to protect and whose destructive interests, they advance.

As it is said 'somewhere', by another saviour, "..forgive them, for, they know not what they do". Francis, dont condescend to their .... or perhaps should I say 'our' level(?).

Seeing that you also have the added virtue of being a gentleman, I suggest to you that you should leave us 'earthlings' to sort them out. You can carry on with your phenomenal articles that have become the talk of the town by the many thousands of privileged but silent readers of your articles on this platform.

Left to their own wiles, these tactless people - people like Sarpong, Dr SAS, Gye Nyame and co, will, like the names of Gen. Ankrah, Afrifa, Danquah, Busia, Harley et al, end up damned and accursed in multiple measure in the same chamber of horrors of African history and "..their despicable sins", that hold the people of Africa to ransom in the unending wicked domination and exploitation by our eternal oppressors, "shall likewise be visited upon their hapless children's children".

We nevertheless eagerly await your exposé on the relations and impact of Nkrumah phenomenon on the African Diaspora.

Thanks again and you also have a great weekend.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brother,

Thanks again for your response.

I will go along with your and cease myself from responding to Sarpong.

On the other hand I would have given him more than he can chew or bargain for.

I will leave h ...
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Dear Brother,

Thanks again for your response.

I will go along with your and cease myself from responding to Sarpong.

On the other hand I would have given him more than he can chew or bargain for.

I will leave him for you to treat his comments as you wish.

Thanks again.

Please do have a nice weekend!

Thanks.
cojo opoku 10 years ago

You again? Is your middling mind not tired of the recycled bunkum on Nkrumah? Please let this trash be the last.

You again? Is your middling mind not tired of the recycled bunkum on Nkrumah? Please let this trash be the last.
Zip UP 10 years ago

It is simple as that, ( me myself and I )we Ghanaians did betrayed our Nation by allowing CIA ( USA ) to Infitrate into Our line of development and succeeded in using our own Soldiers to overthrow our then first only dynamic ...
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It is simple as that, ( me myself and I )we Ghanaians did betrayed our Nation by allowing CIA ( USA ) to Infitrate into Our line of development and succeeded in using our own Soldiers to overthrow our then first only dynamic President,(Late Dr Kwame Nkrumah ) Just because he saw the future ahead of the rest of world and embarked on energy sufficient project ( Atomic Energy ), Well here we are today with the so Call Dumsor,we would have got our kwabeya Nuclear Reactor Supplying us sufficient electricity to boost our domestic and Industrial consumption, and also his pioneer Ideal of Africa merging up common socio economic market,now being stolen and adapted by Europeans, as a Ghanaian Child it is an horror and nightmare to think this manipulation did occurred on our Land by CIA and Our own Military What a no brainier Era.....
Kwaku 10 years ago

“NKRUMAH WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE CIA. KOTOKA ND THE REST WERE JUST STOOGES WHO DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.” - (Yaw Kyere).

You are exactly right.

The coup against Nkrumah was masterminded by Howard T. Bane, the ...
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“NKRUMAH WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE CIA. KOTOKA ND THE REST WERE JUST STOOGES WHO DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.” - (Yaw Kyere).

You are exactly right.

The coup against Nkrumah was masterminded by Howard T. Bane, the CIA station chief at the American embassy in Accra.

He even had plans to storm the Chinese embassy, using American paramilitary experts from the CIA, a group known as the Special Operations Group, and kill everybody in there, scoop up documents then blow up the building.

Does that sound like Kotoka and Afrifa were the brains behind the coup? They were no more than stooges of the United States and other Western powers who wanted Nkrumah out because he was a threat to their interests not just in Ghana but in Africa as a whole because of his commitment to the wellbeing of all Africans across the continent.

President Felix Houphouet-Boigny said the coup plotters went to see him before the coup. He said he asked them why they wanted to overthrow Nkrumah – in spite of the fact that he was Nkrumah's rival in the region and should have been glad there were people who were going to overthrow the Ghanaian leader. Instead, this what he said in an interview with the French magazine Jeune Afrique, 4 February 1981, quoted by Godfrey Mwakikagile in his book, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”:

“Destablisation is not a new thing. Did you know why Idi Amin made his coup in 1972? It was not he who did it, but the British. He did not even know what he wanted himself.

It was the same in Ghana when the military overthrew Nkrumah. They [the Ghanaian coup makers] came to see me. I asked them why. They replied: 'All is not well any more.' 'Is that all?' [I asked them]. I also asked them what they were going to do; they did not know. People outside knew it for them.” (Felix Houphouet-Boigny, an interview with the French magazine Jeune Afrique, 4 February 1981, quoted by Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, New Africa Press, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 2015, p. 102).

Yes, Houphouet-Boigny was Nkrumah's rival. But even he knew, and admitted, the coup against Nkrumah was externally engineered.

Nkrumah was nobody's puppet. He refused to bend to the wishes of the United States. American leaders were furious they could not control him and manipulate him at will. He had ferocious pride of his African-ness and his African identity. By sharp contrast, the leaders who overthrew him were fully controlled by the United States – even according to the American leaders themselves. They were no more than stooges of this imperial power and were even despised by their bosses. They were worth no more than a few thousand tons of wheat and rice, according to one senior American official:

“Assessing the coup as a 'fortuitous windfall' and the ousted Nkrumah as having done 'more to undermine our interests than any other black African,' Johnson's national security affairs adviser described the NLC as 'almost pathetically pro-Western.' Only a little support would be required to keep the new government in the U.S. camp. A modest gift to the NLC...of a 'few thousand tons of surplus wheat or rice' would suffice.

Anticipating the State Department's reluctance to provide even minimal assistance, the aide insisted that lavish aid was unnecessary – 'indeed giving them a little only whets their appetites, and enables us to use the prospect of more as leverage.'” – (Kevin K. Gaines, American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates and the Civil Rights Era, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006, pp. 238 – 239, quoted by Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, op. cit., p. 76).

American involvement in Ghanaian affairs and control of the leaders who came after Nkrumah, including Acheampong and Busia, is further explored by Mwakikagile in his book, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall.” Here is what Fred Hadsel, once an American ambassador to Ghana, said about these leaders in an interview:

“Busia...too was overthrown. My friends noted jokingly that every place I was sent had a coup. They questioned where else I might be sent.

The military coup had some interest. The leader of the coup was the leader of a regiment which had been trained by our CIA to be the special unit available to the Busia government to prevent a possible coup. So when the coup started, Busia pushed the button, but there was no answer because the coup leader was the officer in charge of protecting the government against such actions.

He was a man who had gone through Fort Leavenworth's Staff and Command College without leaving a trace. No one could find a record, good, bad or indifferent.

His name was Acheampong, a man of adequate intelligence, modest education whose eventual downfall, long after I left, was due to the avarice of his wife. In fact, he and his wife were the first Ghanaians to be killed as a result of the first counter-coup in the modern history of Ghana. Up to that point, coups had been bloodless.” (Fred Hadsel, in an interview, in Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, op. cit., p. 179).

Now contrast that with the anger American leaders had towards Nkrumah because he was a proud African leader whom they could not control. This is what another American ambassador to Ghana, Robert Smith, said in an interview:

“Nkrumah dropped the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, in that he published a new book called “Neo-Colonialism (The Last State of Imperialism)”...which was simply outrageous. It accused the United States of every sin imaginable to man. We were blamed for everything in the world.

The book was so bad that I remember the then Assistant Secretary, G. Mennen Williams, called me up and gave me that book and said, 'Bob, I know this is bad. I don't know how bad. I want you to take it home tonight and read it. You're not going to get any sleep and I apologize for that, but on my desk, by eight o'clock tomorrow morning, I've got to have a written summary of this because I have called the Ghanaian ambassador in at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. We're going to protest this book.'

There had already been advance publicity so we knew it was bad, but we hadn't had our hands on a copy. And it was everything we feared it would be. It was awful.

And the next morning – of course, he had me in on this meeting as the note taker – a lovely, old man, Michael Ribiero, was the Ghanaian ambassador. Hated Nkrumah privately, but was a good soldier trying to put the best face on this, a career officer in their foreign service and very respected here and in Ghana.

Governor Williams, of course, was a relatively mild-mannered man. I had never heard Soapy Williams raise his voice until that conversation. Neither have I ever heard an ambassador get a tongue lashing like Ribiero got from Assistant Secretary Williams that morning. He, unfortunately, tried a couple times to interrupt the governor when he was making a point. He had my notes in front of him. And at one point, when Ribiero interrupted him, he said, 'Just a minute, Mr. Ambassador, don't interrupt me. I'm not through.' And he continued to go on.

He was raising his voice. He was shaking his finger in the ambassador's face. And it was a very painful, hour-long interview. To put it mildly, he protested vigorously the contents and publication of this book.

I think the publication of that book might also have contributed in a material way to his overthrow shortly thereafter.” (Robert P. Smith, in an interview, in Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, op. cit. pp. 135 – 136).

Ambassador Smith, like ambassador Hadsel, even lied claiming the coup against Nkrumah was “relative bloodless” - just to sanitise and glorify their stooges who overthrew Nkrumah.

The history of post-independence Ghana, and Nkrumah's ouster, cannot be correctly written if the American role, as well as the role of other Western powers – Britain, France and Germany – in Nkrumah's downfall is overlooked or deliberately ignored especially by those who hated and still hate Nkrumah. But nothing will diminish his stature as a leader who was genuinely committed to the well-being not only of Ghana but of Africa as a whole. As As Dr. K.B. Asante said about Nkrumah in an interview:

““To him African union was a passion. And I think he is right. Look at what is happening in Africa now. Congo, the richest country, what is there now? Warlords all over, with these private enterprises from outside. They do what they like. I mean, look at what is happening. He foresaw that if we didn't come together, we would be in our present state....He could be charming when he wanted to but normally, as someone who worked with him, he was what I would call a charming hard task master.” ( K.B. Asante, in Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall,” op. cit., p. 199).

Professor Mike Ocquaye also had this to say about Nkrumah:

““His smile was infectious. That was the charm of Nkrumah, a man who was very committed to Africa. Nkrumah lived and died Africa.” ( Mike Ocquaye, in Godfrey Mwakikagile, “Western Involvement in Nkrumah's Downfall”, ibid.)

The United States and other Western powers did not like that. So he had to go, just like another true Pan-Africanist and Nkrumah's friend, Patrice Lumumba.

It is a tragedy that Africa does not have such committed leaders anymore.
Shabi 10 years ago

Nice one Kwaku. Very informative. So much for the freedom of expression by those who claim to be the masters of democracy

Nice one Kwaku. Very informative. So much for the freedom of expression by those who claim to be the masters of democracy
Kwaku 10 years ago

Thanks, Shabi.

Thanks, Shabi.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brother Kwaku,

Thanks for your resourceful comments.

I have gone through all and found them exceedingly informative.

I wish other less informed commentators might take a look at them! I can say on authority th ...
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Dear Brother Kwaku,

Thanks for your resourceful comments.

I have gone through all and found them exceedingly informative.

I wish other less informed commentators might take a look at them! I can say on authority that Godfrey Mwakikagile's "Western Involvement In Nkrumah's Downfall" is probably the most authoritative text I have read on the subject!

As for George Ayittey, it is better to ignore him! He is not intellectually serious on many important subjects! I have dealt with summarily in one of my earlier articles!

Have a great weekend.

Thanks.
Kwaku 10 years ago

Dear Brother Kwarteng,

Thank you very much for your encouraging comments on my contributions to this forum.

I, too, have not come across any work as detailed as Godfrey Mwakikagile's on Nkrumah's ouster which was the re ...
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Dear Brother Kwarteng,

Thank you very much for your encouraging comments on my contributions to this forum.

I, too, have not come across any work as detailed as Godfrey Mwakikagile's on Nkrumah's ouster which was the result of a nefarious scheme engineered and masterminded by the United States and other Western powers. I also believe the book is going to be an authoritative text for many years.

As for Prof. Ayittey, I share your assessment of this “distinguished” scholar. He even stated on Mwananchi, one of the Yahoo! discussion groups, a few years ago that there was no proof the CIA was involved in Nkrumah's downfall; this coming from someone who is supposed to have done a lot of research on African leaders such as Nkrumah and Nyerere, making him an “authority”, of some sort, on their policies which he still criticises so much. I have read two of his books, “Africa Betrayed” and “Africa in Chaos”. You can tell right away from his writings that he has a lot of hatred for Nkrumah and even for Nyerere and Kaunda. He has also spewed a lot of venom against Nkrumah in some of his lectures.

Some members on Mwananchi harshly criticised him for his thinly-veiled attempt to defend the CIA and what this intelligence agency did in Ghana when he dismissed lightly its role in Nkrumah's ouster, claiming there was no proof it played such a role; in spite of the fact that it had been public knowledge for years that the CIA did a lot of dirty work in a number of African countries including Ghana and had been involved in overthrowing and assassinating some leaders such as Lumumba. Its role in eliminating foreign leaders, including its involvement in Nkrumah's downfall, was also the subject of US Senate hearings conducted under the chairmanship of Senator Frank Church of Idaho. Yet the “distinguished” professor, Ayittey, had never heard of that! While almost everybody else of his “intellectual” calibre and who kept up with what was going on, had.

But what else would you expect? He is a darling of conservatives who couldn't care less about the wellbeing of Africans and black people in general. He is doing a very good job for them. This reminds me of what Nkrumah wrote in his letter to arch-traitor Moise Tshombe, 12 August 1960:

“You have assembled in your support the foremost advocates of imperialism and colonialism in Africa and the most determined opponents of African freedom. How can you, as an African, do this?”
francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brother Kwaku,

Thanks again. Another brilliant expose from you.

The facts are all there but it is surprising how the likes of Ayittey ignores them. I myself have read and studies Ayittey closely but have never fou ...
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Dear Brother Kwaku,

Thanks again. Another brilliant expose from you.

The facts are all there but it is surprising how the likes of Ayittey ignores them. I myself have read and studies Ayittey closely but have never found his brand of "conservative" scholarship that "serious."

I have watched his TED.com presentations (and some Toutube) presentations as well, and I think his associations with the Standford-based Hoover Institution and the Heritage Foundation, among others, have all impacted him in many controversial ways.

It is interesting to note the Godfrey Mwakikagile has taken on George Ayittey in some of his books.

That said, I am extremely glad to read your thoughtful submissions. Please let me see you often on this forum. I hope to see you again where you share your intellectual exeriences and vast knowledge with me and others. I believe the next in the series appears today!

All errors are mine!

Take care my brother.

Thanks.
Kwaku 10 years ago

Thanks, Brother Kwarteng.

I will continue to participate. Let the discussion continue.

Take care bro.

Thanks, Brother Kwarteng.

I will continue to participate. Let the discussion continue.

Take care bro.
African Eagle 10 years ago

THE AKANS DO NOT WANT ANY OTHER TRIBE TO COME INTO POWER. THEY SET THE GENERAL UP WE ALL KNOW THAT AND HE FALL FOR IT. HE WAS POPULAR AND THEY GOT HIM OUT OF OFFICE.HE WAS STUPID FOR ASKING AMERICA TO USE THE BOMB.

THE AKANS DO NOT WANT ANY OTHER TRIBE TO COME INTO POWER. THEY SET THE GENERAL UP WE ALL KNOW THAT AND HE FALL FOR IT. HE WAS POPULAR AND THEY GOT HIM OUT OF OFFICE.HE WAS STUPID FOR ASKING AMERICA TO USE THE BOMB.
C.Y. ANDY-k 10 years ago

As a matter of fact, Ankrah created his own downfall with his ambition to become a civilian leader. It was no Akan plot and that's not what Nyebro Yaw intended to convey. You guys have to tone down on this ethnocentric interp ...
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As a matter of fact, Ankrah created his own downfall with his ambition to become a civilian leader. It was no Akan plot and that's not what Nyebro Yaw intended to convey. You guys have to tone down on this ethnocentric interpretation of everything Ghanaian politics.

Ankrah was guilty as charged by the charge sheet IGP Harlley presented to him. There was a hearing-in-camera and my own father appeared before it as one of the chief witnesses for the State on purely a position of principle; not cos he liked the NLC coup makers who treated him badly. In a way, he was having his own revenge on them.

I personally ironed the white shirt for him to appear before the C'ttee that day. It was during the school vacation and we were on holidays in Accra. It must be the long vac, since we prefer Xmas and Easter in Anloga, having discovered how much interesting they were there than boring Accra during those periods.

Andy-K
francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Nyebro Yao,

Good day.

You are correct to point out to "African Eagle" that "THAT'S NOT WHAT NYEBRO YAW INTENDED TO PORTRAY."

You are right because I used the word "may" in linking Afrifa, Busia, and Ankrah. This is ...
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Nyebro Yao,

Good day.

You are correct to point out to "African Eagle" that "THAT'S NOT WHAT NYEBRO YAW INTENDED TO PORTRAY."

You are right because I used the word "may" in linking Afrifa, Busia, and Ankrah. This is what I wrote (SECOND PARAGRAPH, LAST BUT TWO SENCE):

"In fact, Afrifa and Busia MAY as well have framed him up for their own political ends."

I hope Brother/Sister African Eagle takes note. I should also thank Nyebro Yao for providing additional clarification.

Thanks to you both!

Have a great weekend!
Judcrislam 10 years ago

His visions were achievable and realistic. The problem is most of Black leaders are cowards and too pedantic; too comfortable to take risks in governments and national developments.

His visions were achievable and realistic. The problem is most of Black leaders are cowards and too pedantic; too comfortable to take risks in governments and national developments.

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Nkrumah Did Not Force His Views On African Leaders 7

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