‘I was criticized for saying I’m proud of my father’ – Jackie Ankrah

Jackie Ankrah, daughter of the late former Head of State, Lieutenant General J. A. Ankrah, has recounted how she recently suffered massive backlashes for saying she is proud of her father.

It can be recalled that sometime in November 2022, the broadcaster cum musician said although her father overthrew the Nkrumah government, he still did a lot of things worth celebrating.

She said in an interview with Asaase Radio that despite her father’s flaws, he had achieved a lot for the country.

“We don’t talk about my father much which is unfortunate because of the Nkrumah overthrow. My father was the first in many things, but my father was an amazing, remarkable, incredible soldier.

"Just recently, he was honoured at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and when they wrote and spoke about him, I was proud because my father has done so many things that we don’t get told about because we rewrite history all the time. But I think these are things that we must talk about to encourage one another and encourage the next generation," she told Naa Ashorkor.

But in her latest interview on HitzFM, Jackie established that the aftermath of passing such statements was brutal.

Ms Ankrah said she was criticized for speaking her reality and that affected her emotionally.

“I received a lot of attacks recently because I said I was proud of my father. It really affected me because I am human but whose father would I be proud of? I can’t do anything about who I am, who my parents are, my father is my father, my father is who he was and he is ever going to be in the history of Ghana,” she said.

Jackie, however, established that her admiration for her father and willingness to defend his legacy still stands tall.

“I would have to face the fights and attacks as long as it’s to honour my father not like he’s stolen like other people’s father. People have their opinions and you can’t change their opinions but only live your life and do the things God desires of you,” she asserted.

Joseph A Ankrah was the chairman of the National Liberation Council from 1966 to 1969 and was Ghana’s first military head of state after he overthrew Dr Kwame Nkrumah alongside other members of the NLC.

He died in 1992 and left behind several wives and 18 children.



EB/BB