With an outstretched hand pointing high above, one could easily interpret the confident stance of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, that the sky really was the limit.
Bound like Mahatma Gandhi in a long flowing tunic, symbolic of simplicity and cultural identity. The statue, serenaded by the churn of the nearby Atlantic, holds a prominent place with Africans.
As an agitator and victor against oppression, giving millions reenergized belief that Independence was obtainable.
With Black Lives Matter challenging the status quo of a system still honouring colonial prejudices and white priorities, the timing has never been more acute.
Here is a statue that deserves to be looked up to and like the Mahatma, he changed the very path he walked upon.
As politicians come and go with increasing frequency, very few ever leave much of a legacy.
Quickly forgotten as they pass from the political stage into the mists of obscurity. His achievements, however, have been remarkable and took Ghana on a bright new course.
Allowing for the first time in centuries for Ghanaians to determine their own future. Ghana became independent in 1957, the first sub-Saharan country to do so.
Giving inspiration to political activists across Africa and hope to millions more that freedom was clearly possible.
Over the next decade, more and more African dominions obtained their Independence: Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, all given greater confidence by the situation in Ghana.
British influence started along the Gold Coast in the early years of the 17th century.
The abolition of slavery
Once Britain had introduced the abolition of slavery in 1807, it needed to look for new areas of revenue.
As rubber, gold, cocoa and palm oil became viable exports over the next century, British interests moved further inland.
To obtain total control, the British needed to remove The Asante who exercised considerable power in the region.
By teaming up with the Fante, (a tribe residing along the country's coastline) who already benefited from robust commercial partnerships with the Europeans, they were able to obtain the upper hand.
The conflict played out over multiple wars until 1900 when Britain exiled the Asantehene (King) Agyeman Prempeh to Seychelles.
Two years later the remaining royal family were arrested and inherited the same fate as Asantehene.
The Ashanti Confederacy Council
By the mid-30s, some forms of indirect rule were already implemented, and the Asante confederation was reborn as the 'Ashanti Confederacy Council'.
Nationalist movements soon germinated, with the oldest having roots as far back as 1897. Pushing for higher demands that eventually manifested an African majority in the Legislative Council.
J.B. Danquah, founder of the UGCC party, invited Kwame Nkrumah as party secretary to counterbalance a membership dominated by the educated elite.
Danquah favoured a slow path towards Independence, forwarding demands in a staggered fashion, which soon jarred with Nkrumah's objectives of immediate Independence.
He soon left to appropriate the Convention People's Party, gaining immediate popularity and inciting a national strike in 1950, to which he was quickly imprisoned by the British.
As the CPP continued to grow, Arden-Clarke, British Governor of Ghana released Nkrumah to help form a government. The CCP held a power share with the British until the Legislative
The three-banded emblem replaces the Union flag
Assembly called for complete Independence in August 1956. Seven months later, on March 6th 1957, in front of a packed stadium on Independence Square, the Union Jack descended for the final time.
Replaced by the three-banded emblem of red (bloodshed), yellow (mineral wealth), and green (natural wealth) with a black star (African emancipation) at its core.
Ghana had severed the colonial shackles with Kwame Nkrumah transcending from prisoner to president in one swift step.
A promising future
Revered by Western leaders and Africans alike, the country headed off into a promising future.
The world's leading cocoa exporter, already possessing a large share of the world's gold, palm oil, bauxite, coffee, diamonds and timber.
Encouraged by a high percentage of educated people and a quarter of the population were literate.
Nkrumah immediately set off on an ambitious investment programme to bring the country into modern times.
His economic ideology appeared practical, logical and sensible, pushing forward an industrial platform that sought to reduce foreign dependency.
However, time began to display that many of his ventures had been too costly, funding prestige projects that didn't benefit the economy or the common majority—drying up foreign currency reserves which soon plummeted Ghana into severe debt.
The population lost confidence, political discontent increased, and his style of scientific socialism had won few admirers.
When the global price for cocoa plummeted it sadly shelved pending measures to bring Ghana back towards economic harmony.
Nkrumah's personality was viewed as the central catalyst to Ghana's struggling economy. Cementing a bizarre personality cult, often secretive and distrustful of his inner circle, and becoming more and more introverted as he retreated to his state palace at Christiansborg Castle.
A one-party state
He imposed a one-party state in the mid-'60s to curb political opposition, frequently arresting suspects for up to five years under a Preventive Detention Act.
Those heady days of Independence had soured and sincere promises soon withered. Eventually, he lost the support of the single, most crucial entity in retaining power, that of the army.
While visiting China in 1966, he was overthrown in a coup and subsequently exiled to Conakry in Guinea.
He gradually abandoned the hope of ever sailing the political course of his beloved Ghana again. He passed away undergoing medical treatment in Bucharest in 1972.
But there is no denying his brilliance in bringing Ghana to her freedom. Gamal Nasser (Egypt), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Joshua Nkomo (Zimbabwe), and Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia) all felt his iconic influence in fostering their strategies towards Independence.
Not only did he light the flame, he turned it into a gigantic bonfire. Forcing the British to quickly realize that their long term policies governing Ghana were coming to an abrupt but inevitable end.
The world had changed much after World War II, the days of Empire once so positive with Victorians, industrialists, farmers and plantation owners, quickly lost national interest.
Kwame Nkrumah spent the war years studying in the United States, possessing a Bachelor of Theology, an MA Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA Degree in Economics and Sociology from Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania -from where he also taught History of African Languages.
Between 1945-47 he attended the London School of Economics for one semester, becoming active in Pan African politics.
It was while walking around the small dimly lit museum at his memorial park in Accra that I was surprised to see how many iconic leaders he had met.
Fedel Castro, Mao Tse-Tung, Zhou Enlai, Harold Macmillan, J.F. Kennedy, Nikita Krushchev, Haile Salassie, and Patrice Lumumba. Years of political light-footedness had made him a slick mover, assured in a dance or two with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the early '60s.
Above and Beyond
Facts:
Kwame Nkrumah's memorial in Accra is open to the public -10GHcd entrance fee includes the museum. -Independence Square and Black Star Arch are both free and worth visiting during parades and celebrations.
Visits to Ghana require a visa
This is obtainable from your respective Embassy. You will need amongst your documentation 'A Letter of Introduction.' which many hotels can make when you book.
For UK nationals, a 3-month single entry visa is currently £60 - 6-month multiple entry is £100. The process takes ten days though this can be reduced to three for an additional £40.
Applications by appointment only
You will need to show a valid Yellow Fever Certificate to prove vaccination against the disease.
Available from your GP but advance notice might need to be given to order in the drug. The price varies but expect to pay around £50 - it is not free on the NHS.
The currency
The currency is the cedi pronounced cd like an abbreviation of a compact disc. The current exchange rate is £1=7.23, $1=5.82. 1 Euro=6.53.
ATM's and banks are ubiquitous in most towns. Visa & Master Card are accepted at upmarket hotels, and obtaining cash is very simple.
Take out appropriate travel insurance that covers repatriation and medical expenses.
World Nomads
is suitable for backpacking, and World First offers a well-rounded policy.