Over-Eulogizing Our First President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah- A Misplaced Perspective?

The commencement of hardship in Ghana and Africa dated back to our Republican status attainment struggle lead by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, who successfully wrestled power from our colonial masters and perfectly usurp supreme totalitarian power to himself by leading gorgeous European life-style.

Big cars were imported for ministers who lived in huge mansions. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah himself rode Rolls Royce and Cadillac imported from the UK and US respectively. These were cars leaders of the developed world at that time could hardly afford. This gorgeous behavior of our premier politicians was bulbous whilst the commoners were living in primitivism. Therefore, displaying such luxurious characteristics of Nkrumah at his mausoleum only shows our insensitivity to the outside world.

The Kulungugu bomb assassination attempt on Nkrumah’s life revealed that there was long convoy of several luxurious cars in his retinue. This arrogant poster of politicians in Ghana permeated throughout the behavioral pattern of other African leaders who replicated Republican attainment style from Ghana. There was no simplicity among African leaders albeit leaving in impoverished continent to commensurate the poor living habit of their citizens. There existed scramble for wealth among African politicians that eventually bread extreme corruption to the deprivable existence of their followers. This behaviour nurtured lack of minimalism among African leaders.

The despotic and authoritarian style of rule employed by Nkrumah led to monocracy generating discontent among Ghanaians. Unfortunately, other African leaders who tried to replicate Nkrumah’s style of one party system coupled with life President Ideology failed woefully because Africa’s traditional system of governance was based on democratic principles. Infuriating

The introduction of Young Pioneer movement in schools empowered school children to report their teachers, parents and elderly they found exasperating to authorities for punitive actions brought about hooliganism, disrespect for the elderly and the breakdown of Law and order. The authoritarian practice by Nkrumah blossomed Favoritism and nepotism by giving jobs to Young pioneers and CPP party members.

Nkrumah’s hard handedness led him to the abolishment of the reading of certain books he thought were detrimental to his course in schools. Two of such books were The ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘The African Child’. Those caught reading those books were arrested and penalized. Such despotic leaders were succeeded by their offsprings after death as experienced by other countries ruled by dictators in Africa.

Apparently, Kwame Nkrumah cherished titles and was ecstatic with the Akan title ‘Osagyefo’ meaning the redeemer. He was also jubilant of the use of the literary title ‘Doctor’ that was conferred on him by his Alma matter but not through studious attainment.

At the tail end of his rule Ghanaians massively jubilated more than the celebration of Independence. Those celebrating Nkrumah today are those who are benefitting from his inaccuracies. Those he spent our resources on in fighting liberation wars when we had more serious problems back home never reciprocated Ghana’s gesture in time of our tribulation.

No black leader on earth has redeemed his people from poverty by deviating to Eastern ideologies. This was Nkrumah’s undoing that led to poverty and want in Ghana culminating in his downfall. The introduction of public sector economy in Ghana/Africa is illogical because most advanced economies depend on private sector development. Great economies are energized by democracy/capitalism and not socialism.

Independence was a necessity but the Republican status was unnecessary that created rudimentary problems. Our Republican status bred extreme corruption where Nkumah’s appointees started looting our coffers because Ghana stopped dealing with our colonial master that served as the watchdog to control excessiveness.

As Ghanaians think flamboyantly about Nkrumah not many Africans regard him as such except few beneficiaries. Whilst Nkrumah was busy fighting vainly for African unity, the rest were grabbing International Institutions that beautified their countries. The declaration of African unity was a mere pomposity that ended in time wasting and illusion. African unity can only materialize if Africa was re-demarcated on tribal affiliations by abrogating the partitioning done incongruously by our colonial masters that benefit them by keeping Africa in conflict for million years. Disunited countries can never be united. We are amalgamated across borders but internally disjointed.

Our Republican status ended our search for equality, fair play and personal justice that has compounded our corruption silhouette and plundering of the masses by a few. We hypocritically engage in praise singing for our leaders sweeping under carpet their wrong doings. In effect, we highlight the saying that the good that men do lives after them. This is a direct inversion of Shakespeare’s quotation; ‘the evil that men do lives after them.’

Africa needs scientifically and patriotically motivated leaders in order to develop.

By Dr. Albert O. A. Tsolu. An Ethnomusicologist.

Email: [email protected]        

 

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

 

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