Why Nkrumah@100 Was A Flop

It appears, nobody in Ghana is bold enough to face the truth. But, Qanawu will say it as it was. The centenary celebration of the ‘African of the Millennium’ was by all standards a big flop!

It was obvious from the start when the government announced members of the Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Celebrations Planning Committee. It’s focus was sectarianism rather than competence. Messrs Kwesi Pratt, Bernard Mornah and Agyemang Badu Akosah were on the team not because they have any known record in organising an event. They were there because they claim to be rabid Nkrumaists. To use people who can’t even organise a drink-up in a brewery to plan an important celebration like that is to say’ I’m not interested in the programme’s success’, I’m just interested in making a sectarian case.

The National Democratic Congress, led by a former student of Nkrumah’s ideological institute, saw this centenary event as another opportunity for the NDC to further eat into the CPP support base and claim the left side of the political divide for itself. To the NDC it was just a political strategy. The NDC knew it was on a winner, because so weak is the CPP today that to be its leader is like taking a job as a fitness instructor for a 43-year-old embalmed body.

Haunted by the NDC propaganda on Ghana@50, the government and the planning committee were even afraid to suggest things that were necessary to ensure a good show. Even the printing of t-shirts was problematic. They were afraid to be seen to be spending. So they ended up giving us a no show. Is that rather not causing financial loss?

They promised us several international guests, including many African heads of state. In the end, not a single foreign leader showed up.

The play on Nkrumah was a complete disaster. TV viewers gasped at seeing empty seats with a few occupied ones at the National Theatre, when news of the play was shown. Street vendors complained of lack of patronage for the Nkrumah souvenirs that they tried to sell.

The night vigil at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Sunday was embarrassingly dull, amateurish and had as many as less than 100 people in the audience. Those of us who watched it on TV would have been forgiven to think it was an open audition for anybody on the streets to walk on stage to show what they can do – recite a poem or sing a song. Play a drum or tell a joke.Well, the Nayabingi song from the rastafarians was probably a ras-eclat hit.

On Monday, the big event at the Nkrumah Mausoleum was nothing special. It had a lot to be modest about. In fact it bore the thumbprint of a presidency which believes that modesty – even in performance – is a godly virtue. The President looked very pretty in his three-piece abaja, with what looked like shoulder pads. Mahama was comfortable with his casual self. Even the MC, David Dontoh looked bored.

The free concert gala at the Independence Square was sparsely patronised. As one musician noted, “It attracted less crowd than the least attended ‘Believe in Ghana’ concert done by the Akufo-Addo Campaign ’08.’

Perhaps the youth chose to stay away in protest to President Mills' advise to them during his dawn broadcast: 'What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.' I guess if they wanted a preacher for President they would have opted for Prophet TB Joshua.

Then comes Tuesday, the post-mortem was on. The national verdict appears to be strongly against the decision by the President to make 21 September a national day to be called Founder’s Day.

The hypocrisy of President Mills was all too apparent. The man who said the anniversary should galvanise Ghanaians to unite, started on the wrong note by passing that official decree that Nkrumah was the only founder of Ghana and that the day must be called Founder’s Day.

Those who listened to comments on radio Tuesday, especially Peace FM, should gauge for themselves whether indeed there is anything near a national consensus that Nkrumah was the only founder of Ghana. Mr Pratt made the case worse by taking on the man who never wrongs, Opanin Agyekum!

Kwame (Saturday born) Nkrumah, named Kofi (Friday born) at birth is said to be born on 21st September, 1909, which was in fact a Tuesday.

Even if we are to accept that fictitious date, should Ghanaians also accept the fiction of Ghana having a singular founder?

The poor patronage of the event should tell President Mills that Ghanaians do not accept his view that Nkrumah was the only founder of Ghana. Not even the obnoxious attempt by GTV to stuff our TV sets with only pro-Nkrumaists telling Ghanaians about a so-called golden age under Nkrumah could tilt sentiments in favour of that distortion.

Perhaps, Ghanaians should call for a probe of Nkrumah@100 if not for anything for the fact that resources were spent on a show that was honestly a flop! At least, we can get some idea how much the planning committee members spent on tea.

Of course, the NPP can be blamed for instigating the flop. The NDC in government is like a young culprit, who is told that alcohol is responsible for his present sorry state. “I'm glad to hear you say that. Everybody else says it's all my fault!”

21st September, in my view, could stay and be marked annually as a national holiday. But, the President should be humble enough to admit that it should rather be a Founders’ Day (putting the apostrophe where it belongs) if it is to receive national endorsement.