Youssef Nkrumah, grandson of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, has shared a deeply personal reflection on family, identity and history in an essay detailing his journey of reconnecting with his grandfather’s legacy.

In the essay published by youssefnkrumah.substack.com and sighted by GhanaWeb on May 23, 2026, Youssef recounted growing up between Egypt and London, where he often felt distant from the historical significance of his grandfather despite carrying the Nkrumah name.

Reflecting on a 1935 letter written by Kwame Nkrumah while applying to study at Lincoln University in the United States, Youssef said he was struck by his grandfather’s honesty and vulnerability.

“In truth, the burden of my life can be summarised into a single line so much to do, so little done,” Nkrumah wrote in the letter.

Youssef said the words deeply resonated with him.

“For the first time, I felt like I was seeing a more vulnerable side of him,” he wrote.

According to him, although Nkrumah had already achieved remarkable success at the time, he still felt there was much more work to be done for Africa and humanity.

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“I don’t think he was speaking from insecurity. I think he had already seen the scale of the world ahead of him. The suffering. The exploitation. The unfinished work,” Youssef stated.

He explained that the 1966 coup that overthrew Nkrumah did not only remove a government but also fractured his family’s life, forcing them into exile in Egypt.

“The coup in 1966 didn’t just overthrow a government. It fragmented a family,” he indicated.

Youssef also reflected on his father’s struggle with dementia, describing a painful moment during a recent visit.

“He said to me, ‘which Youssef? My son?’ I said, ‘yes dad what other Youssef?’” he recounted.

He said the experience made him think deeply about memory, time and the importance of preserving history.

“Once memory begins to disappear, parts of people can disappear with it,” he added.

According to Youssef, reconnecting with Ghana and learning more about his grandfather’s writings gradually helped him better understand himself and his African identity.

“Maybe that’s what history really gives us. It brings us back to ourselves,” he stated.

He further disclosed that his growing passion for African history inspired him to begin creating videos online about Kwame Nkrumah’s legacy and Africa’s political history.

“The love was overwhelming. People from all over the world were messaging me,” he said, adding that many people still regarded his grandfather as “our hero” and “greatest African.”

Youssef concluded the essay by emphasising that his grandfather’s vision was rooted in service rather than power or wealth.
Quoting the final line of Nkrumah’s 1935 letter to Lincoln University, he wrote: “In all things, I have held myself to but one ambition… that I may be better prepared to serve my fellowman.”

“Forward ever,” Youssef concluded.

MRA/EB

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