Sankofa Series: Relive how state newspaper captured Ghana’s first independence

Sixty-seven years ago, on March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to break free from British colonial rule and declare itself a sovereign nation.

The historic occasion was celebrated with joy and pride by millions of Ghanaians who thronged the streets of Accra and other towns to witness the dawn of a new era of self-governance.

The editor of a newspaper called Ghana, Moses Danquah, published a special edition on March 6, 1958, to mark a year after the birth of the new nation.

The review was titled, 'Ghana: One Year Old; A First Independence Anniversary Review.'

The paper devoted several pages to recounting a year after the Prime Minister, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, announced Ghana’s independence.

The editor, in the publication, celebrated Ghana's first year of independence and sovereignty, portraying it as eventful and exciting.

However, he emphasized the importance of accuracy and impartiality in documenting Ghana's history on an annual basis.

Moses Danquah also highlighted the involvement of authoritative figures in various fields to ensure the reliability of the records.

Below is the full publication by Moses Danquah in what was titled, 'Ghana: One-Year-Old; A First Independence Anniversary Review':

Ghana is a year old. She has just entered her second year of independence and sovereignty. For Ghana and her people, the time has been eventful; the experiences have been exciting.

Times pass and experiences, however poignant, recede imperceptibly into oblivion. That is precisely the excuse for launching this modest effort to recapture and record some of the outstanding events and some of the most exciting experiences of the most important year in the life of our new nation in permanent and systematic forms.

"Ghana: One Year Old” is therefore an anthology of the records of the main events and experiences of our first year of independence. It is of the nature of national stock-taking. The job is, therefore, one that demands consummate accuracy and impartiality, the intent and purpose being the writing of the history of Ghana in an annual instalment.

It is for this reason that we have had to go to great pains to secure personalities who are authorities in the respective fields assigned to them. Many of them are not merely detached but knowledgeable observers; they are active leading actors in the drama they describe.

The result is that you are within the covers of this publication authoritative records of the main events and developments that transpired during that first year of Ghana’s independence.

Next year, it will be ‘Ghana: Two Years Old’. The year after that will be ‘Ghana: Three Years Old’ and so on. As the issue succeeds another, year after year, you will be in possession of a veritable mine of material for references, education, and entertainment.

The present effort is not by any means comprehensive in its content or perfect in its presentation. But it is an effort, nevertheless. Next year it will be better.

One last word. Contributors have been given free-hand to write up their materials. Working on the dictum that “facts are sacred, comment is free”, we have made it our business to corner ourselves with the veracity of facts; we have left comments severely alone and are the sole responsibility of their originator, not ours.

Remember, next year it will be ‘Ghana: Two Years Old.'

See the newspaper clipping below:



Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

NW/AE

Click here to follow the GhanaWeb General News WhatsApp channel