Genoveva Esther Marais: The South African woman behind some of Nkrumah's iconic dandy looks

To assume the highest office of any land which is the Presidency, it takes a number of ‘to-dos’ to tackle its associated tasks and pressures.

From long sleepless nights to various meetings geared towards finding solutions, the role of any President is a tough one.

However, behind that daunting task, the personal appearance of these high-profile individuals is paramount in the eyes of citizens.

From the post-colonial era till date, most Ghanaian presidents have added various touches to their looks but notable in the minds of many is the iconic looks of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

After more than 100 years since he passed on, the former president’s looks, particularly his outfits, have been reignited with even politicians leaning towards his style.

The late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s iconic style is however credited to a young South African woman by the name Genoveva Esther Marais.

Genoveva served as Nkrumah’s personal stylist for a period and hired a tailor for the then Prime Minister.

She has been credited for giving him his subversive iconic dandy looks which many grew to love.

Dr. Nkrumah first met Genoveva Marais when she moved to Ghana on February 22, 1957, to serve as Inspector of Schools after she received an expatriate appointment from Michael Dei-Anang who was the recruitment officer at the Colonial Civil Service at the time.

Nkrumah, who was serving as the Prime Minister of Ghana met Genoveva Esther Marais at the Independence State ball where it is rumored that she caught the attention of Nkrumah while she was dancing.

He was said to have mustered courage and asked the beautiful damsel to dance with him and soon after, their relationship began.

Genoveva was said to have instantly fell for Nkrumah's infectious laugh while he also found comfort in her presence.

She quickly became his companion and confidante as the months went by and offered Nkrumah unconditional loyalty and friendship.

However, Nkrumah became convinced that this special relationship with Genoveva Esther Marais would blossom into bigger things and as he grew fond of her, he proposed marriage to her.

Unfortunately, Genoveva instantly rejected Nkrumah’s proposal as she worried that this would compromise on her professional career.

She refused the proposal on the basis that she was not ready to step in the role of becoming a traditional African wife who at the time was expected to stay at home and manage affairs.

Genoveva Esther Marais who had stayed in the United States of America for about three years was an independent woman driven by her personal goals and ambitions. She felt that marriage would, however, hamper these goals.

She also believed that Nkrumah was so preoccupied with his ideal of a united African society that “a wife was a hindrance rather than an asset”.

Kwame Nkrumah is said to have once told Genoveva that “African unity must always come first, If I have to sacrifice my own mother for that, I would, however much I love her”.

Genoveva later gained employment at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation as Head of Television Programmes. She acted and produced theatre for radio and television.

See some of Nkrumah’s looks inspired by Genoveva Esther Marais below













MA/EB