Handshakes with Kwame Nkrumah, and random thoughts on Ghana’s Independence celebration

One of the abiding memories of my childhood is that of an early morning contrived encounter with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a name well-known to even children; and the privilege of shaking hands with the main architect of the country’s independence from Britain, declared on March 6, 1957.

My recollection of the details is, admittedly, somewhat hazy, but the date must have been mid- 1959 and the encounter happened in the living room of the Residency, the Regional Commissioner’s official accommodation in Sunyani.

The Residency was the home of my family, because my father, Hon Kwame Boahene Yeboah- Afari, was the Regional Commissioner of the then new Brong-Ahafo Region, created on April 4, 1959, by Dr. Nkrumah and his Convention People’s Party (CPP). Thus Papa happened to be hosting then Prime Minister, later President, Nkrumah on what I believe was his first visit to the new Region.

As I recall, early in the morning after Dr. Nkrumah’s arrival, hearing voices in the living room, being an inquisitive nine-year-old, I decided to investigate. But the problem was, what would be my excuse for being in that room so early? So I hit upon a strategy.

Grabbing a duster, I walked into the living room and started dusting the centre table (a chore I had never done before). My father and Dr. Nkrumah, the two having a tete-a tete there, looked at me, clearly bemused.

Dr. Nkrumah asked, with a laugh, ‘and who is this?’ and, my father, looking embarrassed, explained that I was his eldest child. Laughing, perhaps at my temerity, Dr. Nkrumah beckoned me over and shook my hand. After the handshake, Papa signaled me to leave and I hastened away with my duster; mission accomplished.

Incidentally, that memorable incident and privileged handshake was the second reason why the residency or old residency as it became known after a new one was built has always been my dream house. The first reason was the awesome building itself.

My hope was to win the lottery one day, buy the old residency and live there.
Reportedly, it was originally the home of the Colonial Governor and its design and grounds confirmed its high class status. It was built on stilts, as the fashion of the time, and set in a huge expanse of land, with abundant flowers and fruit trees of all sorts. In short, a lovely house and its magnificent garden.

Alas, a couple of years ago, while on a visit to Sunyani, when I went in search of the old residency, it was with difficulty that I eventually found it because a lot of new buildings had sprung up in the area. I discovered to my dismay that my dream house was now, as a sign stated, “Office of the Regional Forest Services Division’!!!

In other countries, such a building would have been preserved as a historical monument, perhaps qualifying as a tourist attraction; or even converted into a museum. But here in Ghana, we pay scant attention to historical buildings. Regularly, they are being demolished, no thought to their historical value, to make way for ‘modern’ structures of dubious appeal.

Decades later, I got to know about another memorable Nkrumah handshake, experienced by Papa, the first time he met Kwame Nkrumah.

As narrated in my book, CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FATHER, he said: “Indeed, I remember that after I had shaken hands with (Nkrumah,) I said I have met the man! I will not shake hands with anybody else before I reach home, so I put my hand in my pocket. In fact, I was filled with enthusiasm and something else, I felt a new sort of power and excitement.”

Such was the Nkrumah charisma, fueling the development of a strong bond between the two men then. But, unfortunately, later they fell out. (The story is told in CONVERSATIONS.) Thus although Papa had been among the pioneers of the CPP, even meriting appointment as Ghana’s first Agriculture Minister in 1956, he later joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and was an NPP elder, before his death in 1996.

This year, in keeping with President Nana Akufo-Addo’s innovative decision to rotate the National Independence Day Parade, the 66th anniversary, themed ‘Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose’, is taking place in the Volta Region Capital Ho.

Inevitably, the view in some quarters had been that in view of the country’s current crippling economic situation, to save money, it was not advisable for Ghana to have the National Parade this year.

Of course it need not be a lavish commemoration, but how could the Government have cancelled it?

March has come to be known as Ghana/Heritage Month, with countless related activities. Should the Government have stopped all the Ghana Month events because of the present hardship?

If the March 6 parade had been aborted, how would the people of the Volta Region have felt?

What about the schoolchildren there who no doubt had been practicing their roles day and night and looking forward to their appearance in the national spotlight?

I think Prime Minister (1969 -1972) Kofi Abrefa Busia’s famous slogan, ‘kafoɔ didi’ (‘even the most indebted person needs to eat’), aptly sums up why, regardless of misfortune, one can still find a reason to acknowledge the positives.

In any case, isn’t it part of Ghanaian culture that once in a while, a day is set aside to ‘purify one’s soul’, celebrate life, enjoy a treat – despite whatever troubles one is battling?

I think sometimes we need to pause the negatives and count our blessings, no matter how few.

And Happy Independence Day to all of us!