A Trip Down Memory Lane Of The Historic 6th March 1957 - The Independence Of Ghana

Yaanom Mema Mo Akwaaba! Mekyea Mo Nyinaa Ayeeko!!! Yes! Congratulations to us! Truly, if there is a day to be insanely proud of your Ghanaian roots and to celebrate patriotism, nationalism, Pan-Africanism etc... Then there would be no better day than today. My brothers and sisters, my dear fellow Ghanaians, today marks the day we officially and publicly attained independence exactly 60 years ago! A whole lot of bureaucracy had to occur to get to this historical point, but the following dates and information below should be remembered, as they form the hallmarks of our state and nation we call Ghana today. So in honor of this beautiful day, I decided to go way back in time and truly study our history, hit the books, dig up hidden articles etc. It wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth it! So by all means, do get comfortable and enjoy the stroll down memory lane of our history.

A little disclaimer though before we proceed: All the data provided were retrieved from academic articles as well as renowned scholarly books. The complete bibliography/sources list will be provided at the bottom of this article if in any case you should feel inclined to have a more in-depth reading on a certain aspect that will be addressed here. You may also click on the author’s name in-between the brackets and this will redirect you straight to the source that was consulted. Okay, now before we get down to business, do enjoy this short introduction video of this article below (created by yours truly). And after you’re done watching, I will still be here to guide you through our history as we continue our trip together down memory lane of our independence.

Welcome back! Okay so even though, there was a whole lot of back and forth going on about our independence, I do promise not to make it a hardcore political article... however, these are the dates that one should remember because they are sort of important... Okay so September 18^th 1956 was the day that the official date of Independence of the Gold Coast was announced which was set to be the historical 6^th March 1957 ( Parkinson, 2007 ). The newly formed constitution was approved along with its nation’s renewed name “Ghana” after debate of the Legislative Assembly between 12^th and 14^th November 1956 ( Amamoo, 2000 ). The Independence Act received Royal Assent 7^th February 1957 (this means when a countries constitutional monarch formally approves an act of that nation’s parliament). Then this Independence Act received the long awaited signature by the Her Majesty, the Queen of England 22^nd February 1957 ( Biswal,1992 ). And then the nation waited, along with all the other African countries for the infamous historical formal day of independence which was 6^th March 1957, the date we all remember today! There is so much to say or write about our beloved Ghana, so much history, but I won't make this too extensive. So just allow me to "briefly" address the 6 basics or shall I say the 6 “Seriously-Must-Know” stuff about our awesome country and its independence. So here is for those who knew and forgot…and for those who never knew it at all. Alright let’s go!

1. THE BIG SIX
Now before I get all nationalistic and talk about the wonderful cultural characteristics of our nation and state, I do need to give respect first and foremost by starting with a small introduction of these noble great six men that worked so hard to initiate and to pave the way for our country’s independence. I could not be prouder of the iconic “Big Six” that played such a tremendous role in this historical event. Undoubtedly, there have been many contradictive speculations as to their actual contributions to this event, however as they may lay in perfect peace today, we cannot go about our merry way without giving credit where credit is due. We ought to remember, acknowledge, appreciate and truly celebrate their actions which not only had an impact on our awesome country we call Ghana today, but also on all the other African countries. “The Big Six” were Dr. Ebenezer Ako – Adjei, Dr. Edwuard Akuffo Ado, Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mr. Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and Mr. William Ofori Attah. As we all know, these 6 men were the leaders and key-members of the organization that emerged and got inaugurated at Saltpond on August 4^th 1947 and was named United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) ( Owusu-Ansah, 2014 ). The UGCC, which was the first political party, was of high relevance because it was an organization or political party that was advocating for self-governance. The driving force to gain independence was based on the ideology “Self-Government within the shortest possible time”. However, this ideology did not sit well with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, which led him to break away from UGCC to form a new political party called Convention People’s Party (CPP) which was officially born 12^th June 1949 with its leader Dr. Kwame Nkrumah ( Owusu-Ansah, 2014 ). This political party was driven to gain independence with the following ideology “Self-Government Right Now” and this political party (CPP) was also the first ruling party after Ghana gained independence. So even though independence was declared 6^th March 1957 with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as prime minister, Ghana became an official republic with Dr. Nkrumah as president on 1^st July 1960 ( Owusu-Ansah, 2014 ).

2. DR.KWAME NKRUMAH AND THE PAN-AFRICANISM MOVEMENT

“The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African Continent” - Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, who was also known as Osagyefuo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, was the man that led our country to its independence. Hence his title "Osagyefuo". When we analyze this word through the methods of Twi linguistics, then "Osa" means "war", "Gye" means "to receive or take" and "Fuo" refers to someone that handles certain activities related to the root verb. So all in all "Osagyefuo" means someone who took the war upon himself. Now, Dr.Nkrumah was highly influenced by the ideas of W.E.B Dubois and Marcus Garvey, who were both very prominent Pan-Africanists back then. Now even though Pan-Africanism is a movement that is speculated to date all the way back to 1776 ( Falola, Essien, 2014 ), Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was believed to have truly fathered the Pan-Africanism movement, hence our beloved country became the face of Pan-Africanism when Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in 1957. You see, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was of the opinion that as Africa was divided in 1884-1885 at the Berlin Conference ( Craven, 2015 ), also known as the “Scramble for Africa” (Rape of Africa) that we simply cannot accept visions imposed upon us by our enemies… Africa is one, hence we must unify her. Pan-Africanism is the total liberation and unification of Africa under scientific socialism, it is a movement that encourages solidarity and emancipation of all African countries, it is a movement that strives for the riches and resources of the continent to be used for its own people, it is a movement that strives for intellectual, economic and political cooperation of all the African countries, it is a movement that strives for a unified continent with a socialist system. In other words, this movement is anti-colonialism, hence anti-capitalism. Anti-capitalism equals socialism. See, an economy can only have 1 of these 2 output options: profit and wealth for a few (capitalism), or profit and wealth for everybody (socialism)... Africa can only be united by socialism ( Stokely Carmichael, Kwame Toure, 2007 ). Pan-Africanists believe that not only do all Africans share the same history, but they also share the same destiny no matter your current location. In 1945, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah went to London to study Economics and Law, and that was also the very same year he helped organize the 5^th Pan-African Congress which took place in Charlton Town Hall in Manchester from 15^th till 21^st October 1945 ( Abdul-Raheem, 1996 ). Numerous influential people were present, such as Mr. George Padmore, Mr. W.E.B Dubois, Mr. Kenyatta Jomo (independence leader and 1^stpresident of Kenya), Mr. Paul Robeson…just to name a few. The 5^th Pan-African congress is acknowledged of high relevance because this led to the formation of the Pan-African Federation in 1946, founded by Dr. Nkrumah and Mr. Kenyatta. The Pan-African movement also has a flag which is composed of 3 colors. The color red stands for the blood of all African people that connects us all, whether they live on the continent of Africa or in diaspora. Black refers to the color of the skin, and green stands for the rich green lands of Africa.

3. TRANSITION FROM "GOLD COAST" TO "GHANA"

After we gained notification that the request of independence was granted, it became a pressing issue to change the name of Gold Coast to something more meaningful. See, the name “Gold Coast” dates back as early as 1471. So even though Ghana was a British colony, the name actually originated when the Portuguese were the first Europeans to have stepped foot on our premises to make their presence known through trade ( Okoledah, 2004 ). Where that name came from is self-explanatory. Our land possessed so much gold, and this was economically very beneficial, and that is how we inherited the name. However sticking to that name was no option, because this would actually be rather derogatory. It’s like giving the country Sierra Leone the name “Diamonds” simply because it has an excess of it. Naming a country according to its excess in bare minerals, reflects the fact there may be a of lack of love for the people itself, hence lack of love for the nation, and therefore only love for the economic prospects of the state, so keeping the name would be supporting capitalism, whereas it is rather socialism that should be embraced. So Dr. Kwame Nkrumah changed the name into “Ghana”. This name change was approved 12^th November 1956 ( Amamoo, 2000 ). So just to be clear… it is the Gold Coast that gained independence. However because the name change was legally granted in November 1956 and documented as such prior to the formal day of independence, we may refer to this day as "Ghana Independence Day".

According to a study conducted by Dr.Nkrumah and Dr. JB Danquah, it became apparent that the majority of the Akan people descended from the “Ancient Empire of Ghana”. This ancient empire is located approximately 500 miles north of current Ghana, south east of what we know today as Mauritania and west of Mali. Now the original name of this empire was Wagadugu/Wagadou Empire, and “Ghana” was the title name of the ruling kings of that empire ( Addo-Ebenezer, 1999 ).

4. GHANA FLAG
The Ghana flag was designed in 1957 by Mrs. Theodosia Salome Okoh and was first and officially hoisted on Independence Day 6th March 1957. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

Now believe it or not, our flag did undergo some changes. See from 1^st January 1964, the yellow stripe in the middle was replaced by a white strip to resemble the political party CPP (Convention People’s Party) flag, which was the ruling party at the time ( Owusu-Ansah, 2014 ). However the original flag with its original colors was reinstated 28th February 1966. Now the color red stands for the remembrance of the bloodshed that occurred in the long struggle to get to independence. The color “gold” (not yellow) stands for the riches that our country is blessed with. Ghana was called the Gold Coast for a reason... And “green” stands for the enormous green lands, forest and rich vegetation our land is blessed with. Now finally the five pointed black star that lies in the gold horizontal stripe, is believed to have been borrowed from the flag of Marcus Garvey’s shipping line (founded in June 1919) which carried a black star. See the reason why it was important enough to borrow this star was because it was the shipping line that brought the African colonists back to Africa (colonist = person who lives in a colony). It symbolizes the collective emancipation of Africa and its strong unity in the fight against colonialism. Our flag is the first flag to have adopted the Pan Africanism colors ( Murrel et al., 1998 ).

5. GHANA NATIONAL PLEDGE

It’s so beautiful and empowering when we come together as a nation to support our Black Stars during a football match… And then it’s time for the national anthem (smiling here)…and then it gets embarrassing… I’m sure that there are a lot of people like myself who know the first line or two which goes “God bless our homeland Ghana, and make our nation great and strong…”And then it pretty much goes blank from there… (Told you it’d be embarrassing). Now even though only 1 stanza is sung when opening a football match, the current national pledge is actually composed of 3 stanzas. The lyrics of the national pledge also changed along the way. See when Ghana gained independence in 1957, the original national pledge was composed by Mr. Philip Ghebo in 1957 ( Mobley, 1970 ) and had the following lyrics:

“Lord God our Father we pray thee, be thou our guide in all our ways, May we unite together, proclaim the dawn of our new day! Children of Ghana arise and uphold your cause and blaze the trail of freedom far and wide, O God our Father harken to our call and bring us peace here in our fatherland.”

However after the coup d’état on 24^th February 1966 (Dr.Nkrumah’s overthrow), the lyrics was adjusted. A student (back in those days of course) named Michael Kwame Gbordzoe supposedly wrote the lyrics of “God Bless Our Homeland Ghana” when he was in the framework of a national competition. And these lyrics have been used ever since the 1970’s. Even though the now Dr. Michael Kwame Gbordzoe has claimed to be the original author of the lyrics, the government has not yet acknowledged this fact yet (which is why there is no official record to be found yet on this matter). While this uncertainty is being rectified, below you may find the lyrics to the current complete national pledge.

6. GHANA CURRENCY

Now for the last throwback down memory lane, we will discuss our currency. See Ghana has not always been using the “Cedi”. When current Ghana was colonized and still under the British rule, the British West African pounds, shillings and pence were used. However, when Ghana gained its independence in 1957, a new monetary currency needed to be implemented…after all, we are independent now. So then came the Ghanaian pounds, pence and shillings. These were used from 1958 till 1965. And then after 1965, the government of Ghana decided to leave the British monetary system all together and that is how the “Cedi” notes and the “Pesewas” coins came to life. Now the word “Cedi” actually means “Cowry Shell” (sea snails) in the Akan language. These cowry shells were actually used as money in our country…way back in the days ( Bank of Ghana, 2011 ).

Well…we have reached the bottom of the article, and if you’re still with me, then well done! I must admit this was quite a learning experience. The reading, the researching, the critical thinking, the writing… I have learnt a lot, and I so hope I was able to add a bit of knowledge to you too. I hereby would like to thank Dr. Obadele Kambon for assisting me in Akan (Twi) linguistics. Credits to the legendary ET Mensah, for the song "Ghana Freedom" you hear in the background of the video! And of course, thanks to all of you, my readers for showing me so much love and support. I truly appreciate it and I'm genuinely humbled. And finally... do enjoy this day of celebration, I know everybody has an opinion when it comes to the current state of affairs of government, however for just today... I would humbly ask you to set aside any differences and animosity...for just today, and let us come together as one, just the way they did exactly 60 years ago. Today is not about analyzing the present but it's about reminiscing and celebrating a historic event, "our" history, yours and mine. It’s been a long time coming, but our forefathers believed that a change was going to come sooner or later, and it did…it surely did! Let me know what your thoughts are, would definitely love to read those! Yours truly, xoxo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Parkinson, Charles. Bills of rights and decolonization: the emergence of domestic human rights instruments in Britain's overseas territories / Charles O.H. Parkinson Oxford University Press Oxford 2007

• Joseph G. Amamoo. The New Ghana, The Birth of a Nation / Joseph G. Amamoo Authors Choice Press San Jose New York Lincoln Shanghai, 2000

• Tapan Prasad Biswal. Ghana, political and constitutional developments / Tapan Prasad Biswal Northern Book Centre, 1992

• David Owusu-Ansah. Historical Dictionary of Ghana 4^th Edition / David Owusu Ansah Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2014

• Falola, Toyin, and Kwame Essien. Pan-africanism, and the Politics of African Citizenship and Identity. New York: Routledge, 2014

• atthew Craven. Between law and history: the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 and the logic of free trade. Lond. rev. int. law (2015) 3 (1): 31-59 doi:10.1093/lril/lrv002

• Carmichael, Stokely, et al. Stokely Speaks: Black Power Back to Pan-Africanism. Random House, 1971

• Abdul-Raheem, Tajudeen. "Introduction: Reclaiming Africa for Africans - Pan-Africanism." In Pan-Africanism: Politics, Economy and Social Change in the Twenty-First Century: 1900-1994, by Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. New York: New York University Press, 1996

• Addo, Ebenezer Obiri. Kwame Nkrumah: A Case Study of Religion and Politics in Ghana (Lanhana, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc., 1999) "Ghana flag designer Theodosia Okoh dies", Daily Guide, 20 April 2015

• Brief History Of The Ghana Currency, Bank Of Ghana, 31 January 2011

• Norbert Okoledah. Problems and Prospects of the Search for a Catholic Spiritual Tradition in the Ghanaian Catholic Pastoral Ministry (Contributions to Missology & Intercultural Theology). Publisher: Lit Verlag,Germany 2006-07-28

• Chanting Down Babylon, The Rastafari Reader. Edited by N. Samuel Murrell, William D. Spencer, and Adrian Anthony McFarlane. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998

• Mobley, Harris W. The Ghanaian's Image of the Missionary, An Analysis of the Published Critiques of Christian Missionaries by Ghanaians 1897-1965

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