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26.06.2004 General News

Namibian President visits Nkrumah's graveyard

26.06.2004 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, June 26, GNA - The Namibian President Dr Sam Nujoma on Saturday paid a memorable and emotional visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. "A United people striving to achieve common good for all members of the society will always emerge victorious...Remember, United We Stand and Divided We Fall, Long Live African Union," the Namibian President accented in the Mausoleum's Visitors' Book.

Dr Nujoma spent over 30 minutes touring the magnificent park where the remains of Ghana's First President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Champion of Pan Africanism, lay in a golden casket. Other artefact at the Mausoleum includes; books, photographs, a walking stick and other personal effects of Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah as well as a collection of other Pan African Writers, who were his contemporaries.

Dr Nujoma admired the magnificent bronze statue of Dr Nkrumah, expressing his philosophy of "Forward ever backward never". Addressing newsmen at the Park after the tour, Dr Nujoma said through the slave trade, Africa built and enriched the American economy but sadly, "Africans in the Diaspora continue to suffer degradation and are considered as second class citizens in America".

Mr Robert William Hrisir-Quaye, Director of the Mausoleum, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, appealed to people with some of Dr Nkrumah's personal belongings to voluntary present them to the Mausoleum for safe-keeping. He said; "it used to be an abomination to keep items of the Former President, but now the situation has changed and people with his personal effects should bring them out."

The Mausoleum gave a bust of Dr Nkrumah and Kente Cloth to the Namibian President and reciprocated with a 413-page book titled: "Where Others Wavered - The Autobiography of Sam Nujoma." The Centre was commissioned on July 1, 1992 to project the image of Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah, who was dishonoured after his overthrow in 1966. The Namibian President is on a three-day state visit to Ghana to explore areas of economic cooperation and hold bilateral talks with President John Agyekum Kufuor

The focus of his visit is to promote collaborate in the development of natural and human resources and strengthen intra-African trade and commerce. President Nujoma first visited Ghana in April 1960 to attend the All African Peoples' Conference, organized by Ghana's First President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah for African leaders.

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