There is a stinking emergence of what I call the POLITICO-ACADEMIC SPIN TALK, where acclaimed academicians fails to draw the line between a convenient political disposition talk and a factual representation of what a matter is irrespective of who it favours or not.
Dr Antwi Danso has waded into the ongoing debate of Nkrumah's over recognition or otherwise under recognition of the other members if the Big Six. As a student of history and international relations I would love to make the following observations and ask some questions.
Dr Vladimir Danso says," He will not dabble in untruths as an intellectual in what seeks to project Dr Nkrumah as the sole founder of Ghana"
May I ask Dr Danso who said and where that Nkrumah is the SOLE founder of Ghana?? This archaic trick of making statements or comments that answers incipient questions will not wash.
I read Prof Mike Oquaye being quoted as saying, "He had great respect for Dr Nkrumah because of his significant contributions to the independence struggle and his numerous development projects such as the Tema motorway". In fact we know in addition to the motorway the Akosombo dam Tema Oil refinery and a number of other industries were built and credited to Nkrumah.
On the basis of such a fact and with the unfortunate principle being peddled to downplay Nkrumah, I ask these academics Why are we not recognising the contractors, project managers and in fact supervising ministers or secretaries who managed the construction if the Tema motorway? Was it Kwame Nkrumah who laid bricks and mortars for the construction of the Akosombo dam? This is simply leadership but of course we politicise everything here in our country and so we have no problem distorting our own history to achieve this aim.
Nowhere in the annals of this globe has any leader achieved anything on his own. Definitely there would be a team in place and people might have even given him the idea for which he takes the praise.
Why are we arguing a founders day commemoration to include only the rest of the big six. Was it not true that when the rest of the Big six were arrested following the 1948 riots the denied knowledge and involvement. Why are we not arguing to recognise that brave action by the OSU Alata Mantse Nii Kwabena Bone also as a founder for his efforts. After all he was brave when the rest of the big six denied involvement.
Today, Rawlings is credited with the mastermind, and orchestration of the June 4 coup d'etat, but we all know that the verifiable and factual accounts indicates that, "Officers and Men like Boakye Gyan and others who believed in his vision and principles planned the operation secured his release and took him to announce the revolution. This is leadership and that's what we must know.
It is a dumb joke for any individual, group or organisation to suggest Nkrumah as being on the same pedigree as far as we talk about the independence struggle.
On the 6 of March every year we as a country pause to reflect on the significance and efforts that members of the GoldCoast played to gain independence. On this day we remember Nkrumah and the Big six as well, we commemorate the fallen soldiers who died in this struggle not forgetting Nii Kwabena Bone the OSU Alata Mantse and the multitudes who played various and significant roles since the colonialist first set foot on the shores of our country.
The recognition of Nkrumah on his birthday as founder of Ghana is not to suggest that he solely fought for our independence.
Cynics must stop pushing this thought and pretending to be countering it.
Where has it been seen or told that two Captains ever commanded a ship. It’s true they were all in the independence struggle, in fact all members of the Gold Coast wanted that liberation from the colonialist. But they all had different understands on how the modus operandi should be. So when Nkrumah breaks ranks with them on his conviction and his strategy and plan secures for us the final freedom and country we call Ghana today, you think it’s sane or justifiable to place him in same pedigree as the people who history tells us at one time even tried subverting his efforts?
It's sad that in our country Ghana the politicians "fool" us the citizenry with propaganda and "disorientates" academia and the whole system is corrupted.
I expected Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso to have known that this debate never proceeded on the premise that Nkrumah was the sole Hero for our independence, in fact we recognise all those Hero's and their efforts on 6 March every year.
The founders day recognition and commemoration is about underscoring the Leadership prominence of Nkrumah and the temerity with which he fought against the current at the time to ensure that Ghana become independent immediately.
#StrongerTogether
#PossibleTogether
#GetInvolved
By: Elikem Kwami Kotoko
Email: [email protected]
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