Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, Chairman of KNCPC
Paramount Chief of Nkroful
Your Excellencies members of the Diplomatic Corps
Elders
Members of political parties,
Members of the Centenary Planning Committee
Prof. Francis Nkrumah
Friends from the media
Ladies  & Gentlemen

Ten months ago, on behalf of Prof. John Atta Mills, President of the republic, I launched the programme of activities to mark the centenary of the birth of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, our first President and outstanding leader of the struggle against colonialism. He was a visionary leader who stood for Pan-Africanism and continental unity.

The events that have taken place so far in the centenary anniversary have celebrated various facets of Osagyefo’s ideas, life, his work, his times and the lessons learnt. These virtues inspire us and make us to make life meaningful to others.
Today, however, we are gathered here to mark the anniversary of his death 38 years ago in Bucharest Romania. Nkrumah died far away from the country and continent to which he dedicated his life and whose liberation from colonialism he contributed significantly.

Today’s commemoration is the most solemn moment in the programme of activities marking the centenary of the birth of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It is a moment that challenges us to reflect on the tragic aspects of Dr. Nkrumah’s life. This celebration raises questions of patriotism, vision and loyalty to one’s country, ideals and humanity on the one hand and conspiracy and betrayal by one’s compatriots on the other.

Speaking at Osagyefo’s state funeral in Guinea in May 1972 the great African freedom fighter Amilcar Cabral said “let no one come and tell us that Nkrumah died from cancer of the throat or any other sickness. No, Nkrumah was killed by the cancer of betrayal”. Nkrumah ended up and died in exile because of the treachery of those who were ready to plot with foreign interests and derail Ghana’s attempts under Nkrumah to determine its own path of development. That treachery was not only against Nkrumah but also against the whole national liberation movement in Africa and the Pan-African project.

But Nkrumah’s death should teach all leaders or political office holders in particular one important fact of life: A life lived for and with people is everlasting whilst a life lived for oneself ends with one’s death.
I belief this is true of the Osagyefo and that is why the marking of the 38th anniversary of Dr. Nkrumah’s death, in the context of celebrating the centenary of his birth, shows how far national awareness has come from those dark days of the late 1960s and early 1970s when the mere mention of Nkrumah’s name amounted to crime.

But this was so because those in power went to incredible lengths to both misrepresent as well as deny his contribution to the creation of Ghana and the progress of the African continent. Today Nkrumah is a rallying point of pride for black people all over the world. To say that no Ghanaian has name recognition that comes anywhere near his, is an understatement.
The changes in Nkrumah’s stature, from a man whose place in history was denied, by those who overthrew him, to the outstanding African of the last millennium  that he became as well as the  recognition in Ghana as the founder of our nation offers important lessons for all of us.

It is instructive for us all to know that political office and power will inevitably come to pass and the judgment of history is not made in the short term. More importantly, no matter how hard incumbents of political office try to shape how their times and others should be seen in the hard facts of history are beyond their control.
Ladies and gentlemen, in his years in exile Kwame Nkrumah did not hold his head in his hands in self pity. It is clear from his writings that he dedicated himself to continuing the intellectual and political work which are the basis of his stature as an outstanding leader.

During his six years in Guinea, Nkrumah wrote several books, kept up a stream of correspondence on the most pressing issues of the day and met with many leaders and militants of the African liberation movement as well as from the Diaspora. Even towards the twilight of his days on earth his vision for his country and the black race lighted up his spirits. 
Today as we mark the anniversary of the Osagyefo’s death it is appropriate to remember those who went into exile with him and remained loyal to him till the very end. These persons shared the trauma and challenges of exile with Dr. Nkrumah.  Like Dr. Nkrumah they suffered separation from their immediate families and loved ones.
Kwame Nkrumah’s state funeral in Conakry and his subsequent burials in Nkroful and Accra each embodies their own specific symbolism and together represents a measure of the man’s greatness.

The compromise that allowed the return of Nkrumah’s body to Ghana in July 1972 and his eventual burial at Nkroful fulfilled his great desire to be buried in Ghana. His burial in Nkroful was in keeping with the Ghanaian customary principle that the bodies of the dead belong to their families. In bringing Nkrumah’s body back to Ghana the Acheampong government took an important step in correcting the denials and distortions in official attitudes towards the Osagyefo’s pre-eminent place in Ghana’s history.

The decision of the PNDC, led by Flt. Lt Rawlings, to move and bury President Nkrumah’s body at the Old Polo Ground, and create the Nkrumah Memorial Park represents a unity of Nkrumah’s stature in Ghanaian history with his importance to all African people. Since the Park was created, thousands of Ghanaians and international visitors have visited the Park and paid tribute to the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Kwame Nkrumah belongs to his family, the Ghanaian people and all Africans, whether on the continent or in the Diaspora. His early death at 63 occasioned pain and loss of diverse consequences to these three categories. The passage of time and the irreversible recognition of his place in Ghanaian and African history have softened the pain of our collective loss. With each passing year, in the 38 years since he died, the relevance of his ideas and the validity of his vision for Ghana and Africa have gained more and  more recognition and legitimacy. This imposes on all of us the responsibility to work for the realization of what he strove for but failed to achieve in his lifetime.

 As we contemplate our continent’s place on the bottom rungs of human development and global power, let us commit on this anniversary of the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s death to give a new meaning to the slogan: “Nkrumah never dies!”  A meaning which is not about the mortal man Kwame nkrumah but about his vision of Africa unbound and united and fulfilling the aspirations of its citizens for a quality of life at par with the best anywhere in the world, of an Africa which is fully in control of its own destiny and confidently stands on equal terms on the global political stage.    

But before I sit, I cannot help but comment on an issue that has recently become an issue of public comment. It is about the introduction of the new GHC2 note by the BOG with the effigy of Dr. Nkrumah on it. The argument is made that the struggle for independence was a collective effort. This has been part of a deliberate scheme to downplay the critical role Dr. Nkrumah played in not only winning independence for Ghana but the whole continent.
Certainly, people who make this argument have never studied history. Historic lessons teach us that in the events that have happened in the world while several people are involved in bring the event about, it often takes one individual to bring the different efforts together into an explosive climax to achieve the objective the collective have been struggling for. Such an individual was Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

In his life with all the punitive laws they passed they were unable to destroy his legacy. They have not succeeded 38 years after his death and I say emphatically that they shall never succeed.
The GHC2 note has been issued to mark the centenary of his death and it’s the least of what we can do to honour the memory of this great African.
As we mark this day, let us together regret the events that led to the overthrow of this visionary leader and subsequent death.
Mr. Chairman, clearly here lies the epitaph of a man who lived beyond his time.



Thank you.