Decolonizing Africa, Nkrumah whisper’s from Mausoleum.
Omankyeame writes
On this memorable day of Ghana’s first democratic president, let’s introspectively reflect on one of his profound but lost” messages to the African continent in an attempt to sought “knowledge as an instrument of national emancipation and integrity” (Nkrumah, 1964).
*”Christianity and Islam must be accommodated only as experiences of the traditional African society”* .
Before the invasion of the colonialist on the mother continent (Africa) we existed as a people with common belief system. We lived in harmonious existence with peace, togetherness and green environment. Before, we had history, at least the pyramids of ancient Kemet and it’s civilization predates 7,000 years before Christ was born. Medicine was birth in Africa and the African had her own concept of time.
But for the invasion of the colonialist with a _powerful religious tool_ that sort to divisively erase the memories of Africans in a period of over 400 years, Africa wouldn’t have given birth to a son who will describe her as a continent without history.
Nkrumah was by no means calling for the abolition of the foreign religious practices (Essel, 2014). Probably he was seeking for the co- existence of these religious sets together with African Traditional religious practices. Practically, his vision was to present a situation where Africa will not be completely turned over of her religious practices but strengthen her cultural inheritance.
For this reason, president Nkrumah introduced the pouring of Libation to African ancestors at political rallies and state functions (Hagan, 1991). What is more intriguing is Nrumah’s seminary-traditional act of pouring libation on the Late Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey’s memorial service as revealed by Essel (2014).
Nkrumah, in spite of all his political shortcomings was a leader who had a big stomach for religious tolerance though Ghana was a young sub saharan country recovering from colonial oppression.
Historically, many Ghanaians believe that it was under president Nkrumah that Africa’s Ghana witnessed unprecedented growth and development in all sectors of the economy and in the midst of these development was the office of the state linguist which was prematurely abolished under successive regimes after his overthrow in 1966. The instinctual belief system of the African as revealed by Essel (2014) in the Ghanaian context presents a ranging wrath from the supreme being and the ancestors of the land; vehemently reflected in tormenting rainfalls particularly on the 57th Independence day celebration of Ghana and subsequent ones. This bad omen has been replicated in many disasters across the country in an attempt to signal the need to revisit our past as Africans to reinvent the wheels of cultural development. African Traditional practitioners, pastors, and cultural experts have opinionated on this subject but to no avail.
President, Nkrumah’s African personality concept continues to remain relevant in modern democratic governance and present day Ghana. We, as Africans can must position ourselves in a visual representation of established cultural framework of ideas for the understanding of societies that produced them.
I will end by commending the current government for the first time in five years, setting aside historic holiday for the memorial celebration of Ghana’s first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Africa, We are who we are because we were not who we are today.
#mount the office of the state linguist.
Our beloved country is free forever.🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳
