In the city centre of Accra, the capital city of Ghana, a park commemorates the memory of Kwame Nkrumah, an important figure of the country. – Valentin Hurni
An icon of emancipation and rapprochement
Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) was a Ghanaian intellectual and statesman, known to be the leader of Ghana’s independence. His political career was focused on the notions of anticolonialism, pan-Africanism, nationalism and socialism[1]. He served as Prime Minister (1957-1960) and then President (1960-1966) of free Ghana, until being overthrown by a military coup d’état. He died in exile in 1972.
A memorial and touristic site honoring an emblematic leader
Despite a presidency judged by some as being a dictatorship, Nkrumah remains a respected personality[2]. So in 1992, his remains were transferred by the government from his hometown to a marble mausoleum located in Accra, in the so-called “Nkrumah Memorial Park“.
The park is primarily a memorial site that honours Nkrumah’s life and importance in the decolonisation process of Ghana and Africa. The location chosen is symbolic, given that the park was created on a site which represented former British colonial dominance, an area once named “Polo Grounds”[3]. A monumental bronze statue of Nkrumah now stands where he proclaimed Ghana’s independence[4].
Secondly, this park is both a site of commemoration, with ceremonies related to Nkrumah or the history of Ghana or Africa sometimes being held there, and a tourist attraction: besides a museum, Nkrumah’s grave inside the mausoleum can also be visited[5]. Furthermore, the park is cited as a place to visit by Ghana’s official tourism authority[6] and seems to be well maintained; the presence of vegetation and water features around the mausoleum embellishing its surroundings.
Finally, although similar sites exist worldwide, each is unique because they are dedicated to a specific personality or event. Such sites are an asset for domestic and international tourism in Ghana or elsewhere.
Valentin Hurni
[1] Ghana Travel Authority, 2019; Lentz, 201 7; Owusu-Ansah, 2014.
[2] Lentz, 2017; Visit Ghana, 2019.
[3] Ibid..
[4] http://www.ghana.travel/ and https://visitghana.com/
[5] Bouamama, 2017; Lentz, 2017.
[6] Bouamama, 2017; Lentz, 2017; Owusu-Ansah, 2014.
Bibliography
Bouamama, S. (2017). Figures de la révolution africaine. De Kenyatta à Sankara. Paris: La Découverte. (Original book published in 2004).
Ghana Travel Authority (2019). Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park [Web page]. Available at http://www.ghana.travel/places-to-visit/regions/greater-accra/
Lentz, C. (2017). Ghanaian “Monument Wars”. The Contested History of the Nkrumah Statues. Cahiers d’études africaines, 227(3), 551-582. DOI: 10.4000/etudesafricaines.20822
Owusu-Ansah, D. (2014). Historical Dictionary of Ghana (4th ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Source of the image: https://pixabay.com/fr/photos/accra-ghana-afrique-de-l-ouest-1947674/ (Pixabay).
Visit Ghana (2019). Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park [Web page]. Available at https://visitghana.com/attractions/kwame-nkrumah-memorial-park/