I have monitored closely the controversy that has been stirred following the recent address by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo regarding the notion of founder(s) of Ghana. I thought we have scaled past these discussions following the scrapping of the 21st September holiday of Founder’s Day for the 4th August’s of Founders’ Day with the amendments to the Public Holidays Act of 2001, Act 601.
It was clear what the government of the day sought to do and justifiably so. The National Pledge even enjoins us to honour “the blood and toil of our forefathers” and 6th March every year would have been enough to do this as it recognizes all founders in the struggle for independence and highlights the outstanding role Kwame Nkrumah played in this. Unfortunately, the Atta Mills government in ostensibly seeking to please Nkrumaists not only introduced a new Cedis note with the head of Ghana’s first President but also selected a [wrong] date for his commemoration, opening a Pandora’s Box of others wanting a bite of the history cherry. No wonder the succeeding government decided to pick the date for the formation of the first political party for all founders. The genuineness of the Akufo-Addo government’s respect for Nkrumah, contrary to some commentaries I have read and listened to especially from one lawyer-cum-historian (whose name I don’t want to mention here), is seen in the sanctity with which 21st September, albeit not the exact birthday (18th September rather) of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah as he stated in his autobiography, was held. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day is not only a memorial holiday but a statutory public holiday.
For me, I think the whole conversation or controversy is embroiled in the monster called ‘politics’, which is eating away the very fabric of our society. I guess if we do away with our political lenses, we will understand what the President meant by the celebration of all founders and how he respects the enormous role Kwame Nkrumah played in the independence struggle by keeping 21st September as his Memorial Day. We are in an election year and we should not allow any political party to hoodwink us into any political hogwash of President Akufo-Addo or the current government hating Nkrumah.
The writer is a Ghanaian journalist.
