A former Senior Governance Advisor to the United Nations, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has charged Ghanaian leaders not to make attempts to rewrite the country’s history.
He says he doesn’t see the need for people to change what has been written for their parochial interests.
According to him, it is needless for leaders to draw the citizens into debates, especially when historical records state the facts.
Speaking on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, August 10, 2024, Prof. Agyeman-Duah indicated that “politicians do not write history so if they make such historical gaffe, I think we can simply let it slide and move on.”
“Our leaders must lead us in such a way that they do not draw us needlessly into debates that are not essential for our lives, especially about matters that the history books clearly confirm. We should not seek to rewrite our history when we know it’s well established,” he added.
Prof. Agyeman-Duah’s comments come on the back of President Akufo-Addo’s Founders’ Day speech which has created controversy.
President Akufo-Addo has maintained his stance, opposing the notion that an individual founded Ghana.
In his 2024 Founders’ Day address, President Akufo-Addo rejected claims that Kwame Nkrumah single-handedly founded Ghana, emphasising that the struggle for independence was a collective effort by many which has span through generations.
Although he acknowledged Dr Nkrumah’s significant contributions, he stressed that the nation’s freedom was achieved through the efforts of many and cannot be attributed to Ghana’s first President alone.
The President, addressing the ongoing debate surrounding the commemoration of August 4 as Founders Day, acknowledged the differing perspectives on Ghana’s history.
Speaking on the matter at the senior citizen’s luncheon at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo noted, “I know that there are some who question the ceremony – that is 4th August as Founders Day, because they believe that we were all asleep in Ghana until the arrival of Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP.”
“I have already stated my views on that several times, including in my speech last Saturday evening. I don’t intend to go over that matter again,” he said.
In 2019, Parliament established August 4 as Founders’ Day to honour all who contributed to Ghana’s independence, and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
However, this stance has sparked protests from those who support Nkrumah’s singular role, including the Conventions Peoples Party (CPP).
President Akufo-Addo, however, has reemphasised his support for the consensus reached by Parliament in 2019, which recognises both the significance of Kwame Nkrumah and the importance of August 4 in Ghana’s history.
According to him, “Preserving the critical importance of August 4 in our history is a good consensus and it deserves to last.”
Meanwhile, former President John Mahama argued that Ghana’s history is well-known and promised to restore the previous historical narrative if elected, criticising the United Gold Coast Convention, which included J.B. Danquah, for historically opposing Ghana’s independence.
