Kwame Nkrumah and the Search for African Unity

How Nkrumah’s Ideals Still Shape Modern Debates About Pan-Africanism

May 17, 2009 Tongkeh Joseph Fowale

Kwame Nkrumah was the torch bearer of African unity after Ghana's independence in 1957. He pushed this concept to a very high level where it remains till this day.

Kwame Nkrumah is a name that resonates with great force among pan-Africanists. The name itself is synonymous with pan-Africanism, the dream of African unity and the restoration of Africa’s greatness after centuries of oppression. In his book I Speak of Freedom, Nkrumah spelt out the urgency for African unity. “Divided we are weak; United, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.”

Nkrumah still remains central in all modern debates about pan-Africanism and Africa’s future. His great vision for African unity has earned him immortality. As proof of his living popularity and role in shaping Africa’s destiny, Nkrumah was voted the BBC’s man of the millennium by African listeners in 2000.

Nkrumah’s Path to African Unity

Nkrumah did not create the concept of pan-Africanism. It was born out of the marginalization of Africa as a continent and Africans as a people from the days of the slave trade through colonialism to neo-colonialism. However, Nkrumah pushed this concept to a level where it had never reached before. “Let it not be forgotten,” said Professor Boliji Akinyemi, “that Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Liberia and Ethiopia had been independent before … and nothing had been heard from them about the pan-African dream. Nkrumah changed all that.”

Nkrumah saw African unity not only as an end in itself, but as contribution to global stability. “The greatest contribution that Africa can make to the peace of the world is to avoid all the dangers inherent in disunity by creating a political union which will also by its success, stand as an example to a divided world.”

He thought of African unity as an alternative to great power perception of strength. “We have to prove that greatness is not to be measured in stockpiles of atom bombs.” Remaining selfless and steadfast in his crusade, Nkrumah insisted that African unity “should be regarded not as the shadowy dream of a visionary, but as a practical proposition which the peoples of Africa can and should translate into reality.”

It was in this spirit of determination that Nkrumah saw the independence of Ghana as being complete only with the total liberation of Africa. He followed this call with the Ghana-Guinea Union in 1958 which was later joined by Mali. He hosted the Conference of Independent African States and the All African People’s Conference both in 1958. Under Nkrumah’s rule, Ghana was transformed into a stringboard for revolutionary activities in Africa.

The End of Nkrumah, the Decline of Pan-Africanism

The climax of pan-Africanism under Nkrumah’s inspiration was the birth of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. He served as Chairperson of the OAU from 1955 to 1966. As he struggled to put Africa together, storms were gathering against Nkrumah which later overwhelmed him. This opposition, inspired by western conspiracy, came from within Ghana and other African countries which saw Nkrumah’s vision as a scheme aimed at controlling the continent.

While French speaking Africa resisted Nkrumah’s call for Unity, his Tanzanian counterpart – Julius Nyerere proposed a gradual approach to unity, quite different from Nkrumah’s “fast tack” approach. Within Ghana, opposition against Nkrumah mounted considerably as the country’s economic woes increased and he was blamed for ignoring the plight of Ghanaians and giving more attention and resources to Africa.

Perhaps the greatest charge levied against Nkrumah was his lust for power and his personality cult. In the words of Professor Ali Mazrui, “Nkrumah reconstituted himself into a Leninist Czar – merging both the monarchical tendency, which was reflected in his use of the title ‘Osygyefo’ and the Leninist vanguard tradition.” These forces came together and worked for Nkrumah’s overthrow in 1966.

Nkrumah’s Legacy and the Future of African Unity

Nkrumah still remains central every debate about pan-Africanism in particular and Africa’s future in general. For Africa’s present political chaos, Mazrui holds Nkrumah solely responsible. “Nkrumah started the whole tradition of Black authoritarianism in the post-colonial era. He was the villain of the piece.” Mazrui also accuses Nkrumah of starting what he calls “the whole tradition of the one party state.”

As Africa struggles to grapple with the challenges of the 21st century, there is general consensus that unity is the only way forward. At what speed does Africa have to walk or run? This debate still divides African leader and the same excuses that were given in Nkrumah’s days are still alive today. The forces of neo-colonialism seem to have clipped Africa’s wings and once again Nkrumah has been proven right that neo-colonialism is the worst stage of imperialism.

Sources:

Austen, D. Politics in Ghana 1940-1960, 1970.

Akinyemi, Bolije. “Kwame Nkrumah and Pan-Africanism” Thisdayonline.com, 15 Oct. 2008.

Biney, Amah. “The Legacy of Kwame Nkrumah in Retrospect” The Journal of Pan-African Studies Vol.11, N0.3, March 2008.

Cooper, F. Africa Since 1940: The Past of the Present. 2004

The copyright of the article Kwame Nkrumah and the Search for African Unity in African History is owned by Tongkeh Joseph Fowale. Permission to republish Kwame Nkrumah and the Search for African Unity in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Kwame Nkrumah