The First Link of Liberty
Ghana's independence set off a chain of freedom in Africa
At midnight on March 6, 1957, the British colony of Ghana was officially declared an independent nation. In a giddy ceremony that inspired the writings of attendee Martin Luther King Jr., a crowd of 50,000 burst out: "Ghana is free!"
Behind the liberation of the western African nation—the first among many in sub-Saharan Africa—was the charismatic Kwame Nkrumah, an American-educated activist whose hopes were fixed not on Ghana alone but on self-rule for all African nations. He also sought to improve conditions for the black diaspora worldwide. "There was a conscious effort," says Kwamina Panford, chair of African-American studies at Northeastern University, "to link Ghanaian freedom with the freedom of all black people around the world."
As it turns out, Nkrumah was better at liberation than nation-building. "Seek ye first the political Kingdom," he intoned, "and all else shall be added unto you." But his constituents soon learned that there was a difference between being an eloquent revolutionary and an effective administrator. Instead of addressing essentials, like foreign investment, Nkru mah immediately embarked on ambitious westernizing projects like developing a still-unbuilt nuclear reactor.
His economic policies were most damaging. A self-described "Marxian socialist," Nkrumah implemented market controls that stifled competition and created a thriving cross-border smuggling trade. As one result, Ghana's cocoa industry, which had led the world, was destroyed.
Corruption. Far from transforming the Gold Coast into the paradise he promised, Nkrumah saw Ghana's economy falter and his support base erode. His administration became mired in corruption and cronyism. He discouraged opposition parties before banning them altogether. Just nine years after the joyful independence ceremony, Nkrumah—who had declared himself "president for life"—was deposed.
It would be decades before Ghana would stabilize, and today the nation suffers from 20 percent unemployment and a 31 percent poverty rate. As the government celebrates its jubilee, it is also working to fix a string of epidemic power blackouts.
Still, the freeing of Ghana remains an important political watershed. Within 10 years of Ghanaian independence, 30 African nations were self-governing, and Nkrumah's broader goal of continent-wide self-rule had been largely achieved.
However grim Ghana's economic reality, self-rule continues to boost the optimism of its people. "Ghana reminds me of America," says Panford. "Ghanaians feel that the sky is the limit."
advertisement
