By Godwill Arthur- Mensah
Accra, Aug 4, GNA-The Second edition of Nkrumah Festival (NkrumahFest), was launched over the weekend at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, to commemorate Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s 116th birthday, on the theme: “Celebrating Nkrumah’s Enduring Impact.”
The week-long celebration, starting from September 15th to 21st, 2025, will witness a pilgrimage of people from Accra to Nkroful, the birthplace of Nkrumah, to learn the vision and values of Ghana’s first President.
There are a number of activities lined-up to mark the “NkrumahFest and Journey to Nkroful,” including a clean-up exercises in the township of Nkroful from September 15th to 16th, Osagyefo Soccer Cup on 18th September, a public symposium, a candle night carnival, and a durbar of chiefs.
There would also be a visit to historic sites in Nkroful and adjoining communities, and the cutting of cake on 21st September to mark Nkrumah’s 116th birthday anniversary as a climax of the celebration.
Nana Kobina Nketsia V, the Paramount Chief of Essikadu Traditional Area, who chaired the function, said: “The more we celebrate Nkrumah, the more we know that Africa will certainly rise again.”
He observed that while Nkrumah was alive, he often addressed ordinary people on the street and close associates as “comrade” and that the word comrade did not discriminate and distinguish among persons.
He urged Africans, both home and abroad, to work consciously to build an “African Personality” that was economically and politically independent and determined to add value to the natural resources.
The revered traditional leader and historian, referenced Dr Nkrumah’s quote: “I’m not African because I was born in Africa, but Africa is born in me” to reinforce Dr Nkrumah’s strong conviction about his African personality.
Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Convenor of Nkrumah Festival and Member of Parliament for Ellembele, said Dr Nkrumah’s principles and ideals continue to inspire hope and shape African dreams, and underscored the need for Africans to work with a sense of purpose to turn the fortunes of the people for the better.
“This annual celebration of Ghana’s founder has been a key priority in my routines as a politician, and I am glad that in our shared appreciation of the great Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, whose name is not only etched in stone but woven into the very soul of our nation, we can stand on his shoulders and celebrate him,”Mr Buah added.
“Kwame Nkrumah did not merely seek independence; he redefined it. It was not just a political struggle but a revolution of the mind. As he famously declared: ‘We face neither East nor West; we face forward.’
“His unyielding defiance against colonial oppression was not without cost. He faced imprisonment, betrayal, and relentless opposition. Yet, through it all, he stood unshaken, because he understood that freedom is never given; it is taken by the bold,” he emphasized.
He said Dr Nkrumah’s “legacy never dies, but he died of the cancer of betrayal” and urged all Africans to unite to make meaningful impact in their communities.
He stated that it was Dr Nkrumah’s ambition to liberate Ghana and Africa from economic bondage and urged the current generation to be inspired by Nkrumah’s values of selflessness, hardwork and self-determination to make meaningful impact in every sector of the economy.
Mr Armah-Kofi Buah, also the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, underscored the need for Africans to unite towards economic and mindset emancipation in order to make a headway towards improving their socio-economic fortunes.
Madam Dzifa Abla Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, observed that Ghana and Africa’s greatest enemy was poverty and disunity, and, therefore, urged Africans to work to liberate themselves from poverty and mental slavery.
“NkrumahFest is to re-ignite the fire of the dream that once set Africa ablaze. “Nkrumah never dies.”
This year’s launch attracted a long list of Members of Parliament and government appointees, including Madam Dorcas Affo-Toffey, the Deputy for Transport Minister, and the MP for Jomoro, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, Deputy Minister for Health, and MP for Essikado-Ketan, Mr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, the Board Chairman of GIPC, and Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah