- Samia Nkrumah emotionally recalled her father’s coup during NkrumahFest 2025, moved by a symbolic gunshot performance
- She recounted how Kwame Nkrumah called his family from China, comforting them after the 1966 military overthrow
- Now 65, she quoted her father’s powerful words urging strength, courage, and pride in continuing his legacy
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Samia Nkrumah, the daughter of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, shared a deeply personal and poignant memory of the day her beloved father was overthrown.
YEN.com.gh understands that the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah occurred on February 24, 1966 through a military coup d’état. This moment became a pivotal event in the whole of African political history.
Speaking during the NkrumahFest 2025 celebrations, she recounted how one of the cultural gunshot performances in the event transported her back to the sad, fateful day.
Kwame Nkrumah’s daughter recounts coup event
She explained that while she, her mother, and siblings had taken refuge in Cairo, Egypt, her father had called them from China, where he was on a state visit. According to Samia, he spoke to each of them individually to comfort them, despite having just lost his government.
She said, while being sober:
“And he spoke to each and every one of us. And even though he had received a big blow—the illegal overthrow of his government had just taken place—he wanted to comfort us. He spoke to us one by one: our mother and the three of us, the children.”
Now 65 years old, the climax of her speech was how her father, while speaking on the phone during that dreadful moment, assured her not to be afraid of what was to come or the current situation.
Quoting her father, Samia Nkrumah repeated his words with emotion:
“Yaba, I do not want you to be afraid. Yaba, I want you to be strong. I don’t want you to be afraid.”
She explained that initially, she thought her father had seen her crying due to fear of guns, but realised his message was deeper. She concluded by framing his legacy as essential to the country’s future.
In her words:
“What he was telling us, his family, his followers, his people, that we must not be afraid of telling his story, of upholding his vision because Kwame Nkrumah’s story is Ghana’s success story that must happen.”
Watch her emotional speech below:
Reactions to Kwame Nkrumah’s daughter’s remembrance
YEN.com.gh collected reactions from Ghanaians who watched the video on X. Some of the comments are below.
“They are the same NPP from the UGCC. Those greedy groups of businessmen. They will kill for political power.”
“She sounds so much like her Dad!”
@ProQuarm commented:
“May his legacy live on. Rest well, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.”
@LailaisBlunt wrote:
“Then one ex-government and his cronies will come and tell me they outperformed Nkrumah.”
Kwame Nkrumah’s grandson makes rare public appearance
YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that the grandson of Dr Kwame Nkrumah trended after a photo and video of him surfaced on social media.
The son of Samia Nkrumah was seen in a Batakari at the NkrumahFest 2025, chanting ‘freedom’ on the podium to those present for the event.
Social media users who watched the video wondered where Kwame Thomas Melega had been all this time, and others commented on his looks.