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You said Ghana (1957) is the first black African nation to gain independence. So are Eritrea (1947) and Sudan (1956) not black African nations (based on Wikipedia)? Unfortunately, you are likely another case of a west African who was manipulated by Europeans into believing that (north) Sudanese are non-indigenous Arabs. I'd like to inform you that in Arabic "bilad as-sudan" literally means "land of the blacks" and was a reference to majority black Africa, including modern day (north) Sudan. And yes, we are indigenous blacks, closest descendants of ancient Egyptians. Ghana is not the first black African nation to gain independence.
Excellent video as usual, please consider talking about the effects* of Abrahamic* religions (e.g. Islam, Christianity and Judaism) on Africa in a future video.
@@jamesmercer9282 yes he was indeed the funder of the UGCC but as you may know we only try to focus on the most important aspects of the story (I.e. the recurring characters) as there's only so much info we can fit into a 40min video.
You completely omitted the impact of the 5th Pan African Congress which was convened in Manchester. It was the congress that sparked the mass political parties throughout Afrika which spelled the death knell of crude colonialism. It was with that understanding and the mentorship of George Padmore that Nkrumah went to the UGCC. So, he didn't just come out of nowhere to challenge colonialism and promote the continental unification of Afrika. The independence and development of Ghana was an indispensable step toward continental unification, and his policies proved that. March 7, 1957 Osageyfo said, "the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the liberation of the Afrikan continent." This was against the imperialist designs of all the nations that participated in the 1885 scramble for Afrika. The CPP proved that it could govern without western tutelage, and in the face of growing resistance from the western hemisphere. Either we're going to be masters of our own house and natural wealth, or continue the dark dank course of neo-colonialism, which is the system of foreign nations whom still indirectly rule Afrika. Those are the only choices that exist for Afrika and Afrikan people. Rule ourselves, or continue to be ruled by others (through puppet Afrikan governments) while they continue to steal the lion share of our wealth and feed their own economies to our detriment. Nkrumah's warnings remain unassailable.
No excuses or white-washing European imperialism and at the same time no romanticising or excuse making for African leaders and governments. The impartial aspect of this channel makes it incredible. This is the kind of content I'd show my students if I was a history teacher or professor.
This video is not impartial. To evaluate history in neutrality, you have to put it into context. All good students/ teachers of history know that context is king. Context is as important as events. Something this video did not do.
@@ben5mop.iamarteifio412 No I meant what I said because the internet is well known for bs, bias, and lies. So finding something this impartial really is incredible and surprising.
@@megadonmaster What context was missing from this video, the topic is decolonization, the perspective of the indigenous population was well incorporated in this work.
Maame Ofori how does Ghana compare to the rest of Africa in terms of non-corruption, income disparity, size of the middle class, press freedom, quality of life and good for the people? Is it up there with countries like Botswana?
@@DavidsonLoops At the risk of sounding biased, I'd say Ghana consistently scores very high marks on all measures of economic, social and political development among African countries. Eg. Ghana ranks #1 or #2 terms of press freedom. Literacy rate is very high, the economy is vibrant and more diversified than many countries in the continent, elections are largely peaceful and there's always peaceful transfer of power, even when incumbent political parties lose, the judiciary is largely independent, etc.The only thing Ghana is middling on is corruption. Politicians have amassed extraordinary amounts of wealth through graft, bribery, inflation of projects, nepotism, etc. Corruption is endemic and it appears there's nothing much the ordinary citizen can do about it. Income inequality is increasing because of the corruption
Bro I’ve become enamored by history but Didn’t know much about African history until I started watching your channel very insightful keep up the good work
As a Ghanaian, I'd like to say that this documentary was very well done. This has taught me a lot more about our hero in much more details than we studied in school. Despite his flaws, we in Ghana still hold him in high esteem because he was a man of vision and also achieved a lot in terms of infrastructure development in his short time. We believe that Nkrumah genuinely meant well for not just Ghanaians, but for black Africa as a whole. But the pressure of the expectations of a newborn Nation, the manipulations of foreign powers, and the obsession with his own crazy ambitions led him down the wrong path. He made mistakes, and those mistakes forced him to make even direr mistakes. In the end, Nkrumah was a one-man army fighting for a vision and a future that only he could see. He tried to force everyone to get on board and it ended in disaster. Unfortunately, NKRUMAH WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
@@samsmith4242 no, absolute power doesn't corrupt. Absolute power reveals. In many cases, it reveals and enables what many of those same absolute leaders wanted to do all along, or felt they needed to do in order to achieve their ambitions. It's often irrelevant to make this distinction though, as the results tend to be disappointing either way. Socialists need to move away from the idea that authoritarianism is ever a means to achieve a just end, if they want to be any kind of saviors.
@@SolarFlareAmerica unfortunately a lot of socialist movements are inherently authoritarian and usually led by men with big ideas and even bigger egos. But you’re absolutely correct in your conclusion
@@SolarFlareAmerica I’d say it does, people can start out with the best intentions but the Road to hell is paved with those. Having power makes people paranoid, complacent, arrogant and is really stressful/puts you under massive pressure. It also gives you a degree of a anonymity. Meaning that your above consequences for you actions. Which is a massive temptation. Throw in peer pressure and seeing everyone else around you get extremely wealthy...well that would be tempting
I always love how thoughtful and meticulous this channel is when it comes to providing information about African history. I have watched all your videos about African leaders and I must say your neutral approach in shedding light on these figures is so important. It is easy for us, who are more and more removed from the periods immediately before and after independence, to forget about the nuances of these political heros and only think about the good they brought rather than remember that they too were human. I have been unlearning a lot of things I knew about Nkrumah and rather now being both appreciative of his fight for independence but also seeing how some of his pitfalls made my home country what it was especially in the 70s and 80s
@@NewAfrica Definitely. I fell in love with this channel ever since I got the video about Nigeria on my recommended. It was the moment that RUclips actually deserves a big "thank you" Anyway, can't wait for the next video, keep this good work up. 👍👍👍
Greetings to Ghana from the US! 🇬🇭🇺🇲 Let us hope that within our lifetimes better angels prevail in both our countries - then the true wealth of your peoples will no doubt transform our world.
I really appreciate the fact that your videos are not just among the most factually correct and informative videos about African history but that they're also narrated by a voice i could listen to for hours. Thank you🙏🏾
I agree! Though - small nitpick - your narrative rythm sounds a little robitic. As if you read it off word for word. I dont know if it is because of dialect, or if you record it over and over and stitch it together in production, or if you in fact read your (well written) commentary off without rehearsing. But with the good content you give us, and the beautiful voice you have: a more flowing way of narrating would raise the whole work to another level! Thanks for your work!
@@nilesbutler8638 thanks Niles, that's something we've spotted as well and it's more to do with how the voiceover is re-composed during the sound editing process. It's all very amateur at the moment, but the plan is to be able to pay for a sound engineer to sort out the sound editing as the channel grows. The constructive feedback is much appreciated!
Independence and commonwealth are not realistic partner, as it requires that only the colonizers country receives the wealth. There is no commonality to the wealth there. Instead, there is a great infringement on the possibility of true independence. I noticed that Brittain still receives substantial colonial tax this way from several countries. Yet they do not participate in support of those countries efforts to evolve. Jamaica has bauxite removed raw, with no establishment of a single factory to add value to it, so that aluminum could be exported, thereby raising exportresources considerably. This alone would reduce the time loans for infrastructure projects, like road building, would take to be repaid. After all these years.. this has not really changed!
It's been not even 24 hours since I found this channel and I've bingewatched 20+ of your videos. Love from Bangladesh, Africa and our stories are so common in so many aspects. Appreciate your great work
I am starting to see a pattern between former and new African leaders. Kagame has a similar story, so does Museveni, Gaddafi, ect.. They all start out as revolutionists, and freedom fighters. The longer they stay in power, the corruption starts to ensue slowly.. Nevertheless, Kwame is one of the greatest Pan-Africanist to have lived in my book.
Its human nature. That's why democracy still wins. China is now doing well until it starts to crack down on its citizens. Don't believe any leader. Be in charge of your own destiny.
Don't know your comment is entirely right about former pan-africanists Nkrumah, Sankara etc. but this I can say and that is your are entirely correct regarding the likes of Museveni and his corhort. I do think Kagame has made too much progress though and should be exempt from that list.. but yeah, you're not entirely wrong
It’s like there’s a checklist to these guys and though not all meet all the requirements, they generally check off two or three (initial success, paranoia and consolidation of power, tenure, violence, kleptocracy, cut of personality, finessing Cold War tensions between the superpowers… the list of qualifications goes on). Watch the videos on Mengistu, Mugabe, etc etc and it’s all differing versions of the same story 😭
@@ShottaKenya Most of them actually miss the initial success, Mengistu and Mugabe definitely. Some men only come to destroy, while others destroy, what they themselves built (like Gaddafi or emperor Haile Selassie).
I'm English and I love Ghana. This is a very informative video on it's history, an exemplary nation for the other emerging nations. Hope to visit one day 🇬🇭
Thank you very much for this research work it was very well researched. As a Sierra Leonean and African, from this video have come to realized that we Africans are somehow responsible for our own development and under development simply because of our own political greed and thirst for power . Thanks
@ჶ Troopa3xd ჶ unfortunately that's not happening. So difficult for humans to learn from history. Look at Manuel lopez of Mexico,Bolsenaro of Brazil and look at the ANC in South Africa.
Nkrumah wasn't corrupt.....yes, he imprisoned those traitors because they were the enemies of the state, who wanted to deposed his regime... Currently, Snoden is taking refuge in Russia because the American government wanted him dead or alive, what was his crime? He expose some bad deeds of the American government thereby creating friction with their allies, therefore they want to incarcerate him for being a whistleblower, in fact they say he's a traitor. So how about if Snoden tried to deposed the Obama regime? Would the government take it lightly?... Sir, the hypocrisy is becoming nauseating!!!
You, having realised that my friend, have found wisdom. Being power hungry and greedy is not an African trait, but a human trait. I am an African myself. As long as Africans keep looking at the west as oppressors and colonisers and at the east as virtue (Socialism and Marxism), instead of learning what it is that made the people in the west prosper and people in the east suffer, it will stay in the state that it is in, and nothing will improve. Africans should stop looking for leaders that promise prosperity and equality, because those leaders can never deliver what they promise and enrich themselves by making the people belive that they have been cheated, they cannot change the situation themselves and can only be free if they let the government solve their problems, and instead look at how deregulation of state power, sovereignty of the individual and private property has made the leading world nations prosper.
I'm super excited for this! Please also do Thomas Sankara next. Was doing some reading on him yesterday as it was 33 years ago he was assassinated and cannot believe Blaise Compaoré went on to rule Burkina Faso for 27 bloody years!
I read his whole life story . He us a real life super hero in his unwaivering selflessness. I honestly don't want a leader unless he's so aggressively for the people like him lol
as Noah Chomsky put it, Sankara (and Burkina Faso) were “guilty of being a good example.” Basically if they could accomplish all that they did with so little and in such short time, then other nations might start to grow horns too. Can’t have that, so they put him down
I think it’s a reminder that anything can be done given the right conditions. I am very hopeful as the average age of Africans is 23 years old and I can’t wait to see the role the diaspora will play in the evolution of Africa
When Nkrumah was in prison find out who was doing the job for him, and who was his finance minister? The first finance minister of Ghana who helped get things going well. Everybody forget about him because he is from VOLTA AND NOT CORRUPT.
@@marggie104davi5 Hon. Komla Gbedema was great. And also a CIA agent. I was shocked to learn that. Check CIA declassified documents. It was Busia who said he was Nigerian so barred him from politics. He really helped Nkrumah but was also a real Brutus.
As a Ghanian, I'm very disappointed in all the Ghanaians saying that this video is the true history of kwame Nkrumah. The creator got a lot of things wrong. e.g 1. Kwame Nkrumah did not grab the the opportunity in 1947 because he was struggling, by 1947 Nkrumah was not struggling financially infact he built a school in 1947 called Ghana National school with his own personal money. 2. The name Ghana was founded by kwame Nkrumah not J.B Danquah. .Dr Kwame Nkrumah, on Tuesday, July 20, 1948 inaugurated his first school, called, Ghana National College build with his personal money, long before the gold coast gain it independence. NOTE in 1948 Ghana was still called Gold Coast So clearly Nkrumah founded Ghana in 1948 He set up the {Kwame Nkrumah University} of Science and Technology in 1952 So now the Question is where was J. B. Danquah when Nkrumah was naming his school, Ghana National College.? 3. The ivory coast and the other French speaking country story clearly tells me that you have no idea about kwame Nkrumah.
You speak my heart, this narrative is soo depressing and negative. .who is this nonsense channel. ..very bizarre I don't think he knows what he is talking about
I am always drawn back to the question "How would decolonization have turned out differently had it not happened in the shadow of the Cold War?" I would never ascribe all the issues of African Independence to proxy interventionism or internal political strife, but adding the additional layer of conflict to the already difficult situation of having no established institutions of self governance and a population that overwhelmingly was for the immediate rejection of colonial power structures was a recipe for disaster. A disaster the echoes of which are only now being outlived, and only in isolated cases that through good fortune or extraordinary leadership have managed to navigate the obstacles of the past three generations.
They used his own people to destroy him just like they did to Gaddafi. They man who wanted to use few years to build Africa but they kill him because they know he will be the only solution. By now Ghana to Nigeria to chad and enter Libya would have been by train
@@adupako1057 If this documentary is to be believed, he destroyed himself and his legacy. Socialism is bad enough; but socialism plus corruption is always ruinous. His initial vision was sound, though; it is certainly something the African continent can still work towards.
Yours is another attempt to exculpate the woeful trajectory of modern Africa. What’s happening in Africa is an outgrowth of their culture Finding extraneous sources for the corruption , mismanagement , tribalism and propensity to violence will not wash
@@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097 Its more like an outgrowth of political and social immaturity. Do you think Europeans have always been so kind to one another, so honourable? Black people will get there.
Several aspects of this narration are incomplete. The absence of events that caused his paranoia reeks of bias. The narrator also seemed to downplay the role the CIA played in creating economic hardships for a new country that had decided to be socialist, eventually assisting in Nkrumah's overthrow. Overall, I'm not impressed by this narrative because of its omissions.
I love this channel. thank you so much. I had no idea about Kwame's regime. How tragic. And the corruption plague still rages on the African continent in 2021. Almighty Father, have mercy on us, change our hearts and heal our land. Amen.
As a Ghanaian, I can ascertain that this is a highly twisted account of the story of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. This narrative is highly prejudiced by the west who have been afraid of the legacy of Osagyefo and the liberation he was bringing to Africa. Osagyefo is Africa's hero and his legacy will live on forever. Africa will rise again.
Am a Ghanaian who's currently based in Spain. But trust me I was never been told about our country's first president Dr. KWAME NKRUMAH. I always say no Man is perfect. No doubt NKRUMAH had his flaws. But those behind the collapse of his government are to be blamed for all the set backs we have experienced. Even till date, all the projects he made during his tenure as leader of GHANA still exists and running. If this Man was allowed to continue till the end of his life. Trust me GHANA AND AFRICA will be much more advanced than we today as a people. Thank you for this detailed history.
Kwame Nkrumah was a great, true and well caring leader and Not a dictator. Nkrumah was an honest man except the ministers around him were the problem like any other government in the Western world. Nkrumah was great and wonderful wise man in Ghana and Africa.
Yes, ooo. O my days, this presenter is seriously hugely biased. His narrative is largely lame and lopsided. His analysis, assessments, perspectives informing his context and content is leprous and lamentable. To begin with, let me say this, that every individual, including the presenter himself, may have their own imperfections, and Nkrumah was no exception to this "rule" of minor or major imperfections in the human nature. That's just by the way. Right, so let's talk about historical facts, political ideologies, government(al) policies for national development or nation building, etc., etc. This presenter's piece of work or narrative needs a complete overhaul. Now, it's totally UNTRUE, and completely FALSE, that J B (Joseph Boakye) Danquah gave the name "Ghana" to the new nation. It was Kwame Nkrumah who did. J B Danquah proposed or suggested the new name as "Akanland" because he was eyeing his own "Akan" tribal or ethnic background or "Akan Race" (Akyems, Ahantas, Asantes, Fantes, Nzemas, etc.,) to feature in the name, (and with that, he is even thought or considered by some quarters to have wanted to exclude the Asantes, a tribe he dreaded to be part of the independent-seeking process should the state "Gold Coast" ever attain that independence goal at all by the UGCC). That name "Akan-land" was criticised, condemned and rejected, for various reasons; the name also suggested the exclusion of the far Northern Territories (later Northern and Upper regions) and the far Eastern territory (later Volta region) and the South-Eastern coastal area (later Greater Accra region, predominantly, the Ga tribe). J B Danquah, came back after sometime and proposed another name, "Akan-Ga" land, which was also criticized, condemned and rejected, because his naming attitude was seen as being fixated on the idea that only "Akans" should be largely recognised in the nation. (Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pg xvii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). Now the name "Ghana" had long been proposed by the Rev. J B Anaman in his work ("The Gold Coast Guide", London, 1895, 2nd edition. 1902, pp. 8-9); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xvi, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). J B Danquah was born in December, 1895 and that's the very year that Rev. Anaman suggested the name Ghana for the Gold Coast. So how could he have proposed or suggested that new name "Ghana" for the "Gold Coast"?? Others such as Rev. W. T. Balmer, first headmaster of Mfanstipim Secondary school 1907-1911, in his published work, "A History of the Akan People", 1925, and Lady Luggard's piece of work, "A Tropical Dependency", 1905, etc., had all made the name of "Ghana" a connection to the Gold Coast, certainly from the old Ghana empire. (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pp. xvi, xvii, 86, 526, Oxford, 1963, Kimble) When Nkrumah came to Ghana (then Gold Coast) in late 1947 to join the UGCC as General Secretary, and with all the political upheavals and "issues of unrest", he founded a Secondary School in Cape Coast in 1948 with his own funds, starting with a handful of students, and named it "Ghana National", nine long years before independence was achieved, and he gave that same name of the school to the new nation "Ghana". Nkrumah had long considered that name for the new nation Ghana, and J B Danquah thought it should be called "New Ghana". It was after much historical speculation, and considerable political discussion, before the name "Ghana" was eventually adopted, and Kwame Nkrumah, the first African Prime Minister, declared, "We take pride in the name, not out of romanticism, but as an inspiration for the future". (Legislative Assembly Debates, May 18, 1956); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xviii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). Again, J B Danquah never employed Kwame Nkrumah, nor pay his wages. It was Alfred George Grant, popularly called Paa Grant who sponsored Nkrumah or sort of paid his wages, as he was the chief financier, as a business merchant "magnate" and founding leader, President of the UGCC founded in August 1947. J. B Danquah never sponsored or paid anything to Kwame Nkrumah for his work or services as General Secretary or otherwise of the UGCC. Many of the narratives in this presentation is just poor and porous. The PDA (The Preventive Detention Act), the one party state, the socio-economic, socio-political, socio-infrastructral situation in the country, have all been tailored to fit an unpalatable and sour agenda to black-label, black-list and paint the man, Nkrumah as a persona non-grata, most "evil and wicked", whereas its rather his detractors, who are the traitors and wreckers of the national development agenda under Nkrumah. (Note: Those issues may be addressed later). However, these are the neo-colonialists, and imperialists seeking always to keep Africa and the African in "bondage, slavery, suppression, oppression and subjection". When Almighty God through His servant Prophet Moses delivered the people of Israel to take them to the "Promised Land", they had to go the "wilderness", as transiting to the final destination of a "land flowing with milk and honey." And yet whenever they encountered any little economic or provision challenges and difficulties in their journey, they murmured and complained so bitterly, even using Egypt as a reference point; " ... are there no graves in Egypt that you Moses have brought us here to kill/destroy us...?? "... is this not why we said let us alone to remain as slaves in Egypt, ....". (Exodus 14:10-12). And who said enslaved, oppressed, suppressed and exploited people are ever given their freedom without demanding it by "fair forceful" means.?? The Biblical story of Moses delivering Israel from bondage and slavery in Egypt, and many more such stories in the Bible and in history inform us very well as such. Freedom from bondage, oppression and exploitation is hardly ever gained without a "hard fierce fight. The enslavers, exploiters, oppressors would always want to keep the oppressed, suppressed and enslaved in subjection perpetually. History tells us so much about this that you can hardly ignore or overlook or be uninformed and uneducated about. A couple of examples should suffice, slave trade and the abolition, struggle for independence of African nations, Ghana leading and spearheading that, Asia issues, Australia aborigines, American natives/American land possession wars, some European nations to this day, etc. This presenter should do proper research before putting just anything out in the sms (social media space), just for viewership, but in truth and reality it's hardly any solid/serious educational material, but rather an unscrupulous mendacious artful distortion of the facts or truth. He can certainly be entitled to his own opinions, and analysis of political perspectives, but the narration of facts and truths should be upheld as sacrosanct.
I love this Channel. As an American I remember being taught the broadest stokes of African history and it was always "bunch of strongmen." It was always in a perspective that these early democracies failed because of the greed of the strongmen who ran them. No nuance to it. This gives me so much more nuance and tells a more complicated story. I see the good these people have done for Africa and how much history drive actions as opposed to the other way around.. Were some of these figures greedy strongmen? Maybe but my founding fathers owned slaves and that can only be worse than some of the things Africa's post colonial leaders did. Its good to see this from an African perspective where I can see how a guy like Ghadafi did a lot of good.
Speeding decolonization and dreaming of African integration and solidarity was indeed a great legacy. But it does NOT justify implementing destructive economic policies, exploiting small farmers by underpaying for their cocoa produce, insanely wasteful and irresponsible spending of public funds, arresting all critics for life or inciting rebellions against governments that did not agree with him (so much for a liberator and for African solidarity, right?). It's these kind of simplistic views of heroes versus villains that help install bad governments with a free pass to do whatever the hell they want against their people
Corrupt, blinded by ego and selfish pursuit, narcissistic and nepotistic, they aren’t the men Africa or the world should respect. People like Seretse Khama deserve respect and admiration, not these tyrants
@@kobby7135 Yeah, he could’ve dismissed his ministers and he KNEW they were corrupted. He could’ve dialled back his infeasible construction projects. He could’ve not destroyed one of Africa’s most prosperous economies or become a dictator. Those were all options available to him
I am a Ghanaian and our history books never said anything about how badly Nkrumah treated Ghanaians. They always portray him as the saviour. I am still proud and love him though. Its refreshing to know that our "no nonsense" attitude to corrupt leaders even if they did good before has been in our blood since
This whole tale is really sad. Ghana had such a promising future ahead of it, but even those bright prospects were not bright enough for Nkrumah, whose dreams and ambitions were even grander, perhaps too grand. In pursuit of his dream, he ruined Ghana's institutions and ran the country into the ground. I hope Ghana can eventually rebuild itself to be better than it ever was before.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah wasn't a dictator. He was great, wonderful and Noble man. Every freedom fighter is jailed for his strong confidence, views and dedicating ideas so it was nothing wrong with that. And Nigeria leader and Liberia leader who didn't understand the Unity of Africa in those days because they were Selfish, weak and didn't have confidence to do so. Even in this modern day of freedom, Nigerian leaders are not strong enough to stand up for themselves in the face of Western world leaders. Period. The Negative part of this story is made up by this narrator himself and I wonder why? Nkrumah's name will live on forever in the history of Ghana, Africa and the whole world in general.
Yes, ooo. O my days, this presenter is seriously hugely biased. His narrative is largely lame and lopsided. His analysis, assessments, perspectives informing his context and content is leprous and lamentable. To begin with, let me say this, that every individual, including the presenter himself, may have their own imperfections, and Nkrumah was no exception to this "rule" of minor or major imperfections in the human nature. That's just by the way. Right, so let's talk about historical facts, political ideologies, government(al) policies for national development or nation building, etc., etc. This presenter's piece of work or narrative needs a complete overhaul. Now, it's totally UNTRUE, and completely FALSE, that J B (Joseph Boakye) Danquah gave the name "Ghana" to the new nation. It was Kwame Nkrumah who did. J B Danquah proposed or suggested the new name as "Akanland" because he was eyeing his own "Akan" tribal or ethnic background or "Akan Race" (Akyems, Ahantas, Asantes, Fantes, Nzemas, etc.,) to feature in the name, (and with that, he is even thought or considered by some quarters to have wanted to exclude the Asantes, a tribe he dreaded to be part of the independent-seeking process should the state "Gold Coast" ever attain that independence goal at all by the UGCC). That name "Akan-land" was criticised, condemned and rejected, for various reasons; the name also suggested the exclusion of the far Northern Territories (later Northern and Upper regions) and the far Eastern territory (later Volta region) and the South-Eastern coastal area (later Greater Accra region, predominantly, the Ga tribe). J B Danquah, came back after sometime and proposed another name, "Akan-Ga" land, which was also criticized, condemned and rejected, because his naming attitude was seen as being fixated on the idea that only "Akans" should be largely recognised in the nation. (Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pg xvii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). Now the name "Ghana" had long been proposed by the Rev. J B Anaman in his work ("The Gold Coast Guide", London, 1895, 2nd edition. 1902, pp. 8-9); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xvi, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). J B Danquah was born in December, 1895 and that's the very year that Rev. Anaman suggested the name Ghana for the Gold Coast. So how could he have proposed or suggested that new name "Ghana" for the "Gold Coast"?? Others such as Rev. W. T. Balmer, first headmaster of Mfanstipim Secondary school 1907-1911, in his published work, "A History of the Akan People", 1925, and Lady Luggard's piece of work, "A Tropical Dependency", 1905, etc., had all made the name of "Ghana" a connection to the Gold Coast, certainly from the old Ghana empire. (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pp. xvi, xvii, 86, 526, Oxford, 1963, Kimble) When Nkrumah came to Ghana (then Gold Coast) in late 1947 to join the UGCC as General Secretary, and with all the political upheavals and "issues of unrest", he founded a Secondary School in Cape Coast in 1948 with his own funds, starting with a handful of students, and named it "Ghana National", nine long years before independence was achieved, and he gave that same name of the school to the new nation "Ghana". Nkrumah had long considered that name for the new nation Ghana, and J B Danquah thought it should be called "New Ghana". It was after much historical speculation, and considerable political discussion, before the name "Ghana" was eventually adopted, and Kwame Nkrumah, the first African Prime Minister, declared, "We take pride in the name, not out of romanticism, but as an inspiration for the future". (Legislative Assembly Debates, May 18, 1956); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xviii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). Again, J B Danquah never employed Kwame Nkrumah, nor pay his wages. It was Alfred George Grant, popularly called Paa Grant who sponsored Nkrumah or sort of paid his wages, as he was the chief financier, as a business merchant "magnate" and founding leader, President of the UGCC founded in August 1947. J. B Danquah never sponsored or paid anything to Kwame Nkrumah for his work or services as General Secretary or otherwise of the UGCC. Many of the narratives in this presentation is just poor and porous. The PDA (The Preventive Detention Act), the one party state, the socio-economic, socio-political, socio-infrastructral situation in the country, have all been tailored to fit an unpalatable and sour agenda to black-label, black-list and paint the man, Nkrumah as a persona non-grata, most "evil and wicked", whereas its rather his detractors, who are the traitors and wreckers of the national development agenda under Nkrumah. (Note: Those issues may be addressed later). However, these are the neo-colonialists, and imperialists seeking always to keep Africa and the African in "bondage, slavery, suppression, oppression and subjection". When Almighty God through His servant Prophet Moses delivered the people of Israel to take them to the "Promised Land", they had to go the "wilderness", as transiting to the final destination of a "land flowing with milk and honey." And yet whenever they encountered any little economic or provision challenges and difficulties in their journey, they murmured and complained so bitterly, even using Egypt as a reference point; " ... are there no graves in Egypt that you Moses have brought us here to kill/destroy us...?? "... is this not why we said let us alone to remain as slaves in Egypt, ....". (Exodus 14:10-12). And who said enslaved, oppressed, suppressed and exploited people are ever given their freedom without demanding it by "fair forceful" means.?? The Biblical story of Moses delivering Israel from bondage and slavery in Egypt, and many more such stories in the Bible and in history inform us very well as such. Freedom from bondage, oppression and exploitation is hardly ever gained without a "hard fierce fight. The enslavers, exploiters, oppressors would always want to keep the oppressed, suppressed and enslaved in subjection perpetually. History tells us so much about this that you can hardly ignore or overlook or be uninformed and uneducated about. A couple of examples should suffice, slave trade and the abolition, struggle for independence of African nations, Ghana leading and spearheading that, Asia issues, Australia aborigines, American natives/American land possession wars, some European nations to this day, etc. This presenter should do proper research before putting just anything out in the sms (social media space), just for viewership, but in truth and reality it's hardly any solid/serious educational material, but rather an unscrupulous mendacious artful distortion of the facts or truth. He can certainly be entitled to his own opinions, and analysis of political perspectives, but the narration of facts and truths should be upheld as sacrosanct.
He was One of the few African leaders who was not selfish, greedy, no nepotism and has no Big mansion to his name.. Nkrumah Legacies always live on. Is there any way one can lead his people without stepping on some toes? Africa must unite to achieve it full God's given potentials.
This was a very comprehensive video. The legacy of Kwame Nkrumah is very complicated despite his revolutionary Pan African vision. It’s unfortunate that greed and corruption ruined this dream; similar tales can be told about countries around the world trying to reestablish themselves after colonial rule. Smh...
It's untrue that Nkrumah was "greedy." He could have easily became a puppet stooge for foreign capital after Ghana's independence if that were true. In fact, the only personal monies he controlled at all was the profit from the books he wrote. The salary for the presidential post was handled by the accounting office set up to keep track of his expenditures as purchases were signed off and deducted. President Nkrumah was above reproach. Everything he earned was to be given to the CPP after his demise. There are about a dozen or more fantastic lies told on him after the coup d'etat. However, he was aware of the corruption among some of the people who were in opposition to him. There was a diamond racket going on in Ghana between members of the military, and foreign businesses that sought to dominate the diamond markets Ghana was developing for export. The revenue to be used for Ghana's industrial development. Nkrumah intended to address the situation upon his return from Vietnam.
So my grandfather was one of the ministers detained without trial by Kwame Nkrumah. My dad shares the story with me, that one day he went to school and came back home and his father wasn’t home, they had no idea where he was and didn’t find out he was in jail till much later.
👏Love how brashly this was presented 👏 Its time we speak the truth about our African 'heroes', no matter how positive or otherwise. All around, we have airports, universities etc being named after people who newer generations know only half-truths about. Contemporary politicians know this and are therefore emboldened to commit their daily atrocities with impunity, believing that they may damn near be worshipped someday in spite of it.
I was in Ghana young pioneers and to be honest, Ghana was like England we were far ahead of any country in Africa and FBI/CIA orchestrated his over throw . Do you not know that Oburoni does not want the black man to progress? Look at us now, still struggling. Unity is strength, how many Western Europeans over throws their governments? Shame on you
It’s amazing to see just how much history our schools here in the West ignore. The only African leaders we were taught about were Mandela and Nasser (and even Nasser was only taught in the context of the Suez Crisis and Six Day War, which were only taught in the context of the Cold War at large). Keep up the good work with your channel!
Though I have so much appreciation for the work done to bring this documentary to us, I hope people will understand the enormous pressure and challenge Nkrumah had on his shoulders in trying to enlighten people who had been under colonial rule for years. His desire and vision to unite and develop Africa was not seen by his peers and so frustration set in and he started doing the unthinkable. No one is an angel.
I thought that the Robert Mugabe vid was the best on the channel, then when I saw the one about Muammar Gaddafi, I thought that was the best, but this I think will be until your next one comes out. Your videos, with incredible graphics, quotes that work really well with a format that gut punches you with the cold hard facts. To the narrator, he is the perfect candidate for this type of job, that does not have a lot of anger or happiness in his voice but close to objectivity, just presenting the facts. Your channel is the reason why in my free time, instead of watching TikTok, I read about rulers of Africa and learn more in depth about the systematic problems within the countries. I used to have such a Eurocentric mindset that this Continent I totally forgot about, and its horrifying that such an important and dynamic continent is forgotten in world history. I dont have money to contribute, so I watch the ads all the way through and like to get that stupid algorithm working, but everyone on your team deserves millions of subscribers. I do have one question, however, was the “resource curse” or african leaders’ corruption the biggest problem to early african independence movements? Because Botswana negates the resource curse with effective leadership but I do not know. Muammar Gaddafi was heavily corrupt, but the libyan economy continued to boom even with large oil resources, so that flips Botswana on its head...
You don't understand how much we love to see comments like this! Very detailed, positive and constructive feedback. Thanks for taking the time to share and thanks for watching Alexander 👏🏿👍🏿
I was like you, at a point I realised I only knew caucasian and oriental history. So I decided to study African history, starting with the history of my own country Ghana. I had grown up hating Nkrumah for getting independence for Ghana too early. I was made to think we missed out on the advancements South Africa had. Nkrumah was therefore an interest for me. While this documentary says things that are mostly true, its omission of the NLM makes Nkrumah to seem more demonic than he actually was. The documemtary also appears to deny the role of the CIA in his coup, this is fact. If the documentary looked at that, your question would have been answered. Most of these events happened during the cold war, an ideological war. The world was torn between socialism (sometimes communism) and capitalism. The CIA and NSA setup a hit squad. Some were economic hitmen who caused the failure you describe and others were more direct. The killings of Patrice Lumumba of Congo was the most direct of these. In reading history always remember that every narrative has its bias. If you read Nkrumah's books, you will be enamored by him.
Also the UGCC elements tried to kill him countlessly and were rightfully detained....let it be known Nkrumah didn't become popular because of Ghana, he was already a strong advocate for the independence of African nations and not just Ghana and he made that very clear in his speeches....Today in Ghana everyone regrets the overthrow and we wish we could have such a leader back....everything he built and tried to build is what is keeping Ghana on its feet today...A man who wanted a better future for Ghana and was ready to sacrifice the present to bad some people couldn't see that
Hmmm May God forgives my nation Ghana. Ghanians never remember your good deeds tomorrow but they think only of their stomachs today. They think only on what they will gain today rather than future, may God forgives those who are still alive today and were supported the overthrown of Nkrumah. Now Africans have seen the importance Nkrumah's vision of United Africa. May Nkrumah rest in peace. Nkrumah Prophecy of Africa darkness has come true, may the Lord forgive the corruptible leaders of Africa especially Ghana.
I am writing a book on colonization and what I think Africans miss is that leaders were also colonized and they also were traumatized. The West never wanted Africa to be free and they pulled strings remotely. With his mindset still colonized and Ghana with its rich resources gold and cocoa etc there's no way the British were not destroying him by remote control. You can never come out of British rule and be completely free its impossible. They were behind the scenes destroying and we should never despise our leaders who rose up when everyone was literally Afraid of whites. Everyone makes mistakes but overall he did a lot for Ghana
God bless you and I really enjoyed reading your comment.This is what we missing out .We forget about the good things and hit on the bad things but at the end everything he was doing was for a better good for his nation.
You think the black man has no conscience and no will free will and power and so he is excused from accountability? Foreign powers MAY have been in the back influencing these bad outcomes in Ghana’s first Gov’t BUT one thing is clear from this video: the African leaders were as corrupt as the colonial masters. Only one thing can stop corruption - rule of law and accountability especially for leaders. Nkrumah and his Gov’t didn’t want to answer to anyone. This is what breeds more corruption and destroys a country. Don’t blame everything on Whites.
@@princeamoakwa4057 That was the era that if you dnt destroy your enemies they will destroy you times has changed though,if you were a leader around that time you will do the same over all to me l will grade Nkrumah 10 over 10.
For anyone wondering, yes that scene from the Crown did happen, the Queen did dancing with Nkrumah. Although I’m not sure if she used the significance as leverage, though it would not surprise me if she did.
The moral of the lesson is that even self styled liberators can turn out be new equal or worse oppressors. All leaders must keep in mind that they are servants of their people not the masters and that they should prioritize making a countries stable and viable with a functional economy that can create opportunities for as many people over fantastical and sentimental ideology.
Such man Seretse Kharma did exactly that, Gaddafi also and Sankara though he was kicked before achieving, Patrice Lumumba I guess would have gone same direction too. Unfortunately most African leaders took the direction of imperialism
I love history , politics, and geopolitics and how it shapes the African continent. I'll like to help out and learn at New Africa. I'll be grateful to be handed such opportunity
@@maishadigital8410 It's still worth being critical of Nkrumah and what went wrong for his project (not sure how much he really understood Mao), while still upholding the monumental scale of African Socialism that he and the ghanian people undertook. Building Socialism is a science, and it will take repeated attempts, failures and corrections before it is perfected.
I am watching every single video and I cannot wait for more videos on these titans of the continent, both the known and unknown. The story of Botswana’s leader was absolutely mindblowing. I can’t wait for videos on Cabral, Sankara, Moi, Museveni, Amin, etc etc
I'm Ghanaian and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's deeds aren't fully thought in basic schools. We fail to learn from the failures of our leaders. It's not surprising that the ways of corruption by today's ministers are similar to those of Nkrumah's ministers.
This video is a propaganda video done by someone from the west. Nkrumah was the first best black African leader Africa Ghana ever had. All those who came after him are puppets
Unfortunately, Nkrumah like many other leaders of the post Colonial African states tried to implement Soviet economic policies which favoured building up industry over agriculture. When what was really needed in most of Africa was to start with building up agriculture and then develop industry out of the countryside's needs. Also, to allow elements of private ownership to flourish side by side with the public sector, within an effective planning economy. This was the highly successful strategy that was begun in China in 1978 after Mao's death. And created the foundation for China's marvellous success. If only China had followed this policy in the 1958 and later period it could have provided a great model for all the progressive leaders who emerged in Africa.
Agreed, Agriculture, as well as doubling down on what made the specific nation rich in the first place, after all, they mention in the video that Ghana was actually quite wealthy in some areas and obviously for the first couple of years was a shining light on the dark continent. I think with a bit of what u said and maybe continuing with its Pre-Existing Industries (albeit they’ll have to make it racially equal and all that if u get what I mean).
China had already been growing before 1978 in fact China’s fastest years of growth were 1955-1959 ,1963-1966 and 1969-1970.The Soviet Union itself saw it self grow from a world backwater to second world power in less than 20 years,so this was not out of ignorance.In fact Ghana would see much worse economic performance after Nkrumah.Until around the 1980’s.
@@mauricio9564 In 1914 the Russian Empire was the fastest growing economy in Europe, had the fourth or fifth highest industrial output in the world, 81,000km of rail, and a large, modern shipbuilding industry, and was on track to implement universal primary schooling by 1917. Russia would have never been a backwater to begin with had Lenin not plunged the country into a five and half year long civil war.
@@adamarko3205 The Russian Empire was a backwards peasantry, filled with corruption and heavily mismanaged, being on a list doesn’t mean anything. The Revolution happened for a reason
@@KP-kg2ky Marx was a economist, he wrote for papers and wrote books, that’s how he made money, Marx didn’t invent Socialism or does he own it. Your better off criticizing his ideas
Gosh I have never know these small facts about Kwame Nkrumah. I must say look at how the world is today is that highly sensational leaders are not necessarily good leaders. When you look at the details of what they are saying publicly, it does not add up. I guess Ghana is so successful because a large base of the people are highly educated. Which is not the case in so many other countries.
Hey! There was a fair bit of hot debate in the live comments, and I've got to say, please don't listen to nitpicks. No one ought to expect you to be entirely impartial, and what if there are mistakes here and there, as some claimed? As I've said elsewhere, I'm 30, French, educated in a top private school in the Parisian suburbia, and I can guarantee you NONE of the content of ANY of your videos ever made it into my education. It's all new to me, and it often leaves me baffled, how colonialism was brushed off. And I'm part Algerian Berber too! Which leads me to this request : Will you ever do more north-African videos? I'd be curious about more details on Algeria in particular, and Egypt as well. Anyway, this content is my entry gate into so many African personalities and historical events. Don't let naysayers get to you, we need this. We need your perspective and your research and engaging presentations. Thanks again for your hard work!
Thanks so much for your support Elonora, that means a lot. We do our best to share African history in a well rounded and non-biased manner but, naturally, we can't satisfy everyone and people will always have their opinions. Having said that, a healthy debate and exchange of ideas, usually tends to have a productive outcome so, as long as the debates remain respectful, we encourage our viewers to discuss away. We're definitely planning to produce more north-African focused historical content, so please bear with us and stay tuned. Thanks again for watching!
Well I took a college class here about North Africa and I learned a bit about Algeria. I seem to romanticize North African culture. I have read extensively and binge watched documentaries about the region. Take Morocco, (I think Maroc first recognized USA as a country)the land of Ibn Battuta among others... fascinating 🤨 Well the French were ruthless in Algeria. The Pied Noirs and Harki seem to subjugate the locals to their will. They were the muscle. Think of Napoleon in Egypt. Imagine yourself being Napoleon in 1700s thinking about Egypt... the nostalgia, o yes! But when the the French troops landed it was horrible. Algiers, Algeria- similar. One newsreel said Algiers was a piece of Metropolitan France transported across the Mediterranean. These French and French Jews wanted to live in Algeria forever it seemed but Algeria had heroes like Ali- La Ponite, everyday young and old women( mothers, grandmothers etc) and even kids who were prepared to fight and save their homeland. The Harki were mostly with the French but the others suffered. After the war which claimed a million lives the Harki had to escape to 🇫🇷. But you see discussing complexity is always difficult. The UN in those days had failed to help the address the Algerian question. Thus they resorted to terrorism to defeat the French. Worse than a nightmare. The French were worse than poor in managing it. How can you have women carry bombs 💣 in public places. I think the moment women are involved it shows the situation is really out of control. France never claimed any responsibility for anything but again undertanding complexities and it’s intricacies will make you undertand things better You should watch Battle of Algiers.
If ever there was a clearer illustration of the corrupting influence of power, of hubris and of megalomania it's Kwame Nkrumah. He was clearly a complex figure and his radical approach to bring the independence movement to the common man is laudable. The same approach however created a demi-god, cult of personality that ultimately became his undoing.
Point of correction,Danquah never suggested the name Ghana for Gold Coast but Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.JB .Danquah wanted Ghana to be called Akanman.meaning "Country of the Akan People.
Give some suggestion: Thomas Sankara "the African Che Guevara" Jonas Savimbi "Good Rebel" Amílcar Cabral "the leader the die to early" Ali Dangote "the African Billionaire you never heard" And why Senegal is only Africa country without any war.
Boy am I glad to have watched this unbiased piece of African history. A man with great ideas is often found alone. If only other African rulers had just bypassed the peanuts they received from their colonial masters, maybe, just maybe, we would have been addressing ourselves as Comrades of the African Soviet Union.
There's almost no channels that explain African politics or geography or anything African on RUclips, so finding this channel was amazing! I hope you guys continue growing and people become aware of the continent. As someone who's studied in Asia as well as the West it's shocking how much our education systems ignore the continent so much. Great content, thank you guys!
What would you do in his position if you are paranoid about your own people...? He was forced to amass power to achieve his dream of PanAfricanism because his people were plotting to overthrow him, with the influence of the CIA. This video is just leading us to paint him black. Nkrumah never dies. He is the Greatest man in the history of Ghana and African Politics. He was a great visionary by all standards.
Excellence presentation. Had absolutely no idea Kwame Nkrumah had ill treated his own People. A direct contrast to a book titled "Kwame Nkrumah" which presented him in a completely different light.
Someone must have paid this guy for this nonsense. Did u not notice how he down played Nkrumah’s developmental projects but emphasized corruption. Even went on to say ‘people were lined up all over Ghana in search for food’ while Nkrumah’s gov’t spent lavishly. The truth is, yes he spent money lavishly but on the country and never on himself. And if there was ever anytime in Ghana’s history where citizens enjoyed better lives, it was during Nkrumah’s time. But he was a young nobody that came & took power from the old somebody’s UGCC) so they always hated him and made several attempts on his life, hence the reason for the numerous arrests & imprisonments. But Nkrumah did the greatest for Ghana, no one can take that away from him.
I think this video does a really good job at telling his story but I think leaving out the CIA involvement is a bit disappointed (They didn’t cause his authoritarism but to ignore the CIA’s attempts to destabilize the country and leave them out of the video ignores vital context of the period he was living in
@Nick Arjomand There is evidence and it's not unlikely that CIA would be involved in such a thing. Also USA has a history of meddling even before the official creation of CIA.
Agreed. That's always where the breakdown in these biased micro biographies of Nkrumah are. Moreover, Nkrumahism came from the historical impacts of traditional Africa, Islamic and euro-christain impacts in the African experience. With communalism as practiced in the traditional pre-colonial history of Africa as the ancestor of scientific socialism. He took it a step past Marxism-leninism. This video completely missed that point as well. Many who were corrupt in the CPP came directly from the opposition after independence. This video doesn't mention that either. The economic.sqeeze placed on Ghana that laid the ground for the CIA engineered coup d'etat, which has been admitted by the U. S. a few years ago. So he was right about that. As usual, these Nkrumah "documentaries" leave out a lot of facts on purpose. It's meant to poison our thinking about continental unification so that it doesn't happen, and the foreign dominance of Africa's wealth can go on unabated. But, that will ultimately fail as we can read what Nkrumah himself said of these things in his writings. He ought to know since he was head of the Ghanaian republic, as President. This video tell so many falsehoods I can never get all the way through it.
Best documentary about our first president. They taught us little in our social studies. Long live kwame inkrumah . Long live africa. Free us black people
Just wow. I am impressed by this story. I did not study Nkrumah so carefully and I thought of him as a greater hero, then he was. Given your documentary´s representation he resembles me more like Ahmed Sekou Touré with his bravery, left-leaning and well-intioned policies and later paranoia, megalomania and crazy pan-African dreams, that damage the country itself. I was really convinced, Nkrumah was much better leader. Impressive. PS. Please, do Sekou Touré next
the founder of UGCC is Paa Grant not JB Danquah. George Alfred Grant, popularly known as Paa Grant (15 August 1878 - 30 October 1956), was a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast[1] who has been called "the father of Gold Coast politics".[2] As a political activist, he was the founder, financer and the first president of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in August 1947
I read somewhere recently in the comments section of a post that when people say Africa is cursed- they mean its leaders and people are envious of eachother,everyone wants to be come up on top at the expense of others.its just sad.
The defining moment for me was the point at which Local intellectual capacity hit the wall. When Nkrumah decided to build the many infrastructure projects, the locals were not up to the task. Kwame had to turn to former colonial businesses and the doors to corruption was blown wide open. Had Ghana's people been equipped to build the Dams, Hospitals, Electrical Grids, Factories, Shipping Ports, Universities etc. Ghana would have remained prosperous and wealthy and progressive. Unfortunately, the local population had not had enough time to build the skills to construct these projects. The same issues are in full display in 2021. The African People still have not developed these skills. Instead of relying on themselves to build the much needed infrastructure, African Governments turn to China and and take on massive Chinese Debt. They are making exactly the same mistakes as Kwame Nkrumah in 2021. African Governments must stop handing over these infrastructure projects to foreigners and must develop the capacity to construct them themselves. Thats the only way Africa will reach its full potential. Africans must design, and build these hospitals, shipping ports,roads and bridges, power plants and factories themselves.
@@bellatordei3440 Corruption exists in all nations on the planet. In this case it most likely would take the form of African Companies financially supporting African politicians in exchange for construction projects. I'd rather Africans bribe other Africans for business instead of African political class being bought off by China. At least the money stays in African hands and the Nation builds itself up independently of China.
@@bellatordei3440 Tell that to China. I'm sure they strongly disagree. Also wide open Capitalism absolutely brings poverty. America was once a rich powerful nation with a strong middle class and a strong manufacturing base. The Hard nosed capitalists did what was in the best interest of the corporations bottom lines and dismantled the manufacturing base. Shipped the jobs overseas. Created massive profits for themselves and their companies. While simultaneously creating poverty here in the United States. General Motors was once the nation's largest employer. With an average wage of $30.00/hr now Walmart is with an average wage of $15.00/hr. We went to a service economy. A service based economy will be much poorer than an economy based on manufacturing. The switch has brought poverty.
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You said Ghana (1957) is the first black African nation to gain independence. So are Eritrea (1947) and Sudan (1956) not black African nations (based on Wikipedia)? Unfortunately, you are likely another case of a west African who was manipulated by Europeans into believing that (north) Sudanese are non-indigenous Arabs. I'd like to inform you that in Arabic "bilad as-sudan" literally means "land of the blacks" and was a reference to majority black Africa, including modern day (north) Sudan. And yes, we are indigenous blacks, closest descendants of ancient Egyptians. Ghana is not the first black African nation to gain independence.
Excellent video as usual, please consider talking about the effects* of Abrahamic* religions (e.g. Islam, Christianity and Judaism) on Africa in a future video.
You didn't mention Paa Grant? He was the funder...
@@jamesmercer9282 yes he was indeed the funder of the UGCC but as you may know we only try to focus on the most important aspects of the story (I.e. the recurring characters) as there's only so much info we can fit into a 40min video.
You completely omitted the impact of the 5th Pan African Congress which was convened in Manchester. It was the congress that sparked the mass political parties throughout Afrika which spelled the death knell of crude colonialism. It was with that understanding and the mentorship of George Padmore that Nkrumah went to the UGCC. So, he didn't just come out of nowhere to challenge colonialism and promote the continental unification of Afrika. The independence and development of Ghana was an indispensable step toward continental unification, and his policies proved that.
March 7, 1957 Osageyfo said, "the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the liberation of the Afrikan continent." This was against the imperialist designs of all the nations that participated in the 1885 scramble for Afrika. The CPP proved that it could govern without western tutelage, and in the face of growing resistance from the western hemisphere.
Either we're going to be masters of our own house and natural wealth, or continue the dark dank course of neo-colonialism, which is the system of foreign nations whom still indirectly rule Afrika. Those are the only choices that exist for Afrika and Afrikan people. Rule ourselves, or continue to be ruled by others (through puppet Afrikan governments) while they continue to steal the lion share of our wealth and feed their own economies to our detriment.
Nkrumah's warnings remain unassailable.
No excuses or white-washing European imperialism and at the same time no romanticising or excuse making for African leaders and governments. The impartial aspect of this channel makes it incredible. This is the kind of content I'd show my students if I was a history teacher or professor.
This video is not impartial. To evaluate history in neutrality, you have to put it into context. All good students/ teachers of history know that context is king. Context is as important as events. Something this video did not do.
You mean credible not incredible. Thanks
@@ben5mop.iamarteifio412 No I meant what I said because the internet is well known for bs, bias, and lies. So finding something this impartial really is incredible and surprising.
@@megadonmaster What context was missing from this video, the topic is decolonization, the perspective of the indigenous population was well incorporated in this work.
@@megadonmaster There was context?
As a Ghanaian, I can confirm that this video is very well researched and largely accurate. I applaud the team behind this channel
🙏🏿
Kwame was not perfect but these is bias commentary.
Maame Ofori how does Ghana compare to the rest of Africa in terms of non-corruption, income disparity, size of the middle class, press freedom, quality of life and good for the people? Is it up there with countries like Botswana?
@@DavidsonLoops At the risk of sounding biased, I'd say Ghana consistently scores very high marks on all measures of economic, social and political development among African countries. Eg. Ghana ranks #1 or #2 terms of press freedom. Literacy rate is very high, the economy is vibrant and more diversified than many countries in the continent, elections are largely peaceful and there's always peaceful transfer of power, even when incumbent political parties lose, the judiciary is largely independent, etc.The only thing Ghana is middling on is corruption. Politicians have amassed extraordinary amounts of wealth through graft, bribery, inflation of projects, nepotism, etc. Corruption is endemic and it appears there's nothing much the ordinary citizen can do about it. Income inequality is increasing because of the corruption
@@maame4592 Interesting! I was half expecting you to say "how should i know" but looks like i asked the right person
Bro I’ve become enamored by history but Didn’t know much about African history until I started watching your channel very insightful keep up the good work
Thank you for watching!
As a Ghanaian, I'd like to say that this documentary was very well done. This has taught me a lot more about our hero in much more details than we studied in school. Despite his flaws, we in Ghana still hold him in high esteem because he was a man of vision and also achieved a lot in terms of infrastructure development in his short time. We believe that Nkrumah genuinely meant well for not just Ghanaians, but for black Africa as a whole. But the pressure of the expectations of a newborn Nation, the manipulations of foreign powers, and the obsession with his own crazy ambitions led him down the wrong path. He made mistakes, and those mistakes forced him to make even direr mistakes. In the end, Nkrumah was a one-man army fighting for a vision and a future that only he could see. He tried to force everyone to get on board and it ended in disaster. Unfortunately, NKRUMAH WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
Well said. Thank you for your support and for your thoughtful contribution to the discussion 🙏🏾.
As always, absolute power corrupts absolutely
@@samsmith4242 no, absolute power doesn't corrupt. Absolute power reveals. In many cases, it reveals and enables what many of those same absolute leaders wanted to do all along, or felt they needed to do in order to achieve their ambitions.
It's often irrelevant to make this distinction though, as the results tend to be disappointing either way. Socialists need to move away from the idea that authoritarianism is ever a means to achieve a just end, if they want to be any kind of saviors.
@@SolarFlareAmerica unfortunately a lot of socialist movements are inherently authoritarian and usually led by men with big ideas and even bigger egos. But you’re absolutely correct in your conclusion
@@SolarFlareAmerica I’d say it does, people can start out with the best intentions but the Road to hell is paved with those. Having power makes people paranoid, complacent, arrogant and is really stressful/puts you under massive pressure. It also gives you a degree of a anonymity. Meaning that your above consequences for you actions. Which is a massive temptation. Throw in peer pressure and seeing everyone else around you get extremely wealthy...well that would be tempting
I always love how thoughtful and meticulous this channel is when it comes to providing information about African history. I have watched all your videos about African leaders and I must say your neutral approach in shedding light on these figures is so important. It is easy for us, who are more and more removed from the periods immediately before and after independence, to forget about the nuances of these political heros and only think about the good they brought rather than remember that they too were human. I have been unlearning a lot of things I knew about Nkrumah and rather now being both appreciative of his fight for independence but also seeing how some of his pitfalls made my home country what it was especially in the 70s and 80s
This comment means so much to us. Thank you so much for sharing, it makes it all worth it.
@@NewAfrica Definitely. I fell in love with this channel ever since I got the video about Nigeria on my recommended.
It was the moment that RUclips actually deserves a big "thank you"
Anyway, can't wait for the next video, keep this good work up.
👍👍👍
@@atesuapharaoh4164 but who said I haven't been reading?
@@eatwithafia Flawless Victory!
As an Indian this channel has been such an education. Thank you!
Greetings to Ghana from the US! 🇬🇭🇺🇲
Let us hope that within our lifetimes better angels prevail in both our countries - then the true wealth of your peoples will no doubt transform our world.
I really appreciate the fact that your videos are not just among the most factually correct and informative videos about African history but that they're also narrated by a voice i could listen to for hours.
Thank you🙏🏾
Same!
You're too kind, thanks for your support 🙏🏾
I agree!
Though - small nitpick - your narrative rythm sounds a little robitic. As if you read it off word for word.
I dont know if it is because of dialect, or if you record it over and over and stitch it together in production, or if you in fact read your (well written) commentary off without rehearsing.
But with the good content you give us, and the beautiful voice you have: a more flowing way of narrating would raise the whole work to another level!
Thanks for your work!
@@nilesbutler8638 thanks Niles, that's something we've spotted as well and it's more to do with how the voiceover is re-composed during the sound editing process. It's all very amateur at the moment, but the plan is to be able to pay for a sound engineer to sort out the sound editing as the channel grows. The constructive feedback is much appreciated!
Independence and commonwealth are not realistic partner, as it requires that only the colonizers country receives the wealth. There is no commonality to the wealth there. Instead, there is a great infringement on the possibility of true independence.
I noticed that Brittain still receives substantial colonial tax this way from several countries. Yet they do not participate in support of those countries efforts to evolve.
Jamaica has bauxite removed raw, with no establishment of a single factory to add value to it, so that aluminum could be exported, thereby raising exportresources considerably.
This alone would reduce the time loans for infrastructure projects, like road building, would take to be repaid.
After all these years.. this has not really changed!
It's been not even 24 hours since I found this channel and I've bingewatched 20+ of your videos. Love from Bangladesh, Africa and our stories are so common in so many aspects. Appreciate your great work
I am starting to see a pattern between former and new African leaders. Kagame has a similar story, so does Museveni, Gaddafi, ect.. They all start out as revolutionists, and freedom fighters. The longer they stay in power, the corruption starts to ensue slowly.. Nevertheless, Kwame is one of the greatest Pan-Africanist to have lived in my book.
Wasn't he the first to actually attempt to bring Garvey's vision to fruition. That makes him a legend in my book.
Its human nature. That's why democracy still wins. China is now doing well until it starts to crack down on its citizens. Don't believe any leader. Be in charge of your own destiny.
Don't know your comment is entirely right about former pan-africanists Nkrumah, Sankara etc. but this I can say and that is your are entirely correct regarding the likes of Museveni and his corhort. I do think Kagame has made too much progress though and should be exempt from that list.. but yeah, you're not entirely wrong
It’s like there’s a checklist to these guys and though not all meet all the requirements, they generally check off two or three (initial success, paranoia and consolidation of power, tenure, violence, kleptocracy, cut of personality, finessing Cold War tensions between the superpowers… the list of qualifications goes on). Watch the videos on Mengistu, Mugabe, etc etc and it’s all differing versions of the same story 😭
@@ShottaKenya Most of them actually miss the initial success, Mengistu and Mugabe definitely. Some men only come to destroy, while others destroy, what they themselves built (like Gaddafi or emperor Haile Selassie).
I'm English and I love Ghana. This is a very informative video on it's history, an exemplary nation for the other emerging nations. Hope to visit one day 🇬🇭
You are always welcome to the 3rd most peaceful country on the continent of Africa and one of the fastest growing economies
You're most welcome to Ghana 🇬🇭
German here. You don't love Ghana? Then you don't know Ghana. Akwaaba.
I don't mean you but persons in general ;)
Thank you very much for this research work it was very well researched. As a Sierra Leonean and African, from this video have come to realized that we Africans are somehow responsible for our own development and under development simply because of our own political greed and thirst for power . Thanks
@ჶ Troopa3xd ჶ unfortunately that's not happening. So difficult for humans to learn from history. Look at Manuel lopez of Mexico,Bolsenaro of Brazil and look at the ANC in South Africa.
Nkrumah wasn't corrupt.....yes, he imprisoned those traitors because they were the enemies of the state, who wanted to deposed his regime... Currently, Snoden is taking refuge in Russia because the American government wanted him dead or alive, what was his crime? He expose some bad deeds of the American government thereby creating friction with their allies, therefore they want to incarcerate him for being a whistleblower, in fact they say he's a traitor. So how about if Snoden tried to deposed the Obama regime? Would the government take it lightly?... Sir, the hypocrisy is becoming nauseating!!!
JB DANKWA AND DEGRAFT JOHNSON BROUGHT NKRUMAH IN GHANA JB DANKWA AND DEGRAFT JOHNSON DIE AT KWAME NKRUMAH DETENTION NKRUMAH SET UP AT NSAWAMU
You, having realised that my friend, have found wisdom. Being power hungry and greedy is not an African trait, but a human trait.
I am an African myself. As long as Africans keep looking at the west as oppressors and colonisers and at the east as virtue (Socialism and Marxism), instead of learning what it is that made the people in the west prosper and people in the east suffer, it will stay in the state that it is in, and nothing will improve.
Africans should stop looking for leaders that promise prosperity and equality, because those leaders can never deliver what they promise and enrich themselves by making the people belive that they have been cheated, they cannot change the situation themselves and can only be free if they let the government solve their problems, and instead look at how deregulation of state power, sovereignty of the individual and private property has made the leading world nations prosper.
The West have a much bigger role in impoverishing Africa. There's this thing called "Neo-colonialism"
thank you for this video - an african american longing for the motherland ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it!
We as Africans need to know the truth! Thank you for this brilliant piece of history.
I have pressed the like button already because I know it's going to be a good one :)
Another African history channel? 😜
@@FlamingBasketballClub lol yeah
I know right?
Who is watching this documentary right now & still hv love for the irreplaceable DR kouamé nkrumah?........ 🍁
I'm super excited for this! Please also do Thomas Sankara next. Was doing some reading on him yesterday as it was 33 years ago he was assassinated and cannot believe Blaise Compaoré went on to rule Burkina Faso for 27 bloody years!
I read his whole life story . He us a real life super hero in his unwaivering selflessness. I honestly don't want a leader unless he's so aggressively for the people like him lol
as Noah Chomsky put it, Sankara (and Burkina Faso) were “guilty of being a good example.” Basically if they could accomplish all that they did with so little and in such short time, then other nations might start to grow horns too. Can’t have that, so they put him down
Kéré Architecture drew up plans for a memorial in his honour.
Awesome piece, Kwame Nkrumah a man who shook Africa with his belief which ultimately made him an enemy with the west.
And a pariah even among his own allies.
Awesome channel, keep it up, African politics and political history needs to be more widely understood and appreciated.
I think it’s a reminder that anything can be done given the right conditions. I am very hopeful as the average age of Africans is 23 years old and I can’t wait to see the role the diaspora will play in the evolution of Africa
@@ice1032 together we will hopefully end this cycle of oppression and exploitation. And lay the foundation for a life worth living for our children.
Nkrumah never fell, rather he lives on through his ideologies of black empowerment and panAfricanism.
When Nkrumah was in prison find out who was doing the job for him, and who was his finance minister? The first finance minister of Ghana who helped get things going well. Everybody forget about him because he is from VOLTA AND NOT CORRUPT.
Nonsense, his ideology destroyed Africa..pan Africanism is a pipe dream
@@marggie104davi5 Hon. Komla Gbedema was great.
And also a CIA agent. I was shocked to learn that. Check CIA declassified documents.
It was Busia who said he was Nigerian so barred him from politics. He really helped Nkrumah but was also a real Brutus.
As a Ghanian, I'm very disappointed in all the Ghanaians saying that this video is the true history of kwame Nkrumah. The creator got a lot of things wrong. e.g
1. Kwame Nkrumah did not grab the the opportunity in 1947 because he was struggling, by 1947 Nkrumah was not struggling financially infact he built a school in 1947 called Ghana National school with his own personal money.
2. The name Ghana was founded by kwame Nkrumah not J.B Danquah.
.Dr Kwame Nkrumah, on Tuesday, July 20, 1948 inaugurated his first school, called, Ghana National College build with his personal money, long before the gold coast gain it independence. NOTE in 1948 Ghana was still called Gold Coast So clearly Nkrumah founded Ghana in 1948
He set up the {Kwame Nkrumah University} of Science and Technology in 1952
So now the Question is where was J. B. Danquah when Nkrumah was naming his school, Ghana National College.?
3. The ivory coast and the other French speaking country story clearly tells me that you have no idea about kwame Nkrumah.
You speak my heart, this narrative is soo depressing and negative. .who is this nonsense channel. ..very bizarre I don't think he knows what he is talking about
This Channel is confused
Thanks for your clarification I second you it is a false narrative of Dr Kwame Nkrumah as a Ghanaian
@@kwesidarkwa5443 At least he got most his facts right He did well I think although he got some stuff wrong.
@@mikemate536not just some stuff a lot of things…. UGCC was founded by Paa Grant not JB Danquah…
So much value and history. I can’t wait to learn more from you!
Kwame Nkrumah, is Africa's Greatest Vision for self Governance. A true real brother. Thank you Ghana for birthing this Great Brother.
I am always drawn back to the question "How would decolonization have turned out differently had it not happened in the shadow of the Cold War?" I would never ascribe all the issues of African Independence to proxy interventionism or internal political strife, but adding the additional layer of conflict to the already difficult situation of having no established institutions of self governance and a population that overwhelmingly was for the immediate rejection of colonial power structures was a recipe for disaster. A disaster the echoes of which are only now being outlived, and only in isolated cases that through good fortune or extraordinary leadership have managed to navigate the obstacles of the past three generations.
They used his own people to destroy him just like they did to Gaddafi. They man who wanted to use few years to build Africa but they kill him because they know he will be the only solution. By now Ghana to Nigeria to chad and enter Libya would have been by train
@@adupako1057 If this documentary is to be believed, he destroyed himself and his legacy. Socialism is bad enough; but socialism plus corruption is always ruinous. His initial vision was sound, though; it is certainly something the African continent can still work towards.
Yours is another attempt to exculpate the woeful trajectory of modern Africa. What’s happening in Africa is an outgrowth of their culture Finding extraneous sources for the corruption , mismanagement , tribalism and propensity to violence will not wash
@@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097 Its more like an outgrowth of political and social immaturity. Do you think Europeans have always been so kind to one another, so honourable? Black people will get there.
Several aspects of this narration are incomplete. The absence of events that caused his paranoia reeks of bias. The narrator also seemed to downplay the role the CIA played in creating economic hardships for a new country that had decided to be socialist, eventually assisting in Nkrumah's overthrow. Overall, I'm not impressed by this narrative because of its omissions.
I love this channel. thank you so much. I had no idea about Kwame's regime. How tragic. And the corruption plague still rages on the African continent in 2021. Almighty Father, have mercy on us, change our hearts and heal our land. Amen.
As a Ghanaian, I can ascertain that this is a highly twisted account of the story of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. This narrative is highly prejudiced by the west who have been afraid of the legacy of Osagyefo and the liberation he was bringing to Africa. Osagyefo is Africa's hero and his legacy will live on forever. Africa will rise again.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself becoming the villain"
Literal summary of this
Dead heroes sometimes become villians, especially when fashions change. Frost was right: nothing Gold can stay.
Aptly summarised.
This fits more to Mugabe, tbh.
Am a Ghanaian who's currently based in Spain. But trust me I was never been told about our country's first president Dr. KWAME NKRUMAH.
I always say no Man is perfect. No doubt NKRUMAH had his flaws. But those behind the collapse of his government are to be blamed for all the set backs we have experienced.
Even till date, all the projects he made during his tenure as leader of GHANA still exists and running. If this Man was allowed to continue till the end of his life. Trust me GHANA AND AFRICA will be much more advanced than we today as a people.
Thank you for this detailed history.
Kwame Nkrumah was a great, true and well caring leader and Not a dictator. Nkrumah was an honest man except the ministers around him were the problem like any other government in the Western world. Nkrumah was great and wonderful wise man in Ghana and Africa.
Yes, ooo. O my days, this presenter is seriously hugely biased. His narrative is largely lame and lopsided. His analysis, assessments, perspectives informing his context and content is leprous and lamentable. To begin with, let me say this, that every individual, including the presenter himself, may have their own imperfections, and Nkrumah was no exception to this "rule" of minor or major imperfections in the human nature. That's just by the way.
Right, so let's talk about historical facts, political ideologies, government(al) policies for national development or nation building, etc., etc. This presenter's piece of work or narrative needs a complete overhaul. Now, it's totally UNTRUE, and completely FALSE, that J B (Joseph Boakye) Danquah gave the name "Ghana" to the new nation. It was Kwame Nkrumah who did.
J B Danquah proposed or suggested the new name as "Akanland" because he was eyeing his own "Akan" tribal or ethnic background or "Akan Race" (Akyems, Ahantas, Asantes, Fantes, Nzemas, etc.,) to feature in the name, (and with that, he is even thought or considered by some quarters to have wanted to exclude the Asantes, a tribe he dreaded to be part of the independent-seeking process should the state "Gold Coast" ever attain that independence goal at all by the UGCC).
That name "Akan-land" was criticised, condemned and rejected, for various reasons; the name also suggested the exclusion of the far Northern Territories (later Northern and Upper regions) and the far Eastern territory (later Volta region) and the South-Eastern coastal area (later Greater Accra region, predominantly, the Ga tribe).
J B Danquah, came back after sometime and proposed another name, "Akan-Ga" land, which was also criticized, condemned and rejected, because his naming attitude was seen as being fixated on the idea that only "Akans" should be largely recognised in the nation. (Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pg xvii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble).
Now the name "Ghana" had long been proposed by the Rev. J B Anaman in his work ("The Gold Coast Guide", London, 1895, 2nd edition. 1902, pp. 8-9); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xvi, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). J B Danquah was born in December, 1895 and that's the very year that Rev. Anaman suggested the name Ghana for the Gold Coast. So how could he have proposed or suggested that new name "Ghana" for the "Gold Coast"??
Others such as Rev. W. T. Balmer, first headmaster of Mfanstipim Secondary school 1907-1911, in his published work, "A History of the Akan People", 1925, and Lady Luggard's piece of work, "A Tropical Dependency", 1905, etc., had all made the name of "Ghana" a connection to the Gold Coast, certainly from the old Ghana empire. (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pp. xvi, xvii, 86, 526, Oxford, 1963, Kimble)
When Nkrumah came to Ghana (then Gold Coast) in late 1947 to join the UGCC as General Secretary, and with all the political upheavals and "issues of unrest", he founded a Secondary School in Cape Coast in 1948 with his own funds, starting with a handful of students, and named it "Ghana National", nine long years before independence was achieved, and he gave that same name of the school to the new nation "Ghana". Nkrumah had long considered that name for the new nation Ghana, and J B Danquah thought it should be called "New Ghana".
It was after much historical speculation, and considerable political discussion, before the name "Ghana" was eventually adopted, and Kwame Nkrumah, the first African Prime Minister, declared, "We take pride in the name, not out of romanticism, but as an inspiration for the future". (Legislative Assembly Debates, May 18, 1956); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xviii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble).
Again, J B Danquah never employed Kwame Nkrumah, nor pay his wages. It was Alfred George Grant, popularly called Paa Grant who sponsored Nkrumah or sort of paid his wages, as he was the chief financier, as a business merchant "magnate" and founding leader, President of the UGCC founded in August 1947. J. B Danquah never sponsored or paid anything to Kwame Nkrumah for his work or services as General Secretary or otherwise of the UGCC.
Many of the narratives in this presentation is just poor and porous. The PDA (The Preventive Detention Act), the one party state, the socio-economic, socio-political, socio-infrastructral situation in the country, have all been tailored to fit an unpalatable and sour agenda to black-label, black-list and paint the man, Nkrumah as a persona non-grata, most "evil and wicked", whereas its rather his detractors, who are the traitors and wreckers of the national development agenda under Nkrumah. (Note: Those issues may be addressed later).
However, these are the neo-colonialists, and imperialists seeking always to keep Africa and the African in "bondage, slavery, suppression, oppression and subjection".
When Almighty God through His servant Prophet Moses delivered the people of Israel to take them to the "Promised Land", they had to go the "wilderness", as transiting to the final destination of a "land flowing with milk and honey."
And yet whenever they encountered any little economic or provision challenges and difficulties in their journey, they murmured and complained so bitterly, even using Egypt as a reference point; " ... are there no graves in Egypt that you Moses have brought us here to kill/destroy us...?? "... is this not why we said let us alone to remain as slaves in Egypt, ....". (Exodus 14:10-12).
And who said enslaved, oppressed, suppressed and exploited people are ever given their freedom without demanding it by "fair forceful" means.?? The Biblical story of Moses delivering Israel from bondage and slavery in Egypt, and many more such stories in the Bible and in history inform us very well as such.
Freedom from bondage, oppression and exploitation is hardly ever gained without a "hard fierce fight. The enslavers, exploiters, oppressors would always want to keep the oppressed, suppressed and enslaved in subjection perpetually. History tells us so much about this that you can hardly ignore or overlook or be uninformed and uneducated about.
A couple of examples should suffice, slave trade and the abolition, struggle for independence of African nations, Ghana leading and spearheading that, Asia issues, Australia aborigines, American natives/American land possession wars, some European nations to this day, etc.
This presenter should do proper research before putting just anything out in the sms (social media space), just for viewership, but in truth and reality it's hardly any solid/serious educational material, but rather an unscrupulous mendacious artful distortion of the facts or truth. He can certainly be entitled to his own opinions, and analysis of political perspectives, but the narration of facts and truths should be upheld as sacrosanct.
@@sethdwira1796well done
@@sethdwira1796it ain’t that deep bro
I love this Channel. As an American I remember being taught the broadest stokes of African history and it was always "bunch of strongmen." It was always in a perspective that these early democracies failed because of the greed of the strongmen who ran them. No nuance to it. This gives me so much more nuance and tells a more complicated story. I see the good these people have done for Africa and how much history drive actions as opposed to the other way around.. Were some of these figures greedy strongmen? Maybe but my founding fathers owned slaves and that can only be worse than some of the things Africa's post colonial leaders did. Its good to see this from an African perspective where I can see how a guy like Ghadafi did a lot of good.
@black human you have a serious problem
@black human no you as an individual have a serious problem
NKRUMAH, LUMUMBA, SANKARA AND SAMORA WERE THE TRUE PANAFRICANISTS, AND ARE OUR GREATEST SENT-BY-GOD HEROES OF ALL TIMES.
Speeding decolonization and dreaming of African integration and solidarity was indeed a great legacy. But it does NOT justify implementing destructive economic policies, exploiting small farmers by underpaying for their cocoa produce, insanely wasteful and irresponsible spending of public funds, arresting all critics for life or inciting rebellions against governments that did not agree with him (so much for a liberator and for African solidarity, right?). It's these kind of simplistic views of heroes versus villains that help install bad governments with a free pass to do whatever the hell they want against their people
Corrupt, blinded by ego and selfish pursuit, narcissistic and nepotistic, they aren’t the men Africa or the world should respect. People like Seretse Khama deserve respect and admiration, not these tyrants
@@kobby7135 Yeah, he could’ve dismissed his ministers and he KNEW they were corrupted. He could’ve dialled back his infeasible construction projects. He could’ve not destroyed one of Africa’s most prosperous economies or become a dictator. Those were all options available to him
@@Edmonton-of2ec
Exactly.
Kwame Nkrumah never dies, his legacy continues
I am a Ghanaian and our history books never said anything about how badly Nkrumah treated Ghanaians. They always portray him as the saviour. I am still proud and love him though. Its refreshing to know that our "no nonsense" attitude to corrupt leaders even if they did good before has been in our blood since
In case you don’t know too
This man did more good to the nation than the bad you are portraying
Thank you
We will never get a man like this again,man of wisdom and vision.The light of Africa.
This whole tale is really sad. Ghana had such a promising future ahead of it, but even those bright prospects were not bright enough for Nkrumah, whose dreams and ambitions were even grander, perhaps too grand. In pursuit of his dream, he ruined Ghana's institutions and ran the country into the ground. I hope Ghana can eventually rebuild itself to be better than it ever was before.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah wasn't a dictator. He was great, wonderful and Noble man. Every freedom fighter is jailed for his strong confidence, views and dedicating ideas so it was nothing wrong with that. And Nigeria leader and Liberia leader who didn't understand the Unity of Africa in those days because they were Selfish, weak and didn't have confidence to do so. Even in this modern day of freedom, Nigerian leaders are not strong enough to stand up for themselves in the face of Western world leaders. Period. The Negative part of this story is made up by this narrator himself and I wonder why? Nkrumah's name will live on forever in the history of Ghana, Africa and the whole world in general.
Yes, ooo. O my days, this presenter is seriously hugely biased. His narrative is largely lame and lopsided. His analysis, assessments, perspectives informing his context and content is leprous and lamentable. To begin with, let me say this, that every individual, including the presenter himself, may have their own imperfections, and Nkrumah was no exception to this "rule" of minor or major imperfections in the human nature. That's just by the way.
Right, so let's talk about historical facts, political ideologies, government(al) policies for national development or nation building, etc., etc. This presenter's piece of work or narrative needs a complete overhaul. Now, it's totally UNTRUE, and completely FALSE, that J B (Joseph Boakye) Danquah gave the name "Ghana" to the new nation. It was Kwame Nkrumah who did.
J B Danquah proposed or suggested the new name as "Akanland" because he was eyeing his own "Akan" tribal or ethnic background or "Akan Race" (Akyems, Ahantas, Asantes, Fantes, Nzemas, etc.,) to feature in the name, (and with that, he is even thought or considered by some quarters to have wanted to exclude the Asantes, a tribe he dreaded to be part of the independent-seeking process should the state "Gold Coast" ever attain that independence goal at all by the UGCC).
That name "Akan-land" was criticised, condemned and rejected, for various reasons; the name also suggested the exclusion of the far Northern Territories (later Northern and Upper regions) and the far Eastern territory (later Volta region) and the South-Eastern coastal area (later Greater Accra region, predominantly, the Ga tribe).
J B Danquah, came back after sometime and proposed another name, "Akan-Ga" land, which was also criticized, condemned and rejected, because his naming attitude was seen as being fixated on the idea that only "Akans" should be largely recognised in the nation. (Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pg xvii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble).
Now the name "Ghana" had long been proposed by the Rev. J B Anaman in his work ("The Gold Coast Guide", London, 1895, 2nd edition. 1902, pp. 8-9); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xvi, Oxford, 1963, Kimble). J B Danquah was born in December, 1895 and that's the very year that Rev. Anaman suggested the name Ghana for the Gold Coast. So how could he have proposed or suggested that new name "Ghana" for the "Gold Coast"??
Others such as Rev. W. T. Balmer, first headmaster of Mfanstipim Secondary school 1907-1911, in his published work, "A History of the Akan People", 1925, and Lady Luggard's piece of work, "A Tropical Dependency", 1905, etc., had all made the name of "Ghana" a connection to the Gold Coast, certainly from the old Ghana empire. (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, pp. xvi, xvii, 86, 526, Oxford, 1963, Kimble)
When Nkrumah came to Ghana (then Gold Coast) in late 1947 to join the UGCC as General Secretary, and with all the political upheavals and "issues of unrest", he founded a Secondary School in Cape Coast in 1948 with his own funds, starting with a handful of students, and named it "Ghana National", nine long years before independence was achieved, and he gave that same name of the school to the new nation "Ghana". Nkrumah had long considered that name for the new nation Ghana, and J B Danquah thought it should be called "New Ghana".
It was after much historical speculation, and considerable political discussion, before the name "Ghana" was eventually adopted, and Kwame Nkrumah, the first African Prime Minister, declared, "We take pride in the name, not out of romanticism, but as an inspiration for the future". (Legislative Assembly Debates, May 18, 1956); (A Political History of Ghana 1850-1928, p. xviii, Oxford, 1963, Kimble).
Again, J B Danquah never employed Kwame Nkrumah, nor pay his wages. It was Alfred George Grant, popularly called Paa Grant who sponsored Nkrumah or sort of paid his wages, as he was the chief financier, as a business merchant "magnate" and founding leader, President of the UGCC founded in August 1947. J. B Danquah never sponsored or paid anything to Kwame Nkrumah for his work or services as General Secretary or otherwise of the UGCC.
Many of the narratives in this presentation is just poor and porous. The PDA (The Preventive Detention Act), the one party state, the socio-economic, socio-political, socio-infrastructral situation in the country, have all been tailored to fit an unpalatable and sour agenda to black-label, black-list and paint the man, Nkrumah as a persona non-grata, most "evil and wicked", whereas its rather his detractors, who are the traitors and wreckers of the national development agenda under Nkrumah. (Note: Those issues may be addressed later).
However, these are the neo-colonialists, and imperialists seeking always to keep Africa and the African in "bondage, slavery, suppression, oppression and subjection".
When Almighty God through His servant Prophet Moses delivered the people of Israel to take them to the "Promised Land", they had to go the "wilderness", as transiting to the final destination of a "land flowing with milk and honey."
And yet whenever they encountered any little economic or provision challenges and difficulties in their journey, they murmured and complained so bitterly, even using Egypt as a reference point; " ... are there no graves in Egypt that you Moses have brought us here to kill/destroy us...?? "... is this not why we said let us alone to remain as slaves in Egypt, ....". (Exodus 14:10-12).
And who said enslaved, oppressed, suppressed and exploited people are ever given their freedom without demanding it by "fair forceful" means.?? The Biblical story of Moses delivering Israel from bondage and slavery in Egypt, and many more such stories in the Bible and in history inform us very well as such.
Freedom from bondage, oppression and exploitation is hardly ever gained without a "hard fierce fight. The enslavers, exploiters, oppressors would always want to keep the oppressed, suppressed and enslaved in subjection perpetually. History tells us so much about this that you can hardly ignore or overlook or be uninformed and uneducated about.
A couple of examples should suffice, slave trade and the abolition, struggle for independence of African nations, Ghana leading and spearheading that, Asia issues, Australia aborigines, American natives/American land possession wars, some European nations to this day, etc.
This presenter should do proper research before putting just anything out in the sms (social media space), just for viewership, but in truth and reality it's hardly any solid/serious educational material, but rather an unscrupulous mendacious artful distortion of the facts or truth. He can certainly be entitled to his own opinions, and analysis of political perspectives, but the narration of facts and truths should be upheld as sacrosanct.
He was One of the few African leaders who was not selfish, greedy, no nepotism and has no Big mansion to his name.. Nkrumah Legacies always live on. Is there any way one can lead his people without stepping on some toes? Africa must unite to achieve it full God's given potentials.
First , African goverments should stop corruption.
How can you say he wasn’t greedy?! Actually ridiculous
LOL
No amount of lies can erase the boundless legacy of Nkrumah, love Nkrumah so much ❤
This was a very comprehensive video. The legacy of Kwame Nkrumah is very complicated despite his revolutionary Pan African vision. It’s unfortunate that greed and corruption ruined this dream; similar tales can be told about countries around the world trying to reestablish themselves after colonial rule. Smh...
It's untrue that Nkrumah was "greedy." He could have easily became a puppet stooge for foreign capital after Ghana's independence if that were true. In fact, the only personal monies he controlled at all was the profit from the books he wrote. The salary for the presidential post was handled by the accounting office set up to keep track of his expenditures as purchases were signed off and deducted. President Nkrumah was above reproach. Everything he earned was to be given to the CPP after his demise.
There are about a dozen or more fantastic lies told on him after the coup d'etat.
However, he was aware of the corruption among some of the people who were in opposition to him. There was a diamond racket going on in Ghana between members of the military, and foreign businesses that sought to dominate the diamond markets Ghana was developing for export. The revenue to be used for Ghana's industrial development. Nkrumah intended to address the situation upon his return from Vietnam.
So my grandfather was one of the ministers detained without trial by Kwame Nkrumah. My dad shares the story with me, that one day he went to school and came back home and his father wasn’t home, they had no idea where he was and didn’t find out he was in jail till much later.
I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope he got out safely eventually. :(
Wow, that must have been harrowing... thank you for sharing 🙏🏾
JB Danquah never suggest Gold Coast be named as Ghana. He wanted the Gold Coast be called Akan Land and not Ghana.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah is never die
Am a Nkrumahist who loves Kwame Nkrumah 🇬🇭💯✊🏿
Respect from germany! International socialist solidarty! ✊🇬🇭✊🇩🇪✊
You are a communist that’s why
Your ideology destroyed Africa
@@wunmifash3116 😂 There are many factors that destroyed Africa, and capitalism and socialism aren’t part of the problem.
👏Love how brashly this was presented 👏
Its time we speak the truth about our African 'heroes', no matter how positive or otherwise. All around, we have airports, universities etc being named after people who newer generations know only half-truths about. Contemporary politicians know this and are therefore emboldened to commit their daily atrocities with impunity, believing that they may damn near be worshipped someday in spite of it.
Exactly.
Forever my HERO. Kwame NKrumah
I was in Ghana young pioneers and to be honest, Ghana was like England we were far ahead of any country in Africa and FBI/CIA orchestrated his over throw .
Do you not know that Oburoni does not want the black man to progress?
Look at us now, still struggling. Unity is strength, how many Western Europeans over throws their governments? Shame on you
It’s amazing to see just how much history our schools here in the West ignore. The only African leaders we were taught about were Mandela and Nasser (and even Nasser was only taught in the context of the Suez Crisis and Six Day War, which were only taught in the context of the Cold War at large). Keep up the good work with your channel!
Where are you from? Schools in every western country are different. And also, history has limited time for A LOT of subject, so its pretty logical.
Though I have so much appreciation for the work done to bring this documentary to us, I hope people will understand the enormous pressure and challenge Nkrumah had on his shoulders in trying to enlighten people who had been under colonial rule for years. His desire and vision to unite and develop Africa was not seen by his peers and so frustration set in and he started doing the unthinkable. No one is an angel.
I thought that the Robert Mugabe vid was the best on the channel, then when I saw the one about Muammar Gaddafi, I thought that was the best, but this I think will be until your next one comes out. Your videos, with incredible graphics, quotes that work really well with a format that gut punches you with the cold hard facts. To the narrator, he is the perfect candidate for this type of job, that does not have a lot of anger or happiness in his voice but close to objectivity, just presenting the facts. Your channel is the reason why in my free time, instead of watching TikTok, I read about rulers of Africa and learn more in depth about the systematic problems within the countries. I used to have such a Eurocentric mindset that this Continent I totally forgot about, and its horrifying that such an important and dynamic continent is forgotten in world history. I dont have money to contribute, so I watch the ads all the way through and like to get that stupid algorithm working, but everyone on your team deserves millions of subscribers. I do have one question, however, was the “resource curse” or african leaders’ corruption the biggest problem to early african independence movements? Because Botswana negates the resource curse with effective leadership but I do not know. Muammar Gaddafi was heavily corrupt, but the libyan economy continued to boom even with large oil resources, so that flips Botswana on its head...
You don't understand how much we love to see comments like this! Very detailed, positive and constructive feedback. Thanks for taking the time to share and thanks for watching Alexander 👏🏿👍🏿
I was like you, at a point I realised I only knew caucasian and oriental history. So I decided to study African history, starting with the history of my own country Ghana. I had grown up hating Nkrumah for getting independence for Ghana too early. I was made to think we missed out on the advancements South Africa had. Nkrumah was therefore an interest for me. While this documentary says things that are mostly true, its omission of the NLM makes Nkrumah to seem more demonic than he actually was. The documemtary also appears to deny the role of the CIA in his coup, this is fact. If the documentary looked at that, your question would have been answered. Most of these events happened during the cold war, an ideological war. The world was torn between socialism (sometimes communism) and capitalism. The CIA and NSA setup a hit squad. Some were economic hitmen who caused the failure you describe and others were more direct. The killings of Patrice Lumumba of Congo was the most direct of these. In reading history always remember that every narrative has its bias. If you read Nkrumah's books, you will be enamored by him.
Botswana is very corrupt because of companies like De Beers and Lucara which are siphoning off the wealth of the country
Also the UGCC elements tried to kill him countlessly and were rightfully detained....let it be known Nkrumah didn't become popular because of Ghana, he was already a strong advocate for the independence of African nations and not just Ghana and he made that very clear in his speeches....Today in Ghana everyone regrets the overthrow and we wish we could have such a leader back....everything he built and tried to build is what is keeping Ghana on its feet today...A man who wanted a better future for Ghana and was ready to sacrifice the present to bad some people couldn't see that
Hmmm May God forgives my nation Ghana. Ghanians never remember your good deeds tomorrow but they think only of their stomachs today. They think only on what they will gain today rather than future, may God forgives those who are still alive today and were supported the overthrown of Nkrumah. Now Africans have seen the importance Nkrumah's vision of United Africa. May Nkrumah rest in peace. Nkrumah Prophecy of Africa darkness has come true, may the Lord forgive the corruptible leaders of Africa especially Ghana.
Thank you for yet another incredible coverage of african history. This channel deserves to go viral.
So kind of you to say. Thanks for watching!
@NewAfrica kindly do a Uganda Video.
I must confess you are really doing a fantastic job. Telling the African story the way it was supposed to be. Indeed this is the newAfrica
🙏🏿
What fantastic work? This guy was paid by our colonial masters to paint Nkrumah black. Shame on you.
@@johannacquaah9916 Lol
If I were you I would be worried about our governments destroying our countries rather than being worried over history
I am writing a book on colonization and what I think Africans miss is that leaders were also colonized and they also were traumatized. The West never wanted Africa to be free and they pulled strings remotely. With his mindset still colonized and Ghana with its rich resources gold and cocoa etc there's no way the British were not destroying him by remote control. You can never come out of British rule and be completely free its impossible. They were behind the scenes destroying and we should never despise our leaders who rose up when everyone was literally Afraid of whites. Everyone makes mistakes but overall he did a lot for Ghana
God bless you and I really enjoyed reading your comment.This is what we missing out .We forget about the good things and hit on the bad things but at the end everything he was doing was for a better good for his nation.
You think the black man has no conscience and no will free will and power and so he is excused from accountability? Foreign powers MAY have been in the back influencing these bad outcomes in Ghana’s first Gov’t BUT one thing is clear from this video: the African leaders were as corrupt as the colonial masters. Only one thing can stop corruption - rule of law and accountability especially for leaders. Nkrumah and his Gov’t didn’t want to answer to anyone. This is what breeds more corruption and destroys a country. Don’t blame everything on Whites.
@@princeamoakwa4057 That was the era that if you dnt destroy your enemies they will destroy you times has changed though,if you were a leader around that time you will do the same over all to me l will grade Nkrumah 10 over 10.
If you are interested, please do one on JJ Rawlings. I'm interested in knowing more about his presidency.
I am inspired by Kwame Nkrumah for all his positive contributions.
For anyone wondering, yes that scene from the Crown did happen, the Queen did dancing with Nkrumah. Although I’m not sure if she used the significance as leverage, though it would not surprise me if she did.
Great story telling 🔥
Made 43 minutes feel like 15
Captivated from beginning to end 🔥
Very informative too
Glad you enjoyed it!
The moral of the lesson is that even self styled liberators can turn out be new equal or worse oppressors. All leaders must keep in mind that they are servants of their people not the masters and that they should prioritize making a countries stable and viable with a functional economy that can create opportunities for as many people over fantastical and sentimental ideology.
Exactly.
Such man Seretse Kharma did exactly that, Gaddafi also and Sankara though he was kicked before achieving, Patrice Lumumba I guess would have gone same direction too. Unfortunately most African leaders took the direction of imperialism
Sure, and that foreign powers should not continue to involve themselves in the local politics and econmies of post-colonial countries.
your country has to be strong and effecient to be immune to foreign meddling.
Very great piece...as a historian i love this
I love history , politics, and geopolitics and how it shapes the African continent. I'll like to help out and learn at New Africa. I'll be grateful to be handed such opportunity
I love Nkrumah. This is a lesson to us all: absolute power corrupts absolutely.
@@maishadigital8410 It's still worth being critical of Nkrumah and what went wrong for his project (not sure how much he really understood Mao), while still upholding the monumental scale of African Socialism that he and the ghanian people undertook. Building Socialism is a science, and it will take repeated attempts, failures and corrections before it is perfected.
They say knowledge is power,but I say knowledge with truthful evidence is superpower,this channel is worth watching,took me back to my African history
He was 1 of the greatest
My hero
I am watching every single video and I cannot wait for more videos on these titans of the continent, both the known and unknown. The story of Botswana’s leader was absolutely mindblowing. I can’t wait for videos on Cabral, Sankara, Moi, Museveni, Amin, etc etc
I’m a simple man I see new upload by new Africa I press like
There are interviews in the end, but some people still say he's being villainized!
They lack senses
I'm Ghanaian and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's deeds aren't fully thought in basic schools. We fail to learn from the failures of our leaders. It's not surprising that the ways of corruption by today's ministers are similar to those of Nkrumah's ministers.
I wonder why,we weren't thought fully about Nkrumah in basic school..wat a shame
This video is a propaganda video done by someone from the west. Nkrumah was the first best black African leader Africa Ghana ever had. All those who came after him are puppets
@@Oyzatt
Lol. Praising dictators with messiah complexes and you wonder why all African leaders are narcissists
Unfortunately, Nkrumah like many other leaders of the post Colonial African states tried to implement Soviet economic policies which favoured building up industry over agriculture. When what was really needed in most of Africa was to start with building up agriculture and then develop industry out of the countryside's needs. Also, to allow elements of private ownership to flourish side by side with the public sector, within an effective planning economy. This was the highly successful strategy that was begun in China in 1978 after Mao's death. And created the foundation for China's marvellous success.
If only China had followed this policy in the 1958 and later period it could have provided a great model for all the progressive leaders who emerged in Africa.
Agreed, Agriculture, as well as doubling down on what made the specific nation rich in the first place, after all, they mention in the video that Ghana was actually quite wealthy in some areas and obviously for the first couple of years was a shining light on the dark continent. I think with a bit of what u said and maybe continuing with its Pre-Existing Industries (albeit they’ll have to make it racially equal and all that if u get what I mean).
China had already been growing before 1978 in fact China’s fastest years of growth were 1955-1959 ,1963-1966 and 1969-1970.The Soviet Union itself saw it self grow from a world backwater to second world power in less than 20 years,so this was not out of ignorance.In fact Ghana would see much worse economic performance after Nkrumah.Until around the 1980’s.
@@mauricio9564 In 1914 the Russian Empire was the fastest growing economy in Europe, had the fourth or fifth highest industrial output in the world, 81,000km of rail, and a large, modern shipbuilding industry, and was on track to implement universal primary schooling by 1917. Russia would have never been a backwater to begin with had Lenin not plunged the country into a five and half year long civil war.
@@adamarko3205 The Russian Empire was a backwards peasantry, filled with corruption and heavily mismanaged, being on a list doesn’t mean anything. The Revolution happened for a reason
@@KP-kg2ky Marx was a economist, he wrote for papers and wrote books, that’s how he made money, Marx didn’t invent Socialism or does he own it. Your better off criticizing his ideas
Kwame Nkrumah remains great forever
Gosh I have never know these small facts about Kwame Nkrumah. I must say look at how the world is today is that highly sensational leaders are not necessarily good leaders. When you look at the details of what they are saying publicly, it does not add up. I guess Ghana is so successful because a large base of the people are highly educated. Which is not the case in so many other countries.
Spot on! Ghana do have a lot of intellectuals... it’s only getting better and more recognized now.
Hey! There was a fair bit of hot debate in the live comments, and I've got to say, please don't listen to nitpicks. No one ought to expect you to be entirely impartial, and what if there are mistakes here and there, as some claimed? As I've said elsewhere, I'm 30, French, educated in a top private school in the Parisian suburbia, and I can guarantee you NONE of the content of ANY of your videos ever made it into my education. It's all new to me, and it often leaves me baffled, how colonialism was brushed off.
And I'm part Algerian Berber too!
Which leads me to this request : Will you ever do more north-African videos? I'd be curious about more details on Algeria in particular, and Egypt as well.
Anyway, this content is my entry gate into so many African personalities and historical events. Don't let naysayers get to you, we need this. We need your perspective and your research and engaging presentations.
Thanks again for your hard work!
Thanks so much for your support Elonora, that means a lot. We do our best to share African history in a well rounded and non-biased manner but, naturally, we can't satisfy everyone and people will always have their opinions. Having said that, a healthy debate and exchange of ideas, usually tends to have a productive outcome so, as long as the debates remain respectful, we encourage our viewers to discuss away. We're definitely planning to produce more north-African focused historical content, so please bear with us and stay tuned. Thanks again for watching!
Well I took a college class here about North Africa and I learned a bit about Algeria. I seem to romanticize North African culture. I have read extensively and binge watched documentaries about the region. Take Morocco, (I think Maroc first recognized USA as a country)the land of Ibn Battuta among others... fascinating 🤨
Well the French were ruthless in Algeria. The Pied Noirs and Harki seem to subjugate the locals to their will. They were the muscle. Think of Napoleon in Egypt. Imagine yourself being Napoleon in 1700s thinking about Egypt... the nostalgia, o yes! But when the the French troops landed it was horrible. Algiers, Algeria- similar. One newsreel said Algiers was a piece of Metropolitan France transported across the Mediterranean. These French and French Jews wanted to live in Algeria forever it seemed but Algeria had heroes like Ali- La Ponite, everyday young and old women( mothers, grandmothers etc) and even kids who were prepared to fight and save their homeland.
The Harki were mostly with the French but the others suffered. After the war which claimed a million lives the Harki had to escape to 🇫🇷.
But you see discussing complexity is always difficult. The UN in those days had failed to help the address the Algerian question. Thus they resorted to terrorism to defeat the French. Worse than a nightmare. The French were worse than poor in managing it. How can you have women carry bombs 💣 in public places. I think the moment women are involved it shows the situation is really out of control.
France never claimed any responsibility for anything but again undertanding complexities and it’s intricacies will make you undertand things better
You should watch Battle of Algiers.
Ghana is still Africa number one in Africa.
If ever there was a clearer illustration of the corrupting influence of power, of hubris and of megalomania it's Kwame Nkrumah. He was clearly a complex figure and his radical approach to bring the independence movement to the common man is laudable.
The same approach however created a demi-god, cult of personality that ultimately became his undoing.
This channel is criminally underrated.
Point of correction,Danquah never suggested the name Ghana for Gold Coast but Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.JB .Danquah wanted Ghana to be called Akanman.meaning "Country of the Akan People.
Give some suggestion:
Thomas Sankara "the African Che Guevara"
Jonas Savimbi "Good Rebel"
Amílcar Cabral "the leader the die to early"
Ali Dangote "the African Billionaire you never heard"
And why Senegal is only Africa country without any war.
Porque é propriedade francesa. Dangote is not the only billionaire we never heard.
@@FabioTheGreat I bet you never heard
@@friedrichnietzsche2557 How sure do you believe that Dangote is not well known?
@@abubalo of course not is black and African we Africans we are underated ppl think we just born for slavery
Senegal is not the only african country without war
Nkrumah was toppled by the West.
This gave me chills really well done
Boy am I glad to have watched this unbiased piece of African history.
A man with great ideas is often found alone. If only other African rulers had just bypassed the peanuts they received from their colonial masters, maybe, just maybe, we would have been addressing ourselves as Comrades of the African Soviet Union.
There's almost no channels that explain African politics or geography or anything African on RUclips, so finding this channel was amazing! I hope you guys continue growing and people become aware of the continent. As someone who's studied in Asia as well as the West it's shocking how much our education systems ignore the continent so much. Great content, thank you guys!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the support Saumi
What would you do in his position if you are paranoid about your own people...? He was forced to amass power to achieve his dream of PanAfricanism because his people were plotting to overthrow him, with the influence of the CIA.
This video is just leading us to paint him black. Nkrumah never dies. He is the Greatest man in the history of Ghana and African Politics. He was a great visionary by all standards.
Excellence presentation. Had absolutely no idea Kwame Nkrumah had ill treated his own People. A direct contrast to a book titled "Kwame Nkrumah" which presented him in a completely different light.
He said people of his government(ministers) not him personally he died with no house of his own.
Someone must have paid this guy for this nonsense. Did u not notice how he down played Nkrumah’s developmental projects but emphasized corruption. Even went on to say ‘people were lined up all over Ghana in search for food’ while Nkrumah’s gov’t spent lavishly. The truth is, yes he spent money lavishly but on the country and never on himself. And if there was ever anytime in Ghana’s history where citizens enjoyed better lives, it was during Nkrumah’s time. But he was a young nobody that came & took power from the old somebody’s UGCC) so they always hated him and made several attempts on his life, hence the reason for the numerous arrests & imprisonments. But Nkrumah did the greatest for Ghana, no one can take that away from him.
Thank you for not sugar coating the history of Africa, keep it up.
Oh I can’t wait. I love your work by the way. Especially the Biafra war was an eye opener for me. Keep it up.
I think this video does a really good job at telling his story but I think leaving out the CIA involvement is a bit disappointed (They didn’t cause his authoritarism but to ignore the CIA’s attempts to destabilize the country and leave them out of the video ignores vital context of the period he was living in
@Nick Arjomand There is evidence and it's not unlikely that CIA would be involved in such a thing. Also USA has a history of meddling even before the official creation of CIA.
Agreed. That's always where the breakdown in these biased micro biographies of Nkrumah are. Moreover, Nkrumahism came from the historical impacts of traditional Africa, Islamic and euro-christain impacts in the African experience. With communalism as practiced in the traditional pre-colonial history of Africa as the ancestor of scientific socialism. He took it a step past Marxism-leninism. This video completely missed that point as well.
Many who were corrupt in the CPP came directly from the opposition after independence. This video doesn't mention that either. The economic.sqeeze placed on Ghana that laid the ground for the CIA engineered coup d'etat, which has been admitted by the U. S. a few years ago. So he was right about that.
As usual, these Nkrumah "documentaries" leave out a lot of facts on purpose.
It's meant to poison our thinking about continental unification so that it doesn't happen, and the foreign dominance of Africa's wealth can go on unabated.
But, that will ultimately fail as we can read what Nkrumah himself said of these things in his writings. He ought to know since he was head of the Ghanaian republic, as President.
This video tell so many falsehoods I can never get all the way through it.
Your videos are informative but they are also very interesting and very well presented. Please continue the good work!
Best documentary about our first president. They taught us little in our social studies. Long live kwame inkrumah . Long live africa. Free us black people
Just wow. I am impressed by this story. I did not study Nkrumah so carefully and I thought of him as a greater hero, then he was. Given your documentary´s representation he resembles me more like Ahmed Sekou Touré with his bravery, left-leaning and well-intioned policies and later paranoia, megalomania and crazy pan-African dreams, that damage the country itself. I was really convinced, Nkrumah was much better leader. Impressive.
PS. Please, do Sekou Touré next
the founder of UGCC is Paa Grant not JB Danquah.
George Alfred Grant, popularly known as Paa Grant (15 August 1878 - 30 October 1956), was a merchant and politician in the Gold Coast[1] who has been called "the father of Gold Coast politics".[2] As a political activist, he was the founder, financer and the first president of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in August 1947
New Africa, this was a balanced video on Kwame Nkurumah. Keep up the good work!!
Thank you sir! and keep up the good work!
In my independent research of early post-colonial Africa, this was a gem to find!
I read somewhere recently in the comments section of a post that when people say Africa is cursed- they mean its leaders and people are envious of eachother,everyone wants to be come up on top at the expense of others.its just sad.
This channel has put Africa on map. I've read a lot about European, American, Asian history but nothing significant on Africa. This is great
The differences between Nkrumah and Washington are incredibly staggering. Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Thank you for your honest telling of history --- ideologies are flawed, humans are even more flawed!
The defining moment for me was the point at which Local intellectual capacity hit the wall. When Nkrumah decided to build the many infrastructure projects, the locals were not up to the task. Kwame had to turn to former colonial businesses and the doors to corruption was blown wide open. Had Ghana's people been equipped to build the Dams, Hospitals, Electrical Grids, Factories, Shipping Ports, Universities etc. Ghana would have remained prosperous and wealthy and progressive. Unfortunately, the local population had not had enough time to build the skills to construct these projects. The same issues are in full display in 2021. The African People still have not developed these skills. Instead of relying on themselves to build the much needed infrastructure, African Governments turn to China and and take on massive Chinese Debt. They are making exactly the same mistakes as Kwame Nkrumah in 2021. African Governments must stop handing over these infrastructure projects to foreigners and must develop the capacity to construct them themselves. Thats the only way Africa will reach its full potential. Africans must design, and build these hospitals, shipping ports,roads and bridges, power plants and factories themselves.
Why u think that the local enterprises won't be corrupt?
@@bellatordei3440 Corruption exists in all nations on the planet. In this case it most likely would take the form of African Companies financially supporting African politicians in exchange for construction projects. I'd rather Africans bribe other Africans for business instead of African political class being bought off by China. At least the money stays in African hands and the Nation builds itself up independently of China.
@@gl7011 protectionism brings poverty
@@bellatordei3440 Tell that to China. I'm sure they strongly disagree. Also wide open Capitalism absolutely brings poverty. America was once a rich powerful nation with a strong middle class and a strong manufacturing base. The Hard nosed capitalists did what was in the best interest of the corporations bottom lines and dismantled the manufacturing base. Shipped the jobs overseas. Created massive profits for themselves and their companies. While simultaneously creating poverty here in the United States. General Motors was once the nation's largest employer. With an average wage of $30.00/hr now Walmart is with an average wage of $15.00/hr. We went to a service economy. A service based economy will be much poorer than an economy based on manufacturing. The switch has brought poverty.
@@gl7011 they will disagree with you, how u think they'll conquer the world, their goods flooded the world market
Kwame Nkrumah was a great Pan African warrior, leader, mentor and hero by uniting our brothers and sisters as Africans globally.