SPREADING NKRUMAH’S IDEAS; A Start Made at The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

Kwesi Pratt Jnr donates books to Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum

By Ekow Duncan

Over 2000 copies of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s books and books about Nkrumah are to be given to the country’s public libraries, universities and polytechnics by the Legacy Project of the 8^th Pan- African Congress held in March in Accra this year.

For a start, 30 of these books were presented to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park yesterday by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the 8^th PAC, Comrade Kwesi Pratt at a ceremony on Tuesday.

The books which were ordered directly from the publishers of the books, PANAF publishers in London because of their rarity on the local market, included titles such as “I speak of Freedom,” “Class Struggle in Africa,” “Neo-Colonialism -The Last Stage of Imperialism,” and “Africa Must Unite,” among others.

Making the presentation, Comrade Pratt explained that spreading Nkrumah’s ideas was a continuation of Nkrumah’s works especially in the struggle against poverty and illiteracy.

He said the Memorial Park could become the Mecca of Africans working for a stronger, wealthier and a united continent.

Towards this end, he called on the government and other progressive governments and organisations to support the creation of a Kwame Nkrumah Research Library at the Park.

Receiving the books, the Director of the Park, Alhaji Abubakar Osman said the books will help many including the staff of the Park to read and know more about Nkrumah’s ideas.

He added that the Park urgently needed a vehicle so it could take some of its exhibits to various parts of the country so that those outside Accra can also access the rich archives of the Park.

In an interview with the press after the ceremony, a member of the Socialist Forum and Secretary to the Local Organising Committee of the 8^th PAC, Comrade Justice Henaku said the Legacy Project is still expecting more of the books to arrive.

He added however that while the work of the Legacy Project will greatly help to make Nkrumah’s works accessible to many, more will be required to make the books accessible to even those in remote parts of the country.

Editorial

NKRUMAH’S IDEAS

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah taught the people of Africa many important lessons which are still relevant for their development.

One of the most important lessons Nkrumah taught us is that Africans cannot be inferior to any other race and that we ought to shape our own destiny.

Nkrumah also insisted that colonial subjugation would not end with independence and that the colonized people need to continue to struggle to free themselves from the tentacles of the colonial metropolis.

The Insight believes that the application of these teachings would be so crucial in the struggle of the African peoples to take control of their resources and to overcome under- development and poverty.

It is in the light of this that we commend the 8th Pan African Congress and the Freedom Bookshop for donating more than 2000 books by or about Nkrumah to various public institutions.

It is our hope that these works will be put to good use and that they will be provided much needed guidance in our quest for development and prosperity.