Ghanaweb correspondent in
Italy, Reggie Tagoe, was in
Rome to cover the Press Conference hosted by the
Ghana Embassy in
Italy to launch activities planned for
Ghana @ 50 and incidentally met Samia Yaba Nkrumah,
daughter of the first President of
Ghana -the late Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. He
requested for an interview after the meeting which she
obliged.
Below is the full text of that interview
Reggie Tagoe (RT): Samia, It's pleasure meeting
you.
Samia: Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you too,
and to be here today listening to H.E. Ambassador,
Agyei-Amoama, launch Ghana's Golden Jubilee celebration
program in
Italy.
RT: How is your family doing and where are they
now?
Samia: My mother, Fathia, and my older brother,
Gamal, are living in
Cairo, Egypt. Our eldest brother, Francis, is in
Ghana, while Sekou, the youngest brother is between
Ghana and the
United States. I am very lucky to have my three
brothers. There is great understanding between us despite
the fact that we all live in different countries.
RT: How old now is your mother, Madam Fathia
Nkrumah?
Samia: She is now 75 years.
RT: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was a great politician how
did he mix his political duties with family life at home?
Samia: My father's priority was his work. We got
to understand this at an early age. And we also understood
that his life was in danger on many occasions and this
necessitated a different kind of family relationship. A man
who has had to endure half a dozen assassination attempts on
his life, and some of them with lasting physical damage,
must take certain precautions even if these included being
separated from his family.
Aside from the question of danger, there was very little
time at hand. There were many problems confronting early
independent
Ghana. If you read his book, Africa Must Unite, you
understand that the newly independent
Ghana did not have a single industry, no
infrastructure whatsoever, no skilled labour, no educated
workforce, after years of Colonial rule, the country had
nothing. Everything had to be constructed from scratch.
RT: Tell me something about the family in your
early years as you grew up.
Samia: When I was younger it felt that we,
Nkrumah's immediate family, had to take second place in his
life. We did not see much of our father and we did not spend
much time with him. But as I grew, I saw that in a sense his
presence with us has been constant and powerful and his
influence on us has been understandably huge. I have said
before that while he left us no material inheritance, he
left us a rich consciousness that continues to guide us in
our lives. We have a solid understanding that we Africans
hold the key to solving our problems. I have no doubt that
as he once said, "When Africa becomes a strong and united
nation, Africans will respect themselves and everyone will
respect Africans." When you are serving a big cause, a cause
that concerns many people, you do not see a difference
between the personal and the public. Personal sacrifices are
not regarded as losses but as great gains because your
happiness is linked to many others. That is how Nkrumah
lived his life up till the very end and that is what he has
transmitted to us his children.
RT: Where was the family when he was overthrown in
the Military coup on February 24, 1966 and what happened
thereafter?
Samia: My mother and the three of us, Gamal, Sekou
and myself, were in
Flagstaff House on the day of the coup. With help
from the Egyptian Embassy at the time, we left
Ghana on the same day on an Egyptair flight for
Cairo. Naturally, spending the whole day not knowing
what is going to happen to you in the company of young, and
at times frightened, soldiers taking orders from their
commanders is quite a terrifying experience for any child,
but that is another story to be told at another time.
RT: Was he in contact with the family whilst in
exile and did he mention anything about the coup and the
people who ousted him from power?
Samia: Father spoke to us on the phone on very few
occasions. We corresponded on a regular, if not frequent,
basis. He did not talk to us about his plans and work.
Nkrumah, however, detailed all his experiences and thoughts
in the various books he wrote after the coup while living in
Guinea. Nkrumah wrote some 14 books on various subjects
ranging from the African unity project to specific problems
in certain African countries at the time, see Challenge of
the
Congo and Rhodesia. Many of the books were completed
while he was in Guinea after 1966. In his book, Dark Days in
Ghana, he talks exhaustively about the coup.
RT: In cases about some former African Presidents
or Heads of State forced out of power they tried to get back
to power through any means, did Dr. Kwame Nkrumah plan to
get back to be President of
Ghana after the Feb. 24, 1966 coup , was there any
desire in him for power in Ghana?
Samia: Nkrumah never lost sight of
Ghana and never gave up on his dream and social
development. One could not happen without the other. He
certainly wanted to get back to
Ghana and never lost hope of doing so. If he had
returned to
Ghana, there would have been fundamental changes. For
example, he had said that the coup had made plain that the
CPP could not longer follow the old line and it had to
develop and reform. At the same time, he was equally
concerned with diffusing his ideas on Pan-Africanism because
he was convinced that they would outlive him anyway.
RT: What do you think were Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's
ambitions?
Samia: In a nutshell, his only ambition was the
full realization of the dignity of the African wherever he
or she might be in the world. To realize this, he championed
an African solution in the form of the Pan-African Project
and within this project he called for the economic, social
and political development of the continent along continental
lines. To Nkrumah, the optimum zone of development for
Africans is the whole continent. He believed that if the
resources and population of African States were pulled
together, development planned and executed continentally,
Africa would be far ahead. Nkrumah was convinced that only a
strong, economically viable African Nation, or a
United States of Africa, would address the
continents' problems. He also understood that a stable,
peaceful African continent would contribute to world peace
and advancement.
Ghana was his starting point, however. With the
various development plans in place at the time,
Ghana was to become a model of economic advancement
and freedom and from there able to safeguard its political
freedom.
RT: He was talking of "Nkrumaism" when his countrymen and
women did not even clearly understand what democracy is all
about. What's your take on that?
Samia: I would urge you to read Nkrumah's books to
get an idea of what he was about. Let's not forget that a
relentless character assassination was carried out against
him. He couldn't have got everything right, I'm sure, but in
the 15 years he was in power, 1951-1966,
Ghana had made great social and economic leaps. By
1966, there were factories, roads, railways, radio and TV
stations, telephone services, the Akosombo Dam ¦ The list is
endless. It was important to make accessible the African
Unity ideas to the people of
Ghana. You cannot rely on economic unification only,
you have to understand why the call for unity and back it
with political will. To do so, you need people's acceptance
and understanding of the concept of unity. Unity is a
culture that must be understood and not imposed on people
and therefore it had to be explained.
It is telling that 40 years on, the slogan on the
official site of the African Union (AU) is Africa Must
Unite, which is one of the titles of Nkrumah's books and his
main thesis. It is interesting that the AU is championing
many of the steps that were recommended by Nkrumah in the
early sixties. It is also interesting that some great
African leaders, like the late Julius Nyerere of
Tanzania, who at the time were not totally convinced
of Nkrumah's Pan-African project eventually came to
understand and agree with it.
RT: He imprisoned his political opponents against
the backdrop of freedom, justice and independence. What was
he aiming to achieve?
Samia: Let me first say that I wish to sincerely
apologize to any Ghanaian who was imprisoned in the name of
Nkrumah. It saddens me to know that anyone suffered for
their political beliefs. I am an advocate of freedom and
democracy and human rights. And I am strongly opposed to
violence as a way of reacting to any problem.
But before answering your question fully, we have to
examine the context in which those actions were taken. At a
time when the new Ghanaian government was busy laying the
foundation for the industrialization of the country, laying
plans for education, medical services, utilities, factories,
road networks, etc. Nkrumah's government was subjected to
untold economic and political pressure and external
interference. Just to give a few examples on the economic
level, the cocoa price was forced down, and promptly raised
after the 1966 coup. Investment and credit guarantees were
cancelled. On the domestic political level, Nkrumah and his
colleagues were subjected to violence in the form of
assassination attempts on his life and a relentless
character assassination campaign. The pressure on Nkrumah
professionally and personally was beyond anything you might
imagine.
Despite this, no one was ever executed for attempting a
coup against Nkrumah's government or for attempting to
murder Nkrumah. And this was because Nkrumah was strongly
opposed to this.
I believe there has been a big campaign to taint
Nkrumah's name and reputation. Nkrumah is not here to defend
himself against those accusations. Like you, I am asking
questions concerning the curb of freedom: Was he mislead by
certain advisors? Did he get distracted and not control what
some of those around him were up to?
But what I do know is that Nkrumah was not interested in
power for its sake. Neither was he a man who amassed
personal wealth at the expense of his country.
Why do I say all this in connection with these
accusations? Because, most dictators are all those things:
corrupt, violent and only interested in securing power.
Nkrumah was not any of these.
RT: Do you think he rushed
Ghana into Independence too early?
Samia: Political independence was not regarded as
an end in itself but the means to achieve economic freedom
and advancement. After years of colonialism,
Ghana had no industries, no skilled work force, and
no infrastructure. Only after independence did the full
truth about the extent of our economic backwardness became
known. A colonized State is developed in a way that serves
the colonizer. Colonialism was not only economic, but
cultural and social. Why would any one want that for
themselves?
The struggle for political independence is not putting
the whole blame on the colonizer. Slavery and colonialism,
like all the present ills of our society, could not have
happened without the consent of some of us.
Likewise, our most intractable problems would never be
solved, and here I'm thinking of long-term solutions and not
just quick relief, without an African solution. This is not
because we don't respect people's advice, but because the
best solutions have to be specific to a certain context and
born out of real life experience.
RT: Let me get back to the issue after Nkrumah's
overthrow from power. What happened to the family when you
went back to Egypt?
Samia: We went to live in
Egypt where the government of the day took full care
of us providing us with a house and financing our education.
The government of
Egypt met our every need and I am grateful for that.
We were very lucky unlike many other children who are caught
up in political conflicts all over Africa and the world.
RT: Your family after some years came back to live
in
Ghana. Tell me what happened and you left again.
Samia: We arrived in
Cairo the same day of the coup and where we lived
till 1975 when the Government of the day in
Ghana, the Military Government with Gen. Acheampong
as Head of State invited us back. By the early 80s, we were
all out of
Ghana. My mother had decided she would be more
comfortable in
Cairo. Gamal and Sekou were already outside the
country studying in England and
Romania respectively. I ended up in the
UK too where I lived for almost 10 years, working and
studying.
RT: Do you feel any resentment against the people
who overthrew your father from power? Certainly life wasn't
the same isn't it? Samia: You are right. Life was
never the same. But I strongly believe things happen for a
reason, and if you keep an open mind, the reason is always a
good one. Being Nkrumah's daughter has taught me a great
deal about humility. We are not talking here about a mere
sentiment. I can sincerely say that the pain and confusion
have served me very well. I had to wipe the slate clean. I
have made an effort to understand what Nkrumah tried to do
and that has led me to embrace all Ghanaians and Africans in
my thoughts.
Understanding his ideas led me to those thoughts and that
cancelled all the resentment. I understand clearly that we
are an inseparable part of a whole nation. Being Kwame
Nkrumah's daughter means being a daughter of
Ghana and Africa and having a responsibility to
Africans everywhere.
We worked hard and tried to make ends meet like most
ordinary people and I am very grateful for that. How else
could I really understand people who are struggling if I had
an easy time myself?
I have not found to date any solution that is better
articulated and that makes more sense than the Pan-African
project as he explains it. At the same time, I fully respect
those who might not agree with Nkrumah's ideas.
I do not condone violence in any form but I respect
differing opinions.
RT: How often do you visit
Ghana and do you still have family ties there?
Samia: I haven't been back since 1984. Two of my
brothers, Francis and Sekou, are there with their families.
We have also got some family from Nkroful and one day we
hope to establish stronger links with them.
RT: Do you think Dr. Kwame Nkrumah would have achieved
his objectives on Africa if he's not been overthrown. Africa
is a continent with diverse languages, tribes, cultures
etc.?
Samia: Nkrumah is quoted as having said, "I have
often been accused of pursuing the policy of the impossible
but I cannot believe in the impossibility of achieving
African unity any more than I could ever have believed in
the impossibility of attaining African freedom" Just
consider this: By 1963, around 44 years ago, Nkrumah had
called for an all-African Commission to take steps to set up
a common market for Africa, an African monetary zone, an
African Central Bank, a Continental Communications System,
an African common currency, a Commission for a common
citizenship. Today the European Union is implementing these
plans. What does that tell us?
RT: How old would Dr. Nkrumah be today if he's to be
alive?
Samia: Well, he was born in 1909, or 97 years ago.
RT: How do you view the situation in
Ghana today's economic, social, infrastructure,
governance and the people in general?
Samia:
Ghana is politically stable and is has a good
standing among African countries and internationally.
Understandably, like all so-called developing countries it
is grappling with the all too familiar challenges of
unfavourable trade rules and a high import bill that
naturally adversely affects economic and social activity.
RT: Do you have any intention to settle in
Ghana some time to come?
Samia: A friend once told me that there is a right
time for everything and I think that is very apt to every
occasion. I have never ruled out settling in
Ghana eventually and when the right time comes, I may
very well decide to do just that.
RT: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah wrote many publicised books,
which of these books are you favourites and what was he
talking about?
Samia: ˜Revolutionary Path" competently puts
together all of Nkrumah's political ideas and it also
contains extracts from other writings. "Africa Must Unite"
gives a general idea of early independent
Ghana and how it fitted in with the African Unity
project. The "Challenge of the Congos", shows how far
Nkrumah saw
Ghana and other African countries interlinked paths.
The Conakry Years' published posthumously also gives an idea
of the range of his thoughts.
RT: What do you think the future holds for Ghana?
Samia: More progress, I hope. We have an
opportunity before us these years. This year is the 50th
Anniversary of Independence.
Ghana is holding the presidency of the AU. The
country is politically stable and advancing democratically.
This is good time to plan ahead.
RT: What have you been doing presently?
Samia: I am currently living in
Rome working as a Freelance Journalist. I am also a
program and students coordinator with the
University of Arkansas Rome Centre. I am part of an
African Association bringing together a number of African
immigrants together. I am married to Michele Melega, and
Italian-Danish man, and we have one child, Kwame, who is 9
years old.
RT: Any other comments?
Samia: I simply want to thank you for giving me
the opportunity to voice my thoughts on Nkrumah.
RT: Thanks for this interview, Samia, I appreciate your
willingness to talk to me.
