The Land of Kwame Nkrumah

The Land of Kwame Nkrumah
Part III.


                       

When we landed at the airport in Accra from Lagos, Nigeria, I was intrigued by the throngs of people outside the airport.  I felt the tiredness of travel. The trip had really begun in Nairobi, Kenya. No one was at the airport to greet us. Mr. F went to the Ethiopian Airlines Desk and was assisted in calling our host. A car was dispatched to pick us up.

Our host is H. E. Major General Zere Mariam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plentipotentiary of
Ethiopia to Ghana. He is the father of another Ethiopian friend of Mr. F in the U.S.

The streets of Accra are full of energy. I am also energized by the sights and smells. The market place is a fascinating experience. The skill of bargaining is also required. The women are highly involved in the economics of small businesses. The kente cloth is colorful and beautiful, a rich heritage tradition. Women and nursing mothers carry their babies on the front in contrast to the women in Ethiopia who carry their babies on their backs. At the market place, there are no crying babies. They are secure and serene, nestle and snug against their mothers' chest.

Ambassador Zere Mariam takes us sight seeing. Sometimes his young son, Azazi, accompany him. Mr. F and the Ambassador talk economics and politics. Once when Mr. F. inquires about the Fishing Industry, we are taken on a lake where their are fishermen and fish stacked in the sun drying. Mr. F. and the Ambassador spend a day in Chad and may have gone as far as the Sudan. While they are away I visit with people whose names I have been given by friends back home. There is quite a middle class in Accra. Their favorite car seems to be the Mercedes.

Ghana is the former Gold Coast. Kwame Nkrumah led the Gold Coast to independence from the
United Kingdom as Ghana in 1957. Think Nkrumah. Think international symbol of freedom! During the Black is Beautiful Movement in the 1960s, African-Americans adorned afro hairstyles and dashiki dress. When I changed to an afro one of my white colleagues said "I liked you better hunky-fied." One of Mr. F's Friend, George Washington, changed his name to Baruti Nkrumah. Nkrumah's name is well-known among freedom loving people in the United States.

Dr. W.E.B. DuBois came to Ghana some years back at the guest of President Nkrumah. He died in 1963 and is buried here. Both are much loved for their vision of Pan-Africianism.

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