Legacy of Kwame Nkrumah

"Among diehard African political activists and Pan-Africanists, Nkrumah was and continues to remain a revered hero, committed nationalist and Pan-Africanist deserving of high esteem.” (Biney)

Ama Biney is able to summarize what exactly Kwame Nkrumah meant and continues to mean for Africa and its history. It is quite often that Kwame Nkrumah is mentioned in the same breath as the famous Nelson Mandela, but why is Nkrumah not as famous if not more famous? He was in power before Mandela, believed in African nationalism, had a great understanding of socialism/communism, was a great communicator of his political beliefs and believed in the Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism, of course was made popular by the also famous W.E.B. DuBois. To accurately understand who Kwame Nkrumah was, and why he is not as revered as Mandela, we must understand three major areas of Nkrumah’s life; his upbringing, inspirations and education, his coming to power, and his fall from grace. These three areas are clear sections of Nkrumah’s life we can easily dissect to get a full understanding of the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah.

Upbringing, inspirations and education

As previously stated, Nkrumah believed in one day uniting Africa. In his early age Nkrumah was able to travel to the United States to begin his studies. Studying at Lincoln University, Pennsylvania he became heavily influenced by the philosophies of Karl Marx and Lenin. He enjoyed the thought of redistributing wealth and increasing productivity. He was also inspired by the writings Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois. He believed in returning Africans to their homeland (Africa) but was a far better communicator and promoter than W.E.B. Dubois. Once arriving in England to study at the Lo...

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...ere the polar opposite.

Works Cited

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Biney, Ama, 2008, ‘The Legacy of Kwame Nkrumah in Retrospect,’ Journal of Pan-African Studies, 2 (13): 129-159.

Cobb, Charlie. "Guinea: From Stokley Carmichael to Kwame Ture." Africa News Service. (1998): n. page. Web. .

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Duffield, Ian. Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah. History today 31.3 01 Mar 1981: 24. s.n.

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