The Struggle Continues,
Kwame Nkrumah,
PANAF Books, 84 pages
While in exile following his infamous overthrow in 1966, the Ghana founding president wrote furiously books and pamphlets to enunciate his ideas on various issues including his pet topic of African unity. While in Conakry in exile, he wrote and published nothing more than 6 books; one of which was the Struggle Continues.
This book is a compendium of numerous essays on sundry issues like Black Power, African Unity and his famous Positive Action concept, with which he was able to drive the White man out of Ghana in 1957. In ‘What I Mean by Positive Action’ (p.5), he explains his Ghandian philosophy of non violent approach to decolonization. He called for the use of non-violent methods in the anti-imperialist struggle against the European colonizers. He used this approach to god effect from 1949 in Ghana when he led the anti-colonial fight in Ghana. He established a newspaper called the Accra Evening News to spell out his anti-colonial ideas to the educated elite (p.7); for the uneducated masses, he used mass rallies and boycotts to involve them in the fight for independence. This was the set the trend for other African countries who had to take their destiny onto their hands and drive out the colonial masters.
However, in exile, Nkrumah had more time to reflect. He concluded later in his life that armed action was sometimes needed to kick out the colonial rulers, especially in Southern Africa, where there was a huge and stubborn settler population of Whites (Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa). Here Nkrumah was proven right for Zimbabwe gained her independence only after a bloody fight which lasted eight years!
On page 45, Nkrumah replies to his critics after his overthrow. He lists his numerous achievements ranging from infrastructure to Ghana’s contribution to the liberation of Africa. This is perhaps the most concrete and revealing aspects of the book. Here the reader is taken through an impressive array of progressive strides which remains to be the bedrock of Ghana’s development even today.
This is why Nkrumah was indeed a visionary. He was preparing Ghana for the 21st century. The Akosombo Dam was built and commissioned a few days before his overthrow, but remains today the powerhouse of Ghana and many of its neighbours. In total, this book gives us an insight into the revolutionary mind of Nkrumah, his struggle to free and develop Ghana and Africa, and his deep socialist convictions.
In this book, Nkrumah comes out alive and fresh.
Highly recommended for Nkrumah fans and disciples and for anyone interested in African unity.
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