Forbes — Ghana: Shining Black Star
****Ghanaian Flag — Photo Wikipedia
On March 6, Ghana celebrates the 52nd anniversary of its independence from British rule. For a country of over 100 linguistic and ethnic groups, half a century of political sovereignty and national unity is remarkable. Most impressive, however, is the country’s transformation over this time period. For as Ghana goes, so does much of Africa.
Ever the pioneer, Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain freedom from a colonial power in 1957 under Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s visionary leadership. Ghana thus emerged as the rising star of the independence movement. Nkrumah became a torchbearer of Pan-Africanism and the non-aligned countries, raising hope for millions of subjugated Africans–from Senegal to Congo to Kenya to South Africa.
"We face neither East nor West," Nkrumah once said. "We face forward." In essence, he captured Africans’ dream of self-determination. Within five years of Ghana’s independence, most sub-Saharan colonies would become independent countries. Nevertheless, the promise dissipated quickly when the military overthrew Nkrumah in 1966 and Ghana embarked on the muddy and bloody path of coups d’état and a long line of dictatorships.
As it was with Ghana, the fall of Nkrumah ushered in a new era of coups d’état in the newly independent African countries. The Cold War and the thirst and proclivity for power among military officers in these countries would make dictatorship the most prevalent form of governance and strangle Africa’s socioeconomic development.
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