Wearing Cloth to Work, No Salad Eating: How Nkrumah instilled black spirit in Ghanaians
A 93-year-old Ghanaian, Mary Soma Otoo, has narrated how Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, ensured that Ghanaians embraced their identity and culture.
According to her, Ghanaians stopped wearing trousers and the corporate look to work and instead flanked cloth to represent their culture under Nkrumah.
Narrating this to journalist, Kafui Dei, the 93-year-old woman said Nkrumah’s instillation of values in Ghanaians also led to the eating of local foods instead of things like salad, which has become rampant in contemporary times.
She said, “He [Nkrumah] wanted the Ghanaian to be a Ghanaian; he wanted the Ghanaian to be proud of himself. He wanted the Ghanaian to eschew pretending to be White, so he instilled it in all of us — not just his followers, but the whole country.
“People stopped wearing trousers and all; they were even wearing cloth to work. They stopped eating salad and started eating banku and tilapia… he imbued something into us. You can’t describe it.”
She pointed out that Dr. Kwame Nkrumah detested lies and dishonesty, so people were conscious and acted right.
Despite being a principled man, Soma Otoo described Nkrumah as a humble person.
“Osagyefo was a very humble person, but if you want to joke about him with independence, you won’t have it. Humble by nature, but don’t joke with his mission,” she said.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah spearheaded the Gold Coast’s independence movement and its transformation into modern-day Ghana.
Born on September 21, 1909, at Nkroful in the Western Region, Nkrumah became Ghana’s first prime minister in 1952 and later the president of the Republic of Ghana.
@talkingafricaMary Soma Otoo, a 93-year old Ghanaian, talks about Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. Full video available on Kafui Dey’s YouTube channel.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
