September 21 is a memorial holiday of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

The Ministry of Interior has reminded the public that Monday, September 21, 2020 is a public holiday marking Kwame Nkrumah Memorial day.

The general public is hereby reminded that it is a Statutory Public Holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country, a press statement issued by the Ministry of Interior and signed by the Minister, Mr Ambrose Dery said.

The general public is advised to observe the safety protocols associated with the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), especially in relation to social events at public places, the statement added.

The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, is a day set aside to remember and honour Ghana’s first President. In the past the celebration of the day had been marked with some controversy.

While some are of the view that Dr Nkrumah is the sole founder of Ghana, others think there were many people who contributed to the founding of the modern state of Ghana, notably the other members of Big Six.

Role of the Big Six

They argue that the other five members of the Big Six; William Ofori Atta, Ako Adjei, J.B Danquah, Edward Akufo-Addo, and Obetsebi Lamptey, also played pivotal roles in the independence struggle and ought to be celebrated alongside the first President.

According to the pro Danquah faction, Dr Nkrumah was invited to serve as the General Secretary to the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) under Dr J. B. Danquah. He returned to Ghana in 1947 to take up the position but split from the UGCC in 1949 to form the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

In February 1948, the police opened fire on ex-servicemen protesting the rising cost of living, spurring riots in Accra, Kumasi and elsewhere. The colonial government suspected the UGCC was behind the protests and arrested Dr Nkrumah and other party leaders.

Realising their error, the British soon released the leaders. After his imprisonment by the colonial government, Dr Nkrumah emerged as the leader of the youth movement in 1948.

After his release, Dr Nkrumah went round the country proclaiming that the Gold Coast needed “self-government now”, while Dr Danquah was for independence in the foreseeable future.