Nkrumah’s Car Revisited
Posted by By Akogun Akomolafe at 23 September, at 13 : 52 PM Print
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It gladdens the heart when it appears that our officials read what we write and decide to do the correct thing about the issues we raised.
On Sunday, the 21st of September 2014, I went to the Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum to join in celebrating the 105th Birthday anniversary of the Osagyefo.
Although saddened by the low turnout, my spirits were lifted when I saw that the official car of the first president is now housed in a befitting glass garage.
The last time I was at the mausoleum, I was taken aback by the shoddy appearance of the place and I felt scandalized when I saw the old First Limousine in a rotten state.
I took pictures and made some waves.
Gladly, it appears that our efforts had some effects as our officials apparently took notice and built the glass garage.
I say kudos to the officials responsible.
The Moral: We, as citizens, should make it our business to see that the correct things are done at all times. That is the only way the country can make progress.
Here was the original article:
A recent visit to the Nkrumah’s Mausoleum (NM) in Accra brought tears to my eyes. The woebegone look of the place is enough to dishearten any patriotic African. Many of the landmark trees planted by world figures are lean, shriveled and dying. The grass is brown, shaggy, and ill-kept. The walls are badly in need of fresh paint.
Dry, dusty, dirty, and beggarly, the whole place looks like an abandoned project in dire need of care and attention.
The NM is simply an eyesore that should embarrass those that are charged with its maintenance.
It is a crying shame that this unkempt national edifice remains on top of Ghana’s tourist attractions list.
Ok, ok, it is harmattan time in West Africa and everything is dry and dusty, but should it be beyond the competence of those in charge of the mausoleum to dig a borehole and use it to keep the place green, lush and healthy-looking all year round?
Without a doubt, Nkrumah is the greatest brand name in Ghana. And it shouldn’t be too difficult to get funding to keep his resting place in a very decent condition.
It shouldn’t require a degree in marketing to come up with marketing strategies to make the Nkrumah Mausoleum a viable and very profitable commercial entity. Some of the companies that the Osagyefo set up are still in business, and they could be solicited for the fund to help in maintaining his mausoleum. To supplement the stipends from the government and entrance fees, souvenirs could be sold and even a restaurant and bar opened at the place to generate funds for its upkeep.
During my visit to the USA, I saw how Americans deified one of their great presidents, Abraham Lincoln, at the Lincoln Centre (LC), in a hallowed, almost shrine-like edifice – truly a sight to behold.
Thousands of tourists pay good money to visit the LC. The American capital, Washington, is dotted with several monuments that are all well-kept and continue to generate good money to the authorities.
If the wretched ambiance of the NM elicited tears in me, I was truly distressed when I saw the official car used by Ghana’s first president.
For Christ’s sake, anything belonging to Nkrumah should be a treasured national asset. But sadly, the authorities display the car in open space without any ceremony and absolutely no shelter at all. The old car clearly shows the abandon it has suffered over the years.
The NM is located very close to the Atlantic Ocean and we all know that seawater and breeze contains elements that easily wrecks havoc on cars. I find it difficult to believe that any sane person will approve the open display of such an important national treasure.
I hope that the publication of these pictures will spur the authorities to build a befitting garage where this singular national treasure could be displayed, and not left to the vagaries of the elements.
Here are the old pictures:
These are the new ones:
Femi Akomolafe Books (Africa: Destroyed by the gods,” and “Africa: It shall be well.”
About the Author
Femi Akomolafe is a passionate Pan-Africanist. A columnist for the Accra-based Daily Dispatch newspaper and ModernGhana, and Correspondent for the New African magazine, Femi lives in both Europe and Africa and writes regularly on Africa-related issues for various newspapers and magazines.
Femi was the producer of the FOCUS ON AFRICANS TV Interview programme for the MultiTV Station.
He is also the Man and Machine Coordinator at Alaye Dot Biz Limited, a Kasoa-based Multimedia organisation that specialises in Audio and Video Production. He loves to shoot and edit video documentaries.
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