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Flying Together 3-Ghana

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FLYING TOGETHER : 3 JOYS OF GHANA COL<br />

1960: <strong>Ghana</strong> a became a Republic.<br />

1961: Nkrumah extended the <strong>Ghana</strong> - Guinea union to include Mali under Modibo Keita.<br />

It was during this period 1961 we arrived in <strong>Ghana</strong> to join the <strong>Ghana</strong> National College to<br />

take charge as the Head of the Physical Sciences and Mathematics. We left the country<br />

for Jamaica in 1964<br />

1962 (August): Target of an assassination attempt at Kulungugu in the Northern Region of <strong>Ghana</strong>.<br />

1963 (May): Nkrumah organized a conference of the 32 independent African States in Addis<br />

Ababa. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was formed at this conference with the purpose<br />

of working for the Unity, Freedom and Prosperity of the people of Africa.<br />

1964: Established <strong>Ghana</strong> as a One Party State with himself as Life President.<br />

1965: Nkrumah published his book “Neocolonialism". In this book he showed how foreign<br />

companies and governments were enriching themselves at the expense of the African people.<br />

This book drew harsh protest from the US government and consequently withdrew its economic<br />

aid of $35m previously earmarked for <strong>Ghana</strong>.<br />

In 1964, Nkrumah proposed a constitutional amendment which would make the CPP the only<br />

legal party and himself president for life of both nation and party.<br />

The amendment passed with 99.91 percent of the vote, an implausibly high total that led<br />

observers to condemn the vote as "obviously rigged." In any event, <strong>Ghana</strong> had effectively been a<br />

one-party state since independence. The amendment transformed Nkrumah's presidency into<br />

a de facto legal dictatorship. It only shows how a brilliant and upright man may become self<br />

1966 (February 24th): Overthrown in a Military Coup d'etat while on trip to Hanoi, North Vietnam.<br />

of Guinea.<br />

In 1968 Nkrumah set up a publishing company to publish his books. His writings became more<br />

revolutionary and extreme. His final philosophy was published in "The Class Struggle in Africa" in<br />

1970, in which he views the African revolution as part of the world socialist revolutionary process.<br />

17

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