Audio Attachment: Listen to Kweku Baako Ju=nr. on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' |
Seasoned Journalist Kweku Baako has described President Nana Akufo-Addo's plans to present a legislation before Parliament to set aside August 4 as a day to celebrate Ghana's founders, including 'The Big Six', and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day as "needless and unsustainable".
According to Kweku Baako, who was speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Kwame Nkrumah remains a "global icon" and the "only founder of modern state of Ghana", thus any attempt to have another day to celebrate the founding fathers of the country is utterly baseless.
He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that "August 4th on his own, however significant, is not sustainable basis for anybody to run into the realm of having founders. I think it’s unsustainable scientifically, politically, historically and logically".
Kweku Baako however advised President Akufo-Addo to ditch his intention because to him (Baako), "Kwame Nkrumah does not need a day, a statutory public holiday in his memory. He doesn’t need it".
“Nkrumah is the founder of the modern state of Ghana...There’s now a recognition of Nkrumah from even his adversaries, his traditional and his historical opponents that this man in spite of all his errors and some were grave; is actually a great man, a great Ghanaian, a great patriot", he stressed.
Kweku Baako says the declaration of a statutory holiday for the celebration of the founder of the country is "contentious" and so should be scrapped aside.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Having read all comments, the only words to comes to mind is " Team Work". The strugle for independence for independence was team work, UGCC started it and CPP finished it off. It makes sense to mark both days but economically it doesn't. As someone wrote the only day worth marking it with a holiday is 6th March. The rest should be remembered in a different way. Scrap the contentious 21st September, Founders day holiday. Ghana needs productivity not holidays, we have enough already.
Of course Kwaku Bamako will say that, wouldn't he? After all that is the thinking of the so-called Nkrumaist. Nkrumah, from day one, tried to make the contributions of others insignificant. He built statues of himself, named schools, university and other facilities after himself. We were thought the history according to his dictates and all dissenting views were met with detention without trial at Nsawam. Kwaku Baako, whose father was one of the stalwarts on Nkrumah's regime, will forever sing the tune of this pretender of founding father of modern Ghana. Can Kwaku Baako tell us the role Nkrumah played to get the Asantehene to join up with the 'Colony' for Ghana's Independence? If the Asantehene had not joined up, we would not have the Ghana as we have it today. It was no other than J B Dankwa who made many trips to Kumasi to convince the Asantehene to reject the British offer of a separate state for Asante. Nkrumah, no doubt, played his role but to make him the sole founder is stretching it too far.
We know where this rare onslaught on Kweku Baako is coming from...coward NPP bigwigs and Castle bootlickers who dare not openly oppose the respected seasoned journalist. Cowards!!
hi, THE BIG SIX FORMED GHANA and NOT NKRUMAH ALONE, SO WE WILL CELEBRATE THEM, ghana people will celebrate the BIG SIX ON AUGUST 4TH , all those who have contributed to the DEVELOPMENT OF GHANA * positive WAY* will be CELEBRATED. , all those who have looted ghana monies , stolen cars,houses belonging to the masses and the state will go to jail, we will collect all those stolen items from them and after the jai,l we will ostracize them to go and live in Afghanistan, from ghana pp
You know what? The only day worth celebrating i Ghana is 6th March. Any other day is politically motivated. I was of the view that Nana rather cancels the statutory holiday Atta Mills and his NDC imposed on us. Mills did that because of his personal gratitude to the Nkrumah's name. But for that name how on earth could Mills have been President? Which seat or congress did he ever contest, let alone winning? Kweku, Nkrumah can be your messiah, who cares? To others he was a conman who betrayed the trust of his colleagues, deceived them and used their resources to project himself. As the only paid member of the UGCC did he sell the ideals of the party or projected himself? It this a character worth emulating?. His character is never what one will frankly encourage his children to emulate. I agree with Prof. Ali Masrui's assertion that 'For his domestic excesses Nkrumah failed to be a great Ghanaian'. These socialist boys never grow and carry their childhood admiration of Nkrumah to adulthood. No wonder all his achievements are falling apart. Tell me one patriotic Ghanaian Nkrumah trained. Look at the mess all his followers who ruled Ghana put the country through and you would agree that the man had no much to offer. Ask the relatives of Agbeli Gbedema and Arko Adjei the ordeal they went through under their own icon. If Nana decides to acknowledge others who rightly contributed to the independence and nationhood of Ghana so be it.
Today, I disagree with Kweku Baako, am surprised he added an adjective to Ghana: modern just to picture Nkrumah. Truth be told once, a relay race is not won by one athlete, yet that athlete completes the difficult runs by his fellows by doing the most difficult part of all. When the race is won both the "beginners and enders" are congratulated as team and not an individual. NDC thinks they can always play in the gallery and win simple peoples mind for their selfish power ambition. Long live President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo.
This needless controversy was stirred by NDC under Mills. Prior to that we all rallied around 6th March. That was Nkrumahs ultimate achievement. But he achieved it for all of us. NDC in their quest for equalization and desperation to celebrate SOMETHING, just because they couldn't celebrate Ghana @50, instituted this Founder's Day. And they didn't stop there. Loud mouth Felix Kwakye was on newsfile telling us that the Big Six didn't exist, something Nkrumah wrote in his own Autobiography. Their desperation continued and they eventually printed a 2 Cedi note, just because NPP had re denominated the currency, and put Nkrumahs head alone on it. These actions alone are the reason Nana is rightly trying to spread the glory.
The people who believe in Nkrumah feel very jittery the moment the one sided pervasive narrative of Ghana's history is challenged. Kweku's rantings has no head or tail.Nobody is challenging Nkrumah's global recognition. How can he be the founder of modern state Ghana when he never dreamt about it.The one who conceived the idea put it on paper work tirelessly until it was brought into being can not be considered a founder but one who came to inherit the hard work that had already been done is the founder.How can this be?There is no way anybody not Kweku Baako or Kwesi Pratt or Nkrumah's children can water down the contribution of others who played pivotal roles in bringing independence to this nation.By divine wisdom Nana has settled the debate August 4 Founders'Day,September 21 Nkrumah Memorial Day.How can we ignore August 4 when our consciousness was aroused by APRS to stop the colonialist from grabbing our lands and further enhancing it again as fate will have in August 4 1947 by the formation of UGCC to kick start our independence struggle.God bless ur homeland Ghana
Kueku u are right if Nana think he will change Ghanas history it will distroy his lagacy ,he must not try at all
Nkrumahism is the opium of the Ghanaian political left and the religion of its adherents. Nothing can ever get them from that addictio.n, and certainly no one can evangelize them out of the worship of the deified chief priest Nkrumah. If only they can allow others to also worship what they believe!