<<Print>>

Most youngsters were not born when lawyer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, together with some outspoken politicians and journalists, led over 100,000 Ghanaians to embark on perhaps, the greatest revolution in the annals of the country's political history - post-Fourth Republic – also known as the ‘KUME PREKO’ – to wit, ‘you may as well kill me’.
 
That was a rare protest against the Jerry John Rawlings administration in the city of Accra on May 11, 1995, as hundreds of young and old people, responding to calls for demonstrations in opposition to the Value Added Tax (VAT) initiative which was introduced under the Jerry John Rawlings administration, government corruption and hardship, chanted war songs amid “Kume Preko”.

The demonstration was initially billed as a peaceful protest but quickly became violent when unidentified assailants shot live bullets into the crowd resulting in the deaths of some of the protestors.

The Masterminds
 
Those at the forefront of this protest were Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (Now the President of Ghana), Dr. Charles Wreko Brobbey (Politician), Kwasi Pratt Jnr (Journalist), Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe (Politician), Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako (Journalist), Akoto Ampaw (Lawyer), Victor Newman (Politician), Kwaku Opoku (Politician), Napoleon Abdulai (Politician) and Agyiri Blankson (Politician).
 
What Led To The Uprising?
 
Jerry John Rawlings who came to power in a 1992 military takeover, had cemented his hold through harsh repression that has silenced critics, curtailed free speech, and ended any semblance of democratic politics. Even the mildest dissent has been met with harsh punishments and long prison sentences.
 
Also, the high cost of living and particularly, the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on items by Mr. Rawlings fueled the demonstration against the administration.
 
Major news outlets then reported that it was a period in which able-bodied and hardworking citizens could not afford one decent meal a day for a family.

Also, the drop-out rate in educational institutions was said to be rising at a very alarming rate.
 
The Bloody Kume Preko Day  
 
However, what started as a peaceful protest turned gory when some unidentified assailants, believed to be drawn from the military, opened fire on the demonstrators.
 
Many sustained severe injuries and others died from the attacks but all leaders managed to escaped the horror scene.
 
After Kume Proko
 
In the aftermath of the demonstration, some of the leading protestors - Nana Akufo-Addo, Charles Wereko-Brobby, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Akoto Ampaw, and Napoleon Abdulai wrote a book titled - "Ghana: The Kume Preko demonstrations: Poverty, Corruption and the Rawlings Dictatorship".