Information Ministry hands over Osagyefo’s “head”
Accra, June 5, Ghanadot/GNA
– The Ministry of Information on Friday officially handed
over the broken head of the bronze sculpture of Osagyefo Dr
Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, to the Minister
of Chieftaincy and Culture.
The head of the bronze statue got missing after
the statue was
vandalized in the 1966 coup d’état.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of
Information, said after the coup an attempt was made to
destroy everything connected to Dr Nkrumah, including the
bronze statue.
“Luckily for us, the remnant was left at the Accra Police
Regional Office and here we are today - the truth about Dr
Kwame Nkrumah is beginning to resurface and the statue is
now where it belongs,” he said.
Mr Okudzeto-Ablakwa said when Dr Nkrumah was talking about
African Unity those days people called for his head but
today his ideas are being championed all over the world.
He said a woman, who remains unknown, presented Dr Nkrumah’s
“head” to the Information Services Department for safe
keeping and appealed to others who might have some of the
first President’s memorabilia and paraphernalia or the rest
of the part of the bronze statue to hand them over to the
Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture.
“I salute all those who fought for the truth and those who
continue to fight tirelessly for the truth and freedom of
the country and I urge all who have something on this great
leader to bring them so that their names would be added to
the history of this great nation.”
“Everybody with those items should feel free to send them to
the planning committee (of Dr Nkrumah’s 100th anniversary)
to make the history of this country rich.”
Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and
Culture, said he was glad that the “missing head” was found
and is at the appropriate place before the celebration of
President Nkrumah’s birthday.
He said the budget to rehabilitate the Kwame Nkrumah
Mausoleum had been approved by cabinet and work would soon
start and reiterated the appeal to the public to return
anything relating to Dr Nkrumah to the authorities at the
Memorial Park.
The Minister in turn handed the head to Mr Kwaku Manu
Asiamah, Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.
Mr Asiamah appealed to the media to help encourage the woman
who delivered the broken head to ISD to come forward and
assist in building the story around the statue and the late
President.
He said experts had advised against restoring the head to
the body of the statue because to them that would be an
attempt to erase the historical fact of the February 24,
1966.
“Instead, they add, the head should be mounted by the side
of the body and labelled as in the case of the other half.
The cost of this project is put at about 4,000 Ghana cedis,”
he added.
He said the park was the only institution under the Ministry
that has no means of transport and appealed to the Minister
to provide them with one to enhance their work.
Mr Asiamah said they had also suggested to the planning
committee to liaise with Panaf Books Limited, Publishers and
Copyright owners of Kwame Nkrumah’s 14 books, for licence to
print them locally.
“The books are in great demand at the Park; we are always
overwhelmed with visitors’ demand for the books which demand
we are unable to meet,” he added.
GNA
