Kwame Nkrumah vrs Muammar al-Gaddafi

After Nkrumah liberated Ghana from its colonial rulers, the effect of the achievement rippled throughout the continent, motivating others to fight for their freedom. It is therefore not so surprising to see nations like Nigeria gaining Independence in 1960. Nkrumah however continued to echo his intentions of liberating the whole landmass of Africa else his toil would have been fruitless.

For some reasons beyond his control, he was unable to fulfill the dream of being Africa’s messiah. Years after his death, does Africa want an African Union?

At the AU summit held in Accra to discuss this delicate topic, the consensus was to unify Africa slowly in a manner that would benefit all participating members. This decision did not go down well with Al-Gaddafi who was campaigning for a unified continent within the shortest possible time. I wonder sometimes, which stand Kwame Nkrumah would have taken if he were alive.

From what I have read about Kwame Nkrumah, I gather he was a radical man and was a man who believed in action. When the United Gold Coast Confederation (UGCC) preached “Independence within the shortest possible time” he was adamant and went for the “Independence Now” slogan. From this past experience one can infer that Nkrumah would have actually gone with Al-Quadafi.

On the other hand, Kwame Nkrumah was a man of discerning wisdom, and therefore strategically approached every problem (at least most of them) with caution. Nkrumah’s approach towards establishment of the first medical school in Ghana is evidence of that nature he carried in him. He took the more cautious approach which was not necessarily the fastest at that time. In the end he was glad to see the medical school established after several years. From this past experience, I can say Nkrumah would have approached this puzzling problem with caution and would probably have gone against Al-Quadafi’s approach towards the African single state.

To ‘posthumously’ think like Kwame Nkrumah, is a task no man on earth can ever do. One thing I know for sure, Kwame Nkrumah used different approaches to solve different problems. And that is why he is the man of the Century!