Dr. Kwame Nkrumah And His Idea Of Pan-Africanism with Joseph Andoh Quarm
Kwame Nkrumah is considered one of the most influential leaders in African history. He was a political theorist who led Ghana, the former gold coast, to independence from Britain in 1957 and served as the first President of the country.
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Kwame Nkrumah was an influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the USSR in 1962, and a founding member of the Organization of African Unity.
But who really was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and what can we learn from him today? These are more are what we will be considering in today’s episode of Obehi podcast.
To help us understand all these today is Joseph Andoh Quarm, a man who has been there since the beginning (when the country was still called, Gold Coast), he served in the administration of Kwame Nkrumah and he is now speaking about his experience.
Some Key Points In This Episode
- How was it to grow up during colonialism in Ghana?
- The origin of Kwame Nkrumah’s idea Of Pan-Africanism
- Did the people truly understand the idea Nkrumah was talking about?
- What happened to the idea of Pan-Africanism after Nkrumah’s death?
- What is the true legacy of Kwame Nkrumah today in Ghana?
The Full Interview With Joseph Andoh Quarm
About The Guest: Joseph Andoh Quarm
I was born on April 5, 1935, at Bonyere in Ghana to Emmanuel Quarm and Ayissa Ehwiaka. My father was from Beyin, the capital of Western Nzema where the King lives. My mother was from Bonyere, a small town sitting on crude oil which has not yet been tapped.
I started elementary school at Beyin in 1942 and completed middle school (form four) in 1953. Worked for the Gold Coast Railways & Harbors from 1954 until 1960. Worked for the Timber Marketing Board for a while from 1960 to 1962.
Worked for the African Affairs Secretariat from 1963 to 1967 and served as a junior foreign service officer in:
- Niger,
- Togo,
- The Central African Republic,
- And Sudan.
It was when l was serving in Sudan that Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown by the Ghana military in February 1966. I was called for consultation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, detained for one month, and was released free from the reasons l was detained in the first place.
I left Ghana for the USA to attend Hotel Motel School in Washington DC. Worked in DC as:
- A dishwasher,
- Salad-man,
- Pizza-man,
- And an accounts clerk.
I saved money and went to achieve my BA in philosophy at San Francisco State University in 1973.
Came back home to work at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Returned to the USA in 1979 to Howard University, Washington, DC. As TA (Teaching Assistant) plus tuition remission while pursuing and completing the master’s degree in Social & Political Philosophy in 1981.
Between 1981 to 1986, I taught philosophy at the University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, US.
In 1986, I left DC for New York City to teach senior/junior high schools and primary schools.
In 1991, I completed another Masters’ degree in education at City College of the City University of New York. In 1996, I completed post-graduate certificate work at Teachers College, Columbia University in multi-sensory teaching in basic language skills.
In 2003, I retired from teaching at the New York School System and went back home to complete a five-bedroom house for my old age living. Married twice in 1964 and 1979 with six children – four boys and two girls.
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Download the first chapter of The Storytelling Series: Beginners’ Guide for Small Businesses & Content Creators by Obehi Ewanfoh.
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