Day 1 in Accra | Come With G

I happily closed the year 2019 in Ghana 🇬🇭 formerly known as the Gold Coast.

The year of return, Ghana 2019 was an initiative of the government of Ghana that was intended to encourage the African Diasporans to come to Africa (specifically Ghana) to settle and invest in the continent.

It was formally launched by the president of Ghana in September 2018 in Washington D.C. as a program for Africans in the diaspora to unite with Continental Africans.

The year 2019 was symbolic as it commemorates 400 years since the first enslaved African were brought to Jamestown Virginia.

The Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture lined up a slate of activities in “celebration of the resilience of the African spirit”.

The first tour I took was an Accra City Tour.

We started off at Independence Square aka Black Star Square.

The seating in the square is color coded in accordance with the colors of the Ghana Flag.

Red, gold and green. The color red represents the blood of those who died in the country’s struggle for independence, gold stands for the minerals wealth, while green symbolizes the rich forests.

According to Ghanaians, Independence Square is the 2nd largest city square after Tiananmen Square in China.

This is the site for the Independence Day Parade which takes place annually on 6th March.

Ghana gained its independence on 6th March 1957, the first African country to become independent.

In the square there are 3 monuments which commemorate the fight for independence and liberation from British Rule.

1. The Independence Arch

2. The Liberation Day Monument

3. The Black Star Gate

The Next Stop – The Kwame Nkrumah Museum and Mausoleum.

Not so much as “trivia” I learnt about Dr. Nkrumah on the Tour.

1. Marriage – He wanted to marry a Christian woman from Egypt, so Egyptian President, Abdel Gamal Nasser arranged for his nuptials to Fathia (sounds embellished but it’s the story and they’re sticking to it). They had 3 children together.

2. Music – Nkrumah was an avid pianist

3. Military Coup – Nkrumah was ousted from power in 1966 by a military coup whilst he was on state visits to Vietnam and China. (His statue was destroyed during the coup. After 20 years of his death, Dr. Nkrumah’s image was restored in 1st July, 1992 on the same grounds where he led Ghana to liberation from colonialism).

4. Exile – Nkrumah never returned to Ghana. He lived in Guinea-Bissau where he had been previously conferred the title of Honorary President

5. Death – Nkrumah died of prostate cancer in 1972 in Romania.

6. Greatest influencers – W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, George Padmore, C.L.R. James.

Medaase Easytourgh https://m.facebook.com/easytourgh/ for facilitating this tour.

Stay tuned on this blog for further updates.

Please check out my FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/comewithg/ and Instagram account @comewithg4649 for more photos and information about my visit to Ghana 🇬🇭.