Voice of Conakry
This is a compendium of the numerous speeches broadcast over Radio Guinea during the early days of Nkrumah’s exile in Conakry. These broadcasts to the people of Ghana were made between March and September 1966 purposely to expose the true nature of the coup which ousted Nkrumah on 24 February 1966 and secondly, to encourage resistance against the coup by Ghanaians. While Nkrumah succeeded in achieving both: these speeches helped to discredit the Kotoka led coup before the eyes of the international community, and also were able to incite a counter coup in 1967 led by a Lt Arthur, which failed.
When the broadcasts were made, the people of Ghana were being subjected to oppressive rule and to campaigns of vile propaganda and lies designed the tarnish the image of Nkrumah and his socialist government. These speeches were therefore fitting ripostes to the propaganda of the Military council which deposed him.
Significantly, the first speech was made on 6th March, the 9th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and only 12 days after the coup. In it, Nkrumah, who ruled Ghana from 1951 to 1966, reminded his listeners that it was on ‘this day that the combined forces of the Ghana people secured independence from British imperialism’ p.1. He continued to highlight the achievements of his regime such as the strides he made in supporting other African countries to become independent, and his strong pan Africanist credentials. ‘They cannot destroy what we have taken years to build. For what we have achieved is built on rock foundations and is indestructible. Forward ever, backwards never. There is victory for us’, p.3. This tone of defiance continues to ring throughout the speeches.
It seems that Nkrumah was yet confident that the coup will finally be crushed and that he would soon be back home. But as the days and weeks and months dragged on, the military junta dug in firmly and Nkrumah’s hopeful tone began to be coloured with strains of despair and helplessness. ‘The so
When the broadcasts were made, the people of Ghana were being subjected to oppressive rule and to campaigns of vile propaganda and lies designed the tarnish the image of Nkrumah and his socialist government. These speeches were therefore fitting ripostes to the propaganda of the Military council which deposed him.
Significantly, the first speech was made on 6th March, the 9th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and only 12 days after the coup. In it, Nkrumah, who ruled Ghana from 1951 to 1966, reminded his listeners that it was on ‘this day that the combined forces of the Ghana people secured independence from British imperialism’ p.1. He continued to highlight the achievements of his regime such as the strides he made in supporting other African countries to become independent, and his strong pan Africanist credentials. ‘They cannot destroy what we have taken years to build. For what we have achieved is built on rock foundations and is indestructible. Forward ever, backwards never. There is victory for us’, p.3. This tone of defiance continues to ring throughout the speeches.
It seems that Nkrumah was yet confident that the coup will finally be crushed and that he would soon be back home. But as the days and weeks and months dragged on, the military junta dug in firmly and Nkrumah’s hopeful tone began to be coloured with strains of despair and helplessness. ‘The so