Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) was a Ghanaian politician who led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957 as Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African colony to achieve independence in the postwar era, and served first as prime minister and then as the country's first president. A leading advocate of pan-Africanism, he pursued rapid industrialization and played a central role in founding the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, arguing for greater political and economic unity among African states. His later years in power were marked by growing authoritarianism, including the banning of opposition parties and detention of political opponents, and he was overthrown in a military coup in 1966 while on a state visit abroad, after which he lived the rest of his life in exile.
Facts
RoleGhanaian politician and revolutionary; first prime minister then president of Ghana, 1957 to 1966 1 BirthplaceNkroful, Colony of the Gold Coast 1 Death PlaceBucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
Where did Kwame Nkrumah go after he was overthrown in 1966?
He went into exile in Guinea at the invitation of Sekou Toure and never returned to power.
Nkrumah was out of the country when the Ghanaian army and police seized power in February 1966. He was on his way to Hanoi by way of China, and he learned of the coup from the Chinese when he arrived in Peking. He did not return to Ghana. He accepted an offer of security from Guinean leader Sekou Toure, who made him joint head of state of Guinea, and he lived there in exile. During those years he kept writing and published several books, and he broadcast to the people of Ghana by radio. He died in Bucharest on 27 April 1972, after being diagnosed with cancer.
Connections
Associated With
Nkrumah was a leading advocate of the pan-Africanism that culminated in the organization's 1963 founding.
In Era
Source Kwame Nkrumah (Wikipedia)
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Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikidata: Kwame Nkrumah
Sources
1. Kwame Nkrumah (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead paragraph, opening sentence
born Francis Nwia Kofi Ngonloma
Infobox, birth_place field
birth_place = Nkroful, Colony of the Gold Coast
Infobox, death_place field
death_place = Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania
Lead paragraph, third sentence
He was then the first prime minister and then the president of Ghana, from 1957 until 1966.
Kwame Nkrumah: Gender
A leading advocate of pan-Africanism, he pursued rapid industrialization and played a central role in founding the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, arguing for greater political and economic unity among African states.
In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Kwame Nkrumah (born Francis Nwia Kofi Ngonloma, /(ə)nˈkruːmə/ (ə)n-KROO-mə; 21 September 1909 - 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary.
View the Source Wikidata: Kwame Nkrumah
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