The fall of Kwame Nkrumah

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2021

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

The Ghanaian president, Kwame Nkrumah, was one of Africa's most famous independence leaders. But in 1966, while he was out of the country, the Ghanaian military and police seized power in a coup. The legendary Ghanaian film maker Chris Hesse worked closely with Nkrumah and was with him at the time. He spoke to Alex Last about his memories of the coup and his friendship with the man who'd led Ghana to independence.

Photo: Kwame Nkrumah c 1955 (Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.
0:04.7	My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.
0:08.5	As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.
0:18.0	What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,
0:24.6	poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.
0:29.7	If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.
0:40.0	Hello and welcome to the Witness history podcast from the BBC World Service with me
0:45.9	Alex Last with more firsthand accounts of events that shaped our world and today we go back to February 1966 when in Ghana one of Africa's most famous
0:58.1	leaders Kwame and Kruma was ousted from power.
1:06.0	A national regression council has been appointed to run the affairs of the country,
1:11.0	with its first from today. In 1966, the first leader of Ghana and one of the most prominent men in Africa
1:17.4	Kwame and Krumer was deposed while he was out of the country.
1:21.4	On Thursday the 24th of February 1966, the Ghana Armed Forces in cooperation with the Ghana
1:30.6	Police Service took over the reins of government of this country after a
1:36.8	successful overthrow of the regime of Quamining in Krumah in what may be truly described as one of the most historic
1:47.6	and boldest ventures in the history of this country. I find very difficult to brush
1:55.0	in Kuma off my mind because I saw I saw exactly what happened.
2:01.0	In Kuma knew that That's just some power working against him. So this
2:07.3	cook could happen anytime but but when no one knew. Chris Hesse is a legendary Garnier filmmaker.
2:14.8	He was with Kwame and Krumer when the coup happened,
2:18.2	because in the 1950s and 60s he worked as the official cinematographer for the Ghanaian leader.
2:24.0	I saw myself writing the history of Ghana on film.
	...

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