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Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!

In 1957, Kwamin Krummer, Ghana's first prime minister,

then president, announced the country's independence

from the colonial rule of Britain.

In this documentary for the BBC World Service,

I'll be looking at the relationship between independent Ghana and Britain

and the essential rule that the royal visits by the Queen has had

in cementing those ties.

Initially, after independence,

the Queen remained as head of state,

as Professor Philip Murphy from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies explains.

When the Queen's visit to Ghana was initially discussed in 1958,

Ghana was one of the Commonwealth realms,

so the Queen was head of state.

So this wasn't really a matter for the British government at all.

Krummer had the right to invite her as one of the Queen's prime ministers,

and it caused a lot of controversy.

KB Assanti is a retired diplomat who worked with presidents on Krummer.

We weren't sure whether it would take place.

...