Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, is a public square in Accra, Ghana, bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The square often hosts the annual independence celebrations as well as other national events, and is the site for all civic and military parades and other national gatherings. It was completed in 1961, in time for the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ghana. [1]
In 1957, Kwame Nkrumah became the first prime minister and president of Gold Coast, now Ghana, after gaining independence from the British. Kwame Nkrumah commissioned the construction of the square to celebrate the nation's independence. It coincided with the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Construction ended in 1961, and it was named Black Star Square. [2] [3] Kwame Nkrumah was the one who led Ghana, formerly Gold Coast, to gain independence from Britain. [4]
Black Star Square is a site for Ghana's Independence Day parade, which falls on the 6th of March every year. A particularly notable parade was the Golden Jubilee, which was Ghana's 50th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule. The Golden Jubilee celebration occurred on March 6, 2007, and it was led by President John Kuffour. [5] [6] It also hosts all major national public gatherings and national festivals. [7]
In Independence Square there are stands that can seat 30,000 people. The square boasts three monuments that encapsulate the fight for independence and liberation. This includes the Independence Arch, the Liberation Day Monument, and the Black Star Gate, also known as the Black Star Monument. [8] A statue of a soldier facing the Independence Arch symbolizes the Ghanaians who lost their lives fighting for Ghana's independence.
The state funerals for presidents John Atta Mills [9] and Jerry Rawlings, [10] and for vice-president Aliu Mahama, [11] were held at the square. On March 24, 1998, over 500,000 people gathered at the square to welcome former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton. This was the first visit to Ghana by a U.S. president. [12]
Francis Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from Britain. He was then the first Prime Minister and then the President of Ghana, from 1957 until 1966. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama was a Ghanaian engineer and politician who was Vice-President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. A member of the New Patriotic Party, he was Ghana's first Muslim Vice-President.
Alhaji Imoru Egala was a Ghanaian politician and educationist. He held various positions in government in the Gold Coast and after independence of Ghana. He was the foreign minister of Ghana in the First Republic between 1960 and 1961.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana. Nkrumah had run governments under the supervision of the British government through Charles Arden-Clarke, the Governor-General. His first government under colonial rule started from 21 March 1952 until independence. His first independent government took office on 6 March 1957. From 1 July 1960, Ghana became a republic and Nkrumah became the first president of Ghana.
The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park is located in downtown Accra, the capital of Ghana. Over the years, the park has attracted visitors from around the world, with an annual count of approximately 98,000 individuals who visit to pay homage to Ghana's first President, and learn about his life and legacy. As one of the top 10 most visited sites in the country, the park holds immense cultural and historical significance.
Jubilee House, is the presidential palace in Accra that serves as a residence and office to the President of Ghana. Jubilee House is built on the site of a building that was constructed and used for administrative purposes by the British Gold Coast Government. The previous seat of government of Ghana was Osu Castle. It was renamed Golden Jubilee House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 29 March 2018 to coincide with the 50th year of Ghana's independence.It has since returned to be known as Jubilee House. It has previously been known as The Flagstaff House.
Ghana gained independence from the British on 6 March 1957. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The country became a republic on July 1, 1960.
2006 in Ghana details events of note that happened in Ghana in the year 2006.
Emmanuel Evans-AnfomFRCSEd FICS FAAS FWACS was a Ghanaian physician, scholar, university administrator, and public servant who served as the second Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from 1967 to 1973.
Robert Edward Lee was a Ghanaian dentist. Born in South Carolina to an African-American family, he studied dentistry in Tennessee and then in 1956 emigrated to Ghana with his wife Sara, also a dentist. They were classmates at Meharry Medical College. They were the first black dentists in the country. In the 1970s, Lee became involved with a campaign to refurbish forts on the coast of Ghana as monuments to the Atlantic slave trade. He lived in Ghana until his death.
Elizabeth II was Queen of Ghana from 1957 to 1960, when Ghana was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy. She was also queen of the United Kingdom and other sovereign states. Her constitutional roles in Ghana were delegated to the governor-general of Ghana.
John Banks Elliott was a Ghanaian diplomat and statesman. He was Ghana's first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Soviet Union, serving from 1960 to 1966.
Ghana–Iran relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Ghana and Iran. Ghana has an embassy in Tehran, and Iran has an embassy in Accra.
Ghana–Kenya relations are bilateral relations between Ghana and Kenya. Ghana is a partner of Kenya in many areas, particularly trade, agriculture and energy.
The Independence Day of Ghana is a national holiday celebrated yearly. This day is an official state holiday for the citizens of Ghana both within and in the diaspora to honour and celebrate the Heroes of Ghana who led the country to attain its independence. The Independence Day is celebrated on March 6 every year. Independence Day is also remembrance of the day that marks the declaration of Ghanaian independence from the British colonial rule. The first Prime Minister of Ghana; Kwame Nkrumah became the Head of Government from 1957 to 1960. On Wednesday, 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah declared to the people of Ghana about their freedom, he added that, "the African People are capable of managing their own affairs and Ghana our beloved country is free forever." Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve its independence from European colonial rule. Many Ghanaians who have had the opportunity to serve as president have remembered the occasion and made Ghana Independence Day a public holiday to celebrate. Granting the day as a national holiday is well recognized such that, if 6 March of a year fell on a weekend of the Independence Day celebration, the working day that follows which is a Monday will be granted and observed as a holiday by the whole nation. Many Presidents from other African countries and Europe have been invited to Ghana to join in the celebration either as Guest Speakers or Invited Guests since the reign of former President Kwame Nkrumah till now.
Hajj Adam Babah-Alargi was a Ghanaian engineer who was responsible for many national projects in Ghana. He was the first Ghanaian to establish Ghana's first indigenous engineering consultancy. He was a founding member of the Accra West branch of the Rotary Club.
Kojo Tsikata was a Ghanaian military officer and politician, who served as the Head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He was listed as a retired army captain in the Ghana Army.
The Black Star Gate is part of the Independence Square now known as the Black Star Square in Accra. It is located at the center of the square where parades are held. The Black Star Gate is a monument topped by the Black Star of Africa. The five-pointed star represents Africa in general and particularly Ghana itself. It has the inscription "AD 1957" and "Freedom and Justice". The Black Star Gate was commissioned by Kwame Nkrumah to indicate the country's supreme power to control its own affairs.
Ghana–Yugoslavia relations were historical foreign relations between Ghana and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Formal diplomatic relations at the level of Embassy were established in 1959. Both countries were the founding member states of the Non-Aligned Movement at the 1961 Non-Aligned Conference in Belgrade. President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito paid his first State visit to Ghana in 1961, just one year after the full independence of the Dominion of Ghana.
Ghana–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Ghana and Turkey. Ghana has an embassy in Ankara and Turkey has an embassy in Accra.
