Founder's Day (Ghana)

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Founder's Day
Official nameNational Founder's Day
Observed by Ghana
SignificanceHonour founding fathers of Ghana
Date 4 August
Next time4 August 2021 (2021-08-04)
FrequencyAnnual

Founder's Day is a national public holiday formerly observed in Ghana to mark the birthday of Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founding father of Ghana. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo proposed legislation to Parliament to designate 4 August as FOUNDERS DAY [1] , and 21 September as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, both of which will be observed as public holidays. [2] [3] .

Contents

In March 2019, the public holiday amendments bill was passed into law and 4 August has been designated as FOUNDERS DAY and 21 September as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day. [4] The FOUNDERS DAY is reserved to celebrate and honor the people(The Big Six) who led Ghana to independence whilst Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day is reserved for Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of the movement towards independence of Ghana to commemorate his birthday. [5]

The Founders' Day coincides with the formation of the first political party in the country – the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) on August 4, 1947. [6]

The Founder's Day is also a day Ghanaians take the opportunity to reflect the sacrifices of their fore-bearers who fought for Ghana's independence. Ghanaians also use the activities of that day to encourage others to sacrifice for Ghana by committing their lives. [1]

However, there has been some contention by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Convention People’s Party’s (CPP) to cancel it with their premise being that the new holiday is not a true representation of historical facts and is a deliberate attempt by the Akufo-Addo government to rewrite the country’s history. [7]

According to the NDC, Akufo-Addo seeks to give prominence to his uncle JB Danquah who was a leader in the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the political party from which Kwame Nkrumah broke away to form the CPP which won him the election that saw him become Leader of Government Business and Prime Minister and eventually the first president of Ghana. [7]

Public Lecture Timelines

The first Founders' Day, which is 4 August 2019 fell on a weekend therefore the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, in a statement said in view of the day falling on a Sunday, the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by Executive Instrument (EI), declared Monday, August 5, as a public holiday to be observed as such throughout the country. [8]

The public lecture was chaired by the Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abubakari Mahama II, with other traditional rulers from Dagbon being present. The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye delivered a public lecture. The spokesperson of Yaa Naa, Zamgbali Naa, Dr Jacob Mahama, in his tribute hailed all persons who contributed to the fight for independence and reiterated the essence of honoring all and sundry without focusing entirely on Kwame Nkrumah.

Key personalities such as the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Opare; the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto; the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Roland Affail Monney were present at the lecture. [6]

The Open Foundation West Africa launched its Founders Day Ghana writing contest to increase Ghanaian literature of personalities and events on Wikipedia. The contest, which spans from 1st to 31st August 2020 seeks to create awareness and educate the public on the significance of Founders Day and also encourage the curation of content about Ghana’s history. [9]

See Also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Sekou Nkrumah Fights Oquaye Over Founders' Day". DailyGuide Network. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Akufo-Addo renaming of Founder's Day will be short-lived – CPP". Ghanaweb. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "Founders' day to be placed on Ghana's Holiday Calendar". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Founders' Day in Ghana in 2020". Office Holidays. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Founder's Day 2020, 2021 and 2022 in Ghana". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Nkrumah alone did not 'compose' Ghana's independence - Prof Oquaye". Graphic Online. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 Nyabor, Jonas (5 August 2019). "NDC will reverse 4th August Founders' Day celebration – Otukonor". Citi Newsroom. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Adogla-Bessa, Delali (1 August 2019). "Founders' Day: Gov't declares August 5 a public holiday". Citi Newsroom. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Anyorigya, Daniel Abugre (20 July 2020). "Open Foundation West Africa launches writing contest to commemorate Founders Day". Citi Newsroom. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
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