African leaders
who promoted the ideals
of Pan Africanism

• Invitation
  
  When Ghana became a Republic in July 1960, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah invited his mentor and the father of Pan Africanism to join him in Ghana. Dr. Du Bois accepted the invitation and took up the task of researching and compiling the Encyclopedia Africana. He moved to Accra, Ghana, to a modest bungalow situated at House No. 22 1 st Circular Road in Cantonment where today, the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture is located. The civil rights activist, freedom fighter and peace activist died at the age of 95 in Accra.
  
  His tomb where his body lies alongside the ashes of his wife Shirley Graham Du Bois, are the centerpiece of the memorial.
  
  The Du Bois Centre consists of the museum which contains memorabilia and his personal library, the Open Air Theatre where intellectual seminars, lectures and workshops are held along with cultural events. In addition is the ‘Marcus Garvey' guest house. The Centre was established in 1985 by the Ghana government to encourage visitors to contemplate the ideals to Pan Africanism and to reflect upon the work of Dr. Du Bois.
  
  Indeed, Dr. Du Bois has a special place in Ghana's history and the Centre with its programmes and activities will help keep the spirit of Pan Africanism alive.
  
  On 22nd of December, 2003 the Egyptian Embassy in Accra donated two large size pictures of President Gamal Abdul Nasser (1918-1970) and President Mohamed Anwar ElSadat (1918-1981) to the DuBois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture. The latest pictures are now part of the Picture Gallary at the DuBois Museum.

• Welcome to a space where history speaks, and heritage lives on.

Four main timelines that outline the life and legacy of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s founding father and a leading figure in Pan-Africanism:

1. Early Life & Education (1909–1947)

Key Focus: Foundations, Global Education, and Political Awakening

• 1909: Born September 21, in Nkroful, Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana)

• 1935: Moves to the United States to study at Lincoln University and later University of Pennsylvania

• 1945: Participates in the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, alongside W.E.B. Du Bois and other African liberation leaders

• 1947: Returns to the Gold Coast; becomes General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC)

2. Rise to Political Power & Independence (1947–1957)

Key Focus: Anti-Colonial Mobilization, Imprisonment, and Independence Victory

• 1949: Breaks from UGCC to form the Convention People's Party (CPP) with the slogan "Self-Government Now!"

• 1950: Imprisoned for organizing a nationwide boycott and civil disobedience campaign

• 1951: Wins a landslide election while still in prison; released and appointed Leader of Government Business

• 1952: Becomes Prime Minister of the Gold Coast

• March 6, 1957: Leads the country to independence — the Gold Coast becomes Ghana, the first sub-Saharan African country to break colonial rule

3. Presidency & Pan-African Leadership (1957–1966)

Key Focus: Nation-Building, African Unity, and Socialist Policies

• 1960: Ghana becomes a Republic, and Nkrumah becomes its first President

• 1963: Co-founds the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa; becomes a symbol of Pan-Africanism

• Builds major infrastructure (e.g., Akosombo Dam), promotes free education, and champions African socialism

• Expands ties with Soviet Union, China, and other non-Western allies, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy

4. Overthrow, Exile & Legacy (1966–1972 and Beyond)

Key Focus: Coup, Exile, and Enduring Pan-African Legacy

• February 24, 1966: While on a peace mission to Vietnam, Nkrumah is overthrown in a coup backed by Western interests

• 1966–1972: Lives in exile in Guinea, welcomed by President Sékou Touré as co-president

• April 27, 1972: Dies in Bucharest, Romania after a short illness; later buried in Ghana

• 1992: His remains are reinterred at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, now a national memorial

• Today, he is remembered as a visionary African leader, a Pan-African hero, and a founding father of modern Ghana