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Established on 22nd June 1985, the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan-African Culture in Accra stands as a living memorial to one of the most influential scholars, civil rights pioneers, and Pan-Africanists of the 20th century — Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois.


What you can find in DuBois` Personal Library

There are 21 books written by Dr. DuBois. Other books collected by Dr. DuBois are 1,300 in number. They are categorized into special areas; Several Issues of "Freedom Ways", a quarterly review of the Freedom Negro Movement - Negro History.

  • Race and Politics
  • Negro Poetry
  • Books in French
  • Books in German
  • Science
  • Middle East
  • The Caribbean and South America
  • Fiction
  • Asia
  • Asia and Middle East
  • Russian
  • Chinese
  • Soviet Union
  • Biographies of African Americans
  • West Africa
  • European History
  • Language
  • Africa
  • South Africa
  • Central Africa
  • North Africa
  • Who's Who
  • Negro Music
You can also find in DuBois' Bedroom at the Centre the following Academic Gowns and Hoods :

  • Honorary LLD 1938 , Fisk University, USA
  • PhD in History and Government 1896, Harvard University, USA
  • BA Social Sciences and Philosophy, Fisk University, USA
  • Honorary LLD 1930 Howard University, USA
  • Homorary Doctor of Letters, University of Ghana 1963
  • Honorary LLD 1938, Fisk University, USA
  • BA in Political Economy 1890, Harvard
You can also find Citation by the Government of The People's Republic of China on the 91st Birthday of Dr. DuBois, also large Wall Hanging from China.
There are also Gifts from Czecoslovak Government(1959) and also Gifts from Harvard University, USA

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

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W.E.B. Du Bois Timeline

1868 - 1897

1. Early Life & Education (1868–1897)

Key Focus: Academic Excellence and Intellectual Formation

  • 1868: Born on February 23 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

  • 1888–1890: Attends Fisk University in Tennessee

  • 1890–1895: Studies at Harvard University; becomes the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard

  • 1892–1894: Studies at the University of Berlin in Germany, developing a global perspective on race and imperialism

  • 1897: Publishes The Suppression of the African Slave Trade, based on his Ph.D. thesis

1997 - 1934

2. Civil Rights Activism & Scholarly Leadership (1897–1934)

Key Focus: Pan-Africanism, NAACP, The Crisis, and The Souls of Black Folk

  • 1897–1910: Professor at Atlanta University, conducts landmark sociological research on Black life in America

  • 1903: Publishes The Souls of Black Folk, a foundational text in African-American literature and sociology

  • 1905: Co-founds the Niagara Movement, advocating for full civil rights

  • 1909: Helps establish the NAACP

  • 1910–1934: Serves as editor of The Crisis, the NAACP’s official magazine

  • 1919–1921: Helps organize several Pan-African Congresses, uniting people of African descent globally

  • 1935: Publishes Black Reconstruction in America, a groundbreaking reanalysis of the Reconstruction Era

1934 - 1961

3. Political Radicalization & Global Engagement (1934–1961)

Key Focus: Socialism, Internationalism, and Pan-African Unity

  • 1934: Resigns from the NAACP due to ideological differences

  • 1940: Founds and edits Phylon, a scholarly journal on race and culture

  • 1945: Participates in the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England

  • 1951: Marries Shirley Graham Du Bois, writer and fellow activist

  • 1950s: Advocates peace, socialism, and nuclear disarmament; targeted by U.S. government during McCarthy era

  • 1961: Moves to Ghana at the invitation of President Kwame Nkrumah to work on the Encyclopaedia Africana

1961 - 1963

4. Final Years & Legacy (1961–1963 and Beyond)

Key Focus: Ghanaian Citizenship, Death, and Lasting Legacy

  • 1961: Becomes a Ghanaian citizen and renounces U.S. citizenship

  • 1963: Dies in Accra, Ghana, on August 27, one day before the March on Washington

  • 1964: The U.S. enacts the Civil Rights Act, fulfilling many of Du Bois's lifelong goals

  • 1985: The W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan-African Culture is established in Accra, Ghana, as his final resting place and a living memorial

Monday

09:00 - 18.00

Tuesday

09:00 - 18.00

Wednesday

09:00 - 18.00

Thursday

09:00 - 18.00

Friday

09:00 - 18.00

Saturday

09:00 - 18.00

Sunday

09:00 - 18.00

3 Slider Pages

The Museum Library and Seminar Room, located in his former home, are now in urgent need of restoration and refurbishment. The Library, housing Dr. DuBois' personal collection along with a range of works related to him and Pan Africanism, requires expansion to achieve international recognition. Visitors must obtain special permission to access Du Bois' personal library if they wish to view the list of books he used for his studies.

Slide 1

The deterioration of the Centre is apparent, even to the casual visitor. Its lack of programming is concerning to those who wish to see Dr. DuBois's ideals broadly embraced by Ghanaians, young people of African descent in the diaspora, researchers, and anyone interested in learning more about Dr. DuBois and Pan-Africanism. Due to inadequate funding and internal mismanagement, the Centre has managed to survive but is unable to thrive.

Slide 2

The doors may be open, but there is little to see and even less to experience, aside from a somewhat amusing director and a woman who claims to oversee the museum, greeting visitors with a rather reserved demeanor.
The Memorial Centre requires "New Life" (and new management) to transform it into a hub of information, a forum for discourse, and a center for serious research in the twenty-first century. Its purpose is twofold: first, it serves as a memorial to Dr. DuBois.

Slide 3

Secondly, it aims to be a vibrant and dynamic space that promotes the ideals of Pan Africanism by demonstrating their practical applications to contemporary social, political, economic, and cultural conditions. While the Centre stands as a lovely tribute to Dr. DuBois, it must also be expressed through its programs, its expanding collection of relevant works, and its growing influence and engagement within the community, Africa, the diaspora, and the world at large.