‘Forgive us for staying away’ — Samia Nkrumah leads family back to Nkroful, pledges to preserve Nkrumah’s legacy

The family of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has returned to Nkroful with a renewed commitment to preserving his legacy and reconnecting younger generations with his ideas.

The family, led by Nkrumah’s daughter, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, attended the 2026 NkrumahFest in Nkroful in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

For Samia, the return marked more than a ceremonial visit.

She apologised to the people of Nkroful for what she described as the family’s prolonged absence from their ancestral home, explaining that the painful experiences surrounding her father’s political life had left them traumatised and fearful.

“I want you to forgive us for staying away from our home for so long,” she said.

Samia recalled witnessing the personal cost of Nkrumah’s political commitment, including surviving assassination attempts.

She said she remembered seeing her father wounded and covered in blood following one of the attacks, experiences she said had a lasting effect on the family.

“We were traumatised, we were scared, we were confused,” she said.

But she said the family had now decided to return and play its part in Ghana’s development, unity and progress.

“But the good news is that we’ve come back. And we want to make a contribution to Ghana’s progress, to Ghana’s development, and to Ghana’s unity,” she stated.

Samia introduced three of Nkrumah’s grandchildren who accompanied her to the festival, describing their presence as a source of pride for the family.

She said the family’s renewed engagement was not simply about honouring Nkrumah as a historical figure, but ensuring that his ideas continue to be examined and used to inspire future generations.

“We are coming back to recognize our father’s work. We are coming back to appreciate his ideas, and we are coming back to make sure that those ideas never die, but rather, they nourish us and give us the courage to make Ghana better.”

Challenging the 1966 narrative

Samia also challenged what she described as negative narratives surrounding the 1966 overthrow of Nkrumah’s government.

Referring to the statue of Nkrumah at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Museum in Accra, she recalled that its head was severed from the body following the overthrow.

She argued that the destruction of the statue and celebrations associated with the coup should not be interpreted as evidence that all Ghanaians supported Nkrumah’s removal from office.

“That negative propaganda that Osagyefo when he left, Ghanaians were happy is not true,” she said.

She expressed appreciation to individuals and organisations working to document what she considers a more accurate account of Nkrumah’s life and legacy.

Samia also spoke about the unveiling of a new Nkrumah statue at a roundabout in Sunyani, saying the experience moved her because of the contrast with the earlier destruction of his statue.

For her, the new monument represented what she sees as a renewed interest in Nkrumah’s ideas.

“When we unveiled the statue at the roundabout, I realised that yes, we are going to rise. Nzimaland will rise, Africa will rise, Ghana will rise, and Africans everywhere are going to rise,” she said.

She stressed, however, that the purpose of such symbols should not be the worship of statues but the preservation of the ideas they represent.

‘We want to reintroduce our father’s ideas’

Samia pledged the Nkrumah family’s continued support for NkrumahFest, commending its organisers for using the festival to expose younger generations to Nkrumah’s philosophy and Pan-African vision.

She specifically acknowledged the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, a convener of the festival.

“It is for this reason that the Nkrumah family will always support what our brother is doing, what Honourable Buah is doing with NkrumahFest, enlightening the younger generation. Honourable, the Nkrumah family is behind you,” she said.

She said the family’s participation was intended to help reconnect young Ghanaians and Africans with Nkrumah’s ideas.

“We are here because we want to reintroduce our father’s ideas to the younger generation. Because we believe he was speaking Africa’s truth,” she added.

Samia also rejected descriptions of Nkrumah as an isolationist or a rigid leader whose ideas were disconnected from the wider world.

She argued that his strong Ghanaian nationalism and Pan-Africanism existed alongside relationships with people from different countries and continents.

“They say he was an isolationist. They say he was dogmatic, rigid in his ideas. Let me tell you, this is not true,” she said.

She said the family’s renewed involvement with NkrumahFest would help give younger people an opportunity to engage with Nkrumah’s philosophy and legacy beyond what she described as negative historical narratives.

The 2026 NkrumahFest at Nkroful brought together members of the Nkrumah family, political leaders, academics, Pan-Africanists, traditional authorities, young people and other guests to commemorate Ghana’s first President and reflect on his vision for Ghana and Africa.