Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister (1957-1960) and president (1960-1966) of the Republic of Ghana, was the leader of the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain its independence. He subsequently became a leading figure in the campaign for the United States of Africa. Nkrumah was born on September 21, 1909, in Nkroful, Gold Coast. The son of a goldsmith, he attended mission schools at Accra and government training colleges at Achimota (1926-1930) where he prepared to be a teacher.
In 1935, Nkrumah left for the United States where he attended Lincoln University (1935-1939) and the University of Pennsylvania (1939-1943). A gifted student, by 1943 Nkrumah had earned multiple bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics, sociology, education, theology, and philosophy. Then, in May of 1945, Nkrumah departed for London, England, where he studied as a Ph.D. student at the London School of Economics. While in London, Nkrumah held key positions in anti-colonialist and Black-nationalist organizations and authored controversial papers calling for African independence and unity. In 1945, Nkrumah co-founded the Pan African Congress, which became an influential voice against colonialism in Africa.
In 1947, Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast and became general secretary of the newly-founded United Gold Coast Convention. However, in 1949 Nkrumah split with the organization over its political objectives and formed the Convention People’s Party (CPP). During his tenure as head of the CPP, Nkrumah protested British rule and led numerous petitions for self-government. Imprisoned by the British in 1950 for his political activities, Nkrumah was released in 1951 when his party won the general election in a landslide victory. He subsequently was elected prime minister in 1952.
As prime minister, Nkrumah led an aggressive campaign for independence and achieved it in 1957. Three years later, he formed a new government, the Republic of Ghana. A devoted Pan-Africanist, Nkrumah forged alliances with both Guinea and Mali and sought to create a league of African states with its own government. To help achieve this goal, in 1963 he and other African leaders formed the Organization of African Unity. Choosing to remain neutral in political affairs outside of the African continent, Nkrumah initially gained tentative support from both the United States and the Soviet Union, receiving economic and technical aid from both countries.
Vigorously suppressing political dissidents, Nkrumah almost immediately was branded a dictator by his political opponents. Then, in 1961 a firestorm of protest erupted after he appointed himself supreme commander of the armed forces and absolute head of the CPP. Nkrumah subsequently outlawed all other political parties.
In 1966, Nkrumah’s government was overthrown by a coup d’état while he was on a trip to Beijing, China. Taking refuge in Guinea, Nkrumah spent the rest of his life in exile. He died in Bucharest, Romania on April 27, 1972.
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in the last seven and a half years we’ve been doing this show [CTH]
Can’t believe I’m the first person to post in the Nkrumah mega
Aubrey Plaza’s husband is literally just dude-her??
Weirdly I almost feel like being bisexual for me was a phase. After I had Covid, I feel mostly straight again. Finding guys attractive always felt like more of an effort for me. Does being bi work like that for anyone else? Also possibly related I discovered my gay crush had a boyfriend. I’ve heard it called the bi-cycle, but it’s weird. Not sure what my sexuality is doing rn.
I feel like this too sometimes. I’m definitly way more into women than I am into men and I delayed identifying with bisexuality for a long time because it felt fake. But I eventually just decided to say fuck it and go with it. But it goes in phases. For awhile there I felt like I was becoming attracted to men more and more over time, but lately I feel like attraction to men feels forced or awkward, other than femboys.
I think to a great extent the idea that there are only three sexuality and you have to fit exclusively in one of them for your whole life is a product of culture and politics during the last fiftyish years. iirc Kinsey had like five categories ranging from predominately heterosexual to predominately homosexual, maybe more than five. And some of them were “mostly heterosexual but would do gay stuff in situations where the opportunity was available, but wouldn’t seek out gay stuff” and then “Would do straight stuff if it came up but didn’t seek it out” on the other end. You live long enough you tend to meet lesbians with one confusing exception, or folks who have been interested in different genders at different times in their lives, or whatever. It’s a lot more complicated than just “gay/bi/straight”. But then bc the culture is so violently, ruthlessly heteronormative everyone is kind of pushed towards finding a category and sticking with it, with bi people awkwardly stuck in this place where both poles tend to view them as transgressive in some way. Like the whole idea that someone isn’t bi enough to be bi if they haven’t actually had sex with people of the same gender, that’s all about social performance and group membership, not the subjective sexual experience of that person.
I find that I am only attracted to a very particular set of men, and that my attraction definitely leans towards the opposite sex primarily. I Can go years without seeing a single man I find attractive, and that at first made me think my sexuality was a phase too, but even so often there’sa dude who is just hot as fucking hell. I’m not very involved in the scene, haven’t been since I attended the GSA in school, so I’m not sure if this is normal, but it sounds similar to your experience.
