30 Quotes by Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah, a Ghanaian nationalist and visionary leader, played a pivotal role in the decolonization of Africa and the fight against imperialism. As the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, Nkrumah advocated for pan-African unity and economic independence, emphasizing the importance of self-determination for African nations. His leadership was marked by ambitious efforts to transform Ghana into an industrialized and self-reliant nation. Nkrumah's influence extended beyond his own country, as he inspired liberation movements across the African continent. While his presidency faced challenges and criticism, his enduring legacy lies in his contribution to the struggle for African sovereignty and his call for a united and empowered Africa. Nkrumah's vision of a just and self-sufficient continent continues to inspire leaders and activists striving for a brighter future for Africa and its people.
Kwame Nkrumah Quotes
I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.
It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.
Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.
Action without thought is empty. Thought without action is blind.
As far as i am concerned, i am in the knowledge that death can never extinguish the torch which i have lit in Ghana and Africa. Long after i am dead and gone, the light will continue to burn and be borne aloft, giving light and guidance to all people
Capitalism is a development by refinement from feudalism, just as feudalism is development by refinement from slavery . Capitalism is but the gentlemen's method of slavery.
Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The notion that in order to have a nation it is necessary for there to be a common language, a common territory and common culture has failed to stand the test of time or the scrutiny of scientific definition of objective reality.
The community of economic life is the major feature within a nation, and it is the economy which holds together the people living in a territory. It is on this basis that the new Africans recognise themselves as potentially one nation, whose dominion is the entire African continent.
It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else
Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism . Her earth is rich, yet the products that come from above and below the soil continue to enrich, not Africans predominantly, but groups and individuals who operate to Africa’s impoverishment.
The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.
The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African Continent
All people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or in any part of the world are Africans and belong to the African nation.
We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the world!
Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. Thy claim it as their own and none can keep it from them.
For centuries, Europeans dominated the African continent. The white man arrogated to himself the right to rule and to be obeyed by the non-white; his mission, he claimed, was to "civilize" Africa. Under this cloak, the Europeans robbed the continent of vast riches and inflicted unimaginable suffering on the African people.
Revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.
We face neither East nor West: we face forward.
The result of neo-colonialism is that foreign capital is used for the exploitation rather than for the development of the less developed parts of the world. Investment under neo-colonialism increases rather than decreases the gap between the rich and poor countries of the world.
But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey published by his wife.
The total liberation and unification of Africa under an All-African Socialist Government must be the primary objective of all Black revolutionaries throughout the world. It is an objective which when achieved, will bring about the fulfillment of the aspirations of Africans and people of African descent everywhere. It will at the same time advance the triumph of the international socialist revolution.
No people without a government of their own can expect to be treated on the same level as people of independent sovereign states. It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else . . .
It is far easier for the proverbial camel to pass through the needle's eye, hump and all, than for an erstwhile colonial administration to give sound and honest counsel of a political nature to its liberated territory.
The essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.
At long last, the battle has ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!
A State in the grip of neo-colonialism is not master of its own destiny. It is this factor which makes neo-colonialism such a serious threat to world peace.
It is only the ending of capitalism, colonialism, imperialism and neocolonialism and the attainment of world communism that can provide the conditions under which the RACE question can finally be abolished and eliminated.
We all want a United Africa, United not only in our concept of what unity connotes, but united in our common desire to move forward together in dealing with all the problems that can best be solved only on a continental basis.
The best way of learning to be an independent sovereign state is to be an independent sovereign state.
Africa is one continent, one people and one nation
The traditional face of Africa includes an attitude towards man which can only be described as being socialist
Long before many of us were even conscious of our own degradation, these men [Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. DuBois] fought for African national and racial equality.
We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquility.
There is a close connection between socio-political development, the struggle between social classes and the history of ideologies. In general, intellectual movements closely reflect the trends of economic developments. In communal society, where there are virtually no class divisions, man's productive activities on outlook and culture is less discernible. Account must be taken of the psychology of conflicting classes.
The masses of the people of Africa are crying for unity.
Socialism is not spontaneous. It does not arise of itself. It has abiding principles according to which the major means of production and distribution ought to be socialised if exploitation of the many by the few is to be prevented; if, that is to say, egalitarianism in the economy is to be protected.
― Kwame Nkrumah Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
