Kwame Nkrumah – Buried three times

Born into a poor, Illiterate family in 1909, in what was then known as the Gold Coast, Kwame Nkrumah rose to become Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President in 1957.

He was the founding member of the Organisation of African Unity established in Ethiopia in 1963. Appealing greatly to the masses he first became prime minister in 1952, a position he would hold through Ghana’s Independence struggles in 1957. He was disposed in 1966 by the National Liberation council at which time he fled to Guinea where he became the honorary vice president. He went on to be buried in Conakry until his mother insisted he should be buried in his home village in Ghana.

This wasn’t final either as it was then decided to bring him to Accra where the nation could come and honour him. The irony is that he had actually asked to be embalmed and laid in state. He is laid alongside his wife Fathima who was Egyptian. In fact there was some pre internet matchmaking here. Kwame was good friends with Nasser of Egypt and had told him he wanted an Egyptian wife. The memorial consists of a small museum well worth a visit and contains many of his personal effects. Continue on to some nicely laid out gardens which Includes his car. I went here as part of my day tour.