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Liberate Your Mind: Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah’s Influence on Contemporary Pan-African Consciousness in the USA

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Abstract

This article interrogates the influence of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah on the development of contemporary Pan-African consciousness in the USA. The research occurred between December 2018 and January 2020 in Accra Ghana, Washington, DC, and the San-Francisco Bay Area. The study included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory observation at Pan-African events such as Kwanzaa, PANAFEST, and African Liberation Day. The findings suggest the development of Pan-African consciousness is obtained through engagement and interaction with historical and contemporary Pan-African leaders. Two main themes emerged they are (1) Linkages exist between the development of Pan-African consciousness among the Diaspora and Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana’s historical role in the Pan-African Movement, and (2) Pan-African institutions that engage in political education contribute to exposing the Diaspora to Pan-African consciousness.

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Notes

  1. Pan-African Women, Oakland California, January 1, 2019.

  2. Study Abroad Student, Berkeley California, December 27, 2018.

  3. Associate Professor, Washington DC, January 21, 2020.

  4. Pan-African Activist, Oakland California, January 1, 2019.

  5. Finance Manager, Washington, DC, January 19, 2019.

  6. Activist and Commissioner, Washington DC, January 10, 2019.

  7. Study Abroad Student, WhatsApp, December 28, 2018.

  8. Study Abroad Student, Berkeley, December 27, 2018.

  9. Cultural Artist, Berkeley, December 28, 2019.

  10. Associate Professor, Washington, DC., January 8, 2019.

  11. DJ/Barber, Washington, DC., February 12, 2019.

  12. Black Nationalist Leader, Washington, DC., January 18, 2019.

  13. Black Nationalist Leader, Washington, DC., January 23, 2019.

  14. Black Nationalist Leader and Commissioner, Washington, DC, January 23, 2019.

  15. Akan Priestess, Maryland, January 23, 2019.

  16. Akan Priestess, Maryland, January 23, 2019.

  17. Interview Ph.D. Fellow Accra Ghana, February 12, 2019.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to humbly thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: Re-Invigorating Humanities Research at the University of Ghana project for their generous support of this project. The authors would also like to thank the PANAFEST foundation, Institute of African Studies Archives staff and Audio-Visual Staff, IAS Drivers and research assistants Gertrude Sarah Aidoo and Kingsley Orleans Thompson. Thank you to Professor Daniel Avobodur and Dr. Edem Adotey for your support with this project.

Funding

This project received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: Re-Invigorating Humanities Research at the University of Ghana project and the University of Ghana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 73, Accra, Ghana

    Mjiba Frehiwot & Harriet Boateng Aduako

  2. New York University, 50 West St., New York, NY, 10012, USA

    Chy McGhee

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  1. Mjiba Frehiwot
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  2. Chy McGhee
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Correspondence to Mjiba Frehiwot.

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Frehiwot, M., McGhee, C. & Aduako, H.B. Liberate Your Mind: Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah’s Influence on Contemporary Pan-African Consciousness in the USA. J Afr Am St 26, 125–141 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-022-09572-8

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