UKwame Nkrumah ithongo lomzabalazo waboHlanga
Eminyakeni eli-110 eyedlule ngomhla zingama-21 kuMandulo we-1909, uKwame Nkrumah, umsunguli nomholi we-African Independence Movement kanye nePan-Africanism, wazalwa esifundeni saseNzima eGold Coast, kamuva ebizwa ngokuthi iGhana.
UNkrumah wayeyinhloko yokuqala yombuso wesizwe esizimeleyo esikhathini sokuphela kobukoloni (post-colonial) e-Afrika eningizimu yeSahara, ngemuva kokuhola iGhana ekukhululweni kwesizwe ngaphansi kweqembu lozombusazwe iConvention Public Peoples Party ngowe-1957. Wafunda ekolishi ngokomlando okwakungelabantu abamnyama iLincoln University ePennsylvania. UNkrumah waba yingxenye yenhlangano iPan-African movement e-USA phakathi kowe-1930 nowe-1940 wayephinde abeyilungu elalihamba phambili ku-African Students Association, uMkhandlu Wezindaba Ze-Afrika (Council on African Affairs), kanye nezinye izinhlangano.
Ngemva kokushiya i-USA, uNkrumah wabe eselibangisa eLondon lapho afike waqhuba khona izifundo zakhe eLondon School of Economics, University College London kanye neGray’s Inn kusukela ngowe-1945 kuya kowe-1946. Ngalesi sikhathi, i-Afrika yayinezizwe ezingaphezu kwama-40, zonke zazo ngaphandle kwezine i-Ethiopia, iLiberia, i-Egypt neNingizimu Afrika babesalawulwa amazwe asentshonalanga.
Kodwa ngokuphela kwempi yomhlaba yesibili kwabonakala kuzoba noguquko. NgoMfumfu we-1945, uNkrumah wayengumphathi ovelele kuPan-African Congress eManchester, kanye noWEB DuBois, uCLR James, uJomo Kenyatta, nabanye abangama-200. Isimemezelo esasibhalwe uNkrumah esasithi ‘Bonke abantu abangaphansi kwengcindezelo yamazwe esentshonalanga, banawo wonke amalungelo okulawula ikusasa labo’ savunywa ngo elethu kule Nhlangano.
Ngasekupheleni kowe-1947 uNkrumah wabuyela eGold Coast ukuze athathe isikhundla sikaNobhala Jikelele ku-United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), inhlangano yezopolitiki esanda kusungulwa ehlose ukuqeda ukubusa kwamakoloni. Kulesi sikhundla, imizamo kaNkrumah yayigxile ekwenzeni iGold Coast izimele, kanti izifiso zakhe zePan-Africa zase ziza ngemumva.
Ngemuva kwezinyanga eziyishumi nesishiyagalolunye ejele, njengesijeziso sokugqugquzela isiteleka esingekho emthethweni, uNkrumah wakhululwa ngoNhlolanja we-1951 kwathi ngoNdasa we-1952 wabekwa esikhundleni sokuba nguNdunankulu waseGold Coast. okwakunguHulumeni wobambiswano neBritain.
Ngemuva kokuhola iGold Coast ukuya ekuzimeleni ngoNdasa we-1957 wabe esethatha isikhundla sokuba uNdunankulu waseGhana eyayisiqanjwe kabusha, uNkrumah waphinda wandisa ububanzi bakhe, wathi “ukuzimela kwethu kuyoba yize ngaphandle kokuba kuhlanganiswe nenkululeko ephelele ye-Afrika”.
NgoMbasa we-1958, kwahlangana uMhlangano Wokuqala Wezizwe Ezizimele zase-Afrika, kanye nezizwe eziyisi-8 njengabahlanganyeli. Lo mbuthano wabhidliza ukuhlukana phakathi kwe-Afrika enyakatho naseningizimu yeSahara. NgoZibandlela ngawo unyaka we-1958, iNkomfa yokuqala ye-All-African Peoples yabanjelwa e-Accra, inhlanganiso yayihlanganise izinhlangano zenkululeko zamazwe ezingama-62 eziqhamuka e-Afrika jikelele, kanye naboHlanga abavela e-USA. Kwakukhona kule ngqungquthela ngoZibandlela we-1958 uPatrice Lumumba waseCongo waba umholi owaziwayo emhlabeni wonke womzabalazo wokulwa nokuphathwe kwezwe laseCongo yiBelguim. Ngemunva kwalezi zinkomfa, uNkrumah waqhubeka nokubamba iqhaza elibalulekile ekuzimeleni kwamazwe ase-Afrika. Ngowe-1963, waba neqhaza ekwakheni i-Organisation of African Unity (OAU) eNgqungqutheni yokuzimela kwamazwe ase-Afrika e-Addis Ababa. UNkrumah wayehlose ngaphambi kwengqungquthela ye-Addis Ababa ukuthi ukwakheka kwe-OAU kungabonakalisa isinyathelo sokuqala kokwakheka kwe ‘United States of Africa’ elawulwa uhulumeni oyedwa.
Ngowe-1960 inhlangano yokuzimela yathola ithonya elikhulu kulo lonke elase-Afrika, okwaholela ekubeni kuvele amazwe amaningi amasha kuleli lizwekazi. Ngawo lowo nyaka, iGhana yaba iRepublic futhi yamukela umthethosisekelo wayo, okwenza uNkrumah uMengameli wezwe. UNkrumah wabulawa ngumdlavuza wabesilisa ngoMbasa we-1972 eneminyaka engama-62. UNkrumah ungumfanekiso ovelele we-Pan-Africanism owaba nomthelela empilweni yezigidi zabantu base-Afrika bobabili abaseNingizimu Afrika nabafudukela kwamanye amazwe (Diaspora).
Umsebenzi wakhe kuthiwa unethonya elikhulu ekuqhubeni ukuzimela kwe-Afrika nokuthi iGhana yizwe lokuqala lase-Sub-Sahara nase-Afrika ukuthola inkululeko.
UNkrumah waqatha indima ebalulekile ekwenzeni i-Afrika izimele geqe. Ukhunjulwa ngokungahambisani nokungalungi nokucindezelwa kwe-Afrika yonkana, kanye nezinqubomgomo zakhe ezibukhali zezomnotho ezazuzisa iGhana ngokumangalisayo. Wabonisa ukuthi ngokuhlela ngokucophelela nokubekezela, yonke i-Afrika ingasuswa engcindezweni yamazwe ase-Europe, futhi ithole ukukhululeka kweqiniso nokuzimela.
UNkrumah, uzohlale ehlonishwa aphinde akhunjulwe ngokuzinikela kwakhe ekutheni i-Afrika izimele ngokweqiniso.
