Kwame Nkrumah

by David Birmingham

The First African Statesman to achieve world recognition was Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), who became president of the new Republic of Ghana in 1960. He campaigned ceaselessly for African solidarity and for the liberation of southern Africa from white settler rule. His greatest achievement was to win the right of black peoples in Africa to have a vote and to determine their own destiny. This revised edition of Birmingham's biography chronicles the public accomplishments of this extraordinary leader, who faced some of the century's most challenging political struggles over colonial transition, African nationalism, and pan-Africanism. It also relates some of the personal trials of a complex individual. This remarkable life story, which touches on many of the issues facing modern Africa, will open a window of understanding for the general reader as well as for graduate and undergraduate classes.