Kwame Nkrumah Quotes on Freedom
Kwame Nkrumah, the first leader of independent Ghana, understood freedom as the central political task of his generation, and the quotes gathered here express his vision of it. His strategic maxim, seek ye first the political kingdom, placed self-government before all else, and he defended the principle bluntly: it is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else. For Nkrumah, however, political independence was incomplete without economic emancipation and continental unity, the concern of his slogan that Africa must unite and his analysis of neo-colonialism. He insisted that freedom carries obligations, for while a people are ruled by others their sense of responsibility is dulled, and freedom brings responsibilities that alone can enrich a nation's experience. Several popular formulations here are marked as attributed.
Quotes
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“Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all things shall be added unto you.”
The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah -
“Africa must unite.”
Africa Must Unite -
Attributed to Kwame Nkrumah:
“Independence is meaningless without economic and political emancipation.”
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“Neo-colonialism is the worst form of imperialism.”
Introduction," xi -
“We face neither East nor West; we face forward.”
Capitalism is too complicated a system for a newly independent nation. Hence the need for a socialistic society. -
“Capitalism is a development by refinement from feudalism just as feudalism is a development by refinement from slavery . … Capitalism is but the gentleman's method of slavery .”
Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for Decolonisation [2] , 1964 -
“"It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else.” Source: “I Speak of Freedom: A Statement of African Ideology,” by Kwame Nkrumah.”
Wikiquote -
“"I prefer freedom in danger than servitude in tranquility" [4]”
Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare(1968) -
“As long as we are ruled by others we shall lay our mistakes at their door, and our sense of responsibility will remain dulled. Freedom brings responsibilities, and our experience can be enriched only by the acceptance of these responsibilities.”
The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah