In the article The Plane Truth, I wrote about the feeling of ambivalence towards reaching into my archives for pieces of old stuff I use for this blog
A few readers have asked what is it that keeps writers like myself going when we don’t appear to be well-requited or see much change in the conditions in the motherland which continue to agitate us.
Writing is indeed a labor of love, but being appreciated by readers is also good pay. I do appreciate it greatly when readers reach out to salute, to criticize, to offer advice, and to ask questions.
A reader of this blog recently asked me if any of my articles have ever resulted in a positive change.
I mentioned to him my experience at the Kwame Nkrumah Museum in Accra which left me distressed after a visit in 2012. The condition in which I saw the official car of the first president of Ghana left me heartbroken. I wrote and published an article on it. I did not visit again until two years later and, lo and behold, a magic had happened. The limousine has been housed in a nice garage.
I publish the two pieces hereunder.
I dedicate this piece to my reader who took his time to ask me questions.
A recent visit to the Nkrumah’s Mausoleum (NM) in Accra brought tears to my eyes. The woebegone look of the place is enough to dishearten any patriotic African. Many of the landmark trees planted by world figures are lean, shriveled, and dying. The grass is brown, shaggy, and ill-kept. The walls are badly in need of fresh paint.
Dry, dusty, dirty, and beggarly, the whole place looks like an abandoned project in dire need of care and attention. The NM is simply an eyesore that should embarrass those who are charged with its maintenance.
It is a crying shame that this unkempt national edifice remains at the top of Ghana’s tourist attractions list.
Ok, ok, it is harmattan time in West Africa and everything is dry and dusty, but should it be beyond the competence of those in charge of the mausoleum to dig a borehole and use it to keep the place green, lush, and healthy-looking all year round?
Without a doubt, Nkrumah is the greatest brand name in Ghana. And it shouldn’t be too difficult to get funding to keep his resting place in a very decent condition.
It shouldn’t require a degree in marketing to come up with marketing strategies to make the Nkrumah Mausoleum a viable and very profitable commercial entity. Some of the companies that the Osagyefo set up are still in business, and they could be solicited for funds to help in maintaining his mausoleum. To supplement the stipends from the government and entrance fees, souvenirs could be sold and even a restaurant and bar opened at the place to generate funds for its upkeep…
