Some few years ago, 4th August used to be a very normal day in Ghana. However since, 2019 this day has been set aside to celebrate a very important moment in the history of Ghanaian politics.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo proposed legislation to Parliament to designate August 4 as founders day.
The bill comprehensively explained that the new holiday would be in place of Kwame Nkrumah’s memorial day since the real struggle for Ghana’s independence started on August 4, 1947.
Furthermore, it also made it clear that the fight for Ghana’s independence was not about only Kwame Nkrumah but the entire big six.
The new holiday has therefore been designated to celebrate the big six who were the leading men for the fight of Ghana’s independence.
However, in order to keep the tradition alive, September 21 was reserved as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day, to commemorate the birthday of Osagyefo Dr.Kwame Nkrumah. Despite being met with a lot of opposition from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the holiday is still being observed.
The Big Six were six leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention, the leading political party in the British colony of the Gold Coast. They were detained by the colonial authorities in 1948 following disturbances that led to the killing of three World War II veterans and are being recognized as the frontmen in Ghana’s fight for independence.