This powerful statement emphasizes that true freedom means controlling your own destiny, even if you make mistakes along the way. It teaches that self-governance, with all its imperfections, is always preferable to being ruled by an external power.
Quote by Kwame Nkrumah: “It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else.”
Insight
Historical Context
Nkrumah expressed the fundamental desire for self-rule over colonial control, even acknowledging the potential challenges of new governance. This was a core tenet of the decolonization movement.
About the Author
Ghanaian pan-Africanist politician and the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana after independence in 1957. His 1963 book Africa Must Unite outlined the case for a continental African government, and he was a founding member of the Organisation of African Unity. He was overthrown in a coup in 1966.
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