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.”
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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