Following the death and burial of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, at the memorial park and mausoleum in Accra, his wife, Fathia Nkrumah, eventually also has her tomb near him.
This became possible when she made a last wish to be buried by her husband when she dies.
Fathia Nkrumah died in 2007 in Egypt, and her body was transported to Ghana in fulfillment of that wish.
Making this known on GhanaWeb TV’s People and Places, hosted by Ernestina Serwaa Asante, the Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Edward Quao, noted that Fathia Nkrumah also had a state burial before being buried inside the mausoleum.
He said, “Eventually, it was thought that Dr. Nkrumah deserved a proper national honour, so this site was chosen because of the historical importance, and they built this place to house his final remains.
“Fathia Nkrumah, his wife, died in 2007 in Egypt. Not long after she also passed, the news then came from the children that on her sickbed, during her last days, she actually made a wish to be buried close to her beloved husband.”
Quao further said, “So, that request got to our then president, His Excellency J.A. Kufuor. Discussions went on in his government, and it was agreed. So, they brought Fathia back from Egypt, gave her a state funeral, and her remains were also brought, so we have her tomb just on the other side.”
Inside the mausoleum is a skylight, and most patrons seek refuge in the mausoleum where Nkrumah and his wife were buried because the place is cozy and serene.
SA/AE
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
