Du Bois Memorial Centre to be redeveloped into Pan-African museum

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has signed an agreement with the W. E. B. Du Bois Foundation to redevelop the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre in Accra into a world-class Pan-African premier museum complex.

The $200 million project would lead to the restoration of the Du Bois bungalow, where the Dr Du Bois family once lived, and a new library which would contain all his books.

Upon completion, the project would contain 50 rooms, which would serve as a residence for scholars from across the world interested in studying the works of Dr Du Bois.

There would also be a new tomb and a museum for the remains of Dr Du Bois and his second wife, Shelly Graham.

The project, which begins on April 1 this year, is expected to be completed on February 23, 2027.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, Ghana, Japheth Aryiku, when the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, paid a familiarisation visit to the facility.

Accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Dzifa Gomashie, the Speaker laid a wreath on the tomb of Dr Du Bois, and also toured his residence to gain deeper insight into the vision of the redeveloped plan.

Scope  

Mr Aryiku said the residence of the former Pan-Africanist and his family would be restored to its former status, with some modernisation.

He said the foundation was concurrently working on fundraising efforts since the project involved building a new museum that would exhibit the 95-year life of Dr W. E. B Du Bois.

There would also be an amphitheatre to give Ghanaian artists and other artists from the African continent the opportunity to perform their works.

“This is going to be a monumental project, and I guarantee you that in the next three to four years, this place is going to be transformed and you will see some wonderful things happening here,” Mr Aryiku added.

Significance

Mr Bagbin said as an Africanist and a student of history, the visit had allowed him to “drink deep into the wealth of knowledge that is left to rot here”.

“This is the store of knowledge of Africa, and it is the beginning of our liberation,” he said, describing the investment needed for the project as “measureless”.

“There is a lot that we have to do to support this initiative and to make sure that it becomes a blessing to all of us.

“If you do not know history, you will never be wise.

The future is for Africa, and we have to keep the spirit, our identity and our culture,” he said, acknowledging the enormous contribution Dr Du Bois and others made for Ghana’s independence.

He further pledged to invest personally in the project to make its transformation a reality.

Appreciation

For her part, Ms Gomashie expressed appreciation to the President, John Dramani Mahama, the Executive Director of the foundation, and the Speaker for their support in signing the agreement for the release of the centre for the project.

She, however, suggested that what had been done for Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Du Bois must be extended to George Padmore, another Pan-Africanist.

“Between these three people, Ghana is already the hub of Pan-Africanism, and their status must be at par so that when we trumpet Pan-Africanism and use it as a bridge between the diaspora and us, when they come, they do not see one standing above the other,” the minister said.