Today is Independence Day

A combined team of policemen and soldiers, supported by officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and National Security operatives, has been deployed to Kumasi to provide security and ensure the safety of persons and properties during the commemoration of Ghana’s 63rd Independence anniversary in the Garden City.

The security men will be stationed at vantage points to conduct searches and assist guests who have been invited to the parade grounds.

Road closures

According to the Director of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, Superintendent Mrs Sheila Abayie Buckman, as part of the security arrangement for the 63rd Independence Day Parade at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi today, some major roads leading to the Baba Yara Stadium would be temporarily closed to vehicles to ensure free flow of people to and from the venue.

She said vehicular access to the stadium had been limited to guests with invitation cards to attend and the security services alone, adding that adequate diversions had been made as alternatives to the closed roads, and that Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) officials would be deployed for effective traffic management in the area.

She listed the roads to be closed to include the Afful Nkwanta traffic light-Baba Yara Stadium, Asokwa mall traffic light-stadium, Unity Oil station- T. I. Ahmadiyya SHS and the ‘It’s my Kitchen Restaurant’-Briginia V.

Coloured cards

Supt Buckman said invited guests to the 63rd Independence Parade had to note the following parking arrangements, while they were also encouraged to carry their invitation cards to the venue.

She said holders of red invitation cards would park at the Heroes Park, those with yellow cards on the hockey pitch, while those with green cards would go to the inner perimeter

Parking lots had been created in communities closer to the stadium to enable people to park their vehicles and trek to the venue.

Heightened security

Guests and their vehicles would also be thoroughly searched or scanned before gaining entry and they were, therefore, urged to cooperate with assigned persons, she added.

She said the public was assured of adequate security measures at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and all areas which were connected to the celebration.

Adequate security measures had also been put in place in all areas of the country, she added.

She explained that motorists in Kumasi, particularly around the Sports Stadium, were encouraged to plan alternative routes before embarking on their journeys, while the public was also entreated to cooperate with deployed security officers.

“Any person or group of persons intending to protest, agitate or demonstrate anywhere in and around or close to the Baba Yara Stadium is hereby warned to change plans and conform due to the arrangements made by the organisers and the security services.

“Criminals and criminally minded persons who intend to infiltrate the public, steal or perpetrate any acts of criminality are also warned to desist from any such criminal act,” Supt Buckman stressed.

Ending colonial rule in 1957

For the second time, the annual event has been moved from Accra, where it had been hosted for all these years, to Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.

Supt Buckman indicated that no vehicle would be allowed to park at an unauthorised place or drive through the roadblocks, saying that such vehicles would be arrested and their owners surcharged.

Last year’s independence day parade was held in Tamale in the Northern Region following the introduction of the rotational system by the government to give each region a feel of the event.

The decentralisation of the national event was to bring meaning, experience and the story of the country’s independence closer to Ghanaians across the country.

The main celebration will be held at the Baba Yara Stadium, while all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAS) across the country will organise similar events within their jurisdictions.

The celebration is on the theme: “Consolidating Our Gains”, with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Christopher Rowley, as the Special Guest of Honour.

In addition to the security services, students and pupils of five senior high schools, eight basic schools and one special school will be on parade.

Independence

After decades of political struggle by the Big Six, Kwame Nkrumah, who later led the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in the push for independence, became the first Prime Minister of the colony from 1954 to 1956, and subsequently when Ghana was finally declared an independent state on March 6, 1957, he became the first President.

On the eve of Ghana’s Independence on March 5, 1957, Dr Nkrumah declared Ghana as an independent country from British colonial rule at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra.

“At long last, the battle has ended! And thus Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever,” he declared.

With him were five of his comrades in the struggle for independence: Komla Gbedemah, Kojo Botsio, Archie Casely-Hayford, Krobo Edusei and N.A. Wellbeck, all attired in splendid smocks.

Dr Nkrumah, in a speech, spoke about reshaping Ghana’s destiny and called for the support of Ghanaians to make that happen.

New African

“We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the world! That new African is ready to fight his own battles and show that, after all, the Black man is capable of managing his own affairs. We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our own foundation,” he said.

He made a point, saying: “We are going to create our own African personality and identity.”

Subsequent governments have observed the day and also promoted the rich Ghanaian culture and identity.

Curiously, beyond the normal parade and speeches, the event ground is expected to be flooded with personalities in traditional wear, mainly ‘Kente’, and a showcase of the people’s rich culture, including the ‘adowa’ and ‘kete’ dances.

About 2,000 very important personalities (VIPs) will flank the President on the dais, including high-ranking members of the security services, other notable organisations and schoolchildren who will march at the event.

It is expected that there will be heavy security, especially around the dais where President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Special Guest and other dignitaries will sit.

Event

The stadium and its surroundings are expected to be draped in the colours of the national flag, while some houses around the stadium have been painted.

Also, the entire stadium arena and the seats in the stands have been painted in the national colours of red, gold and green.

Last Friday, a prayer and thanksgiving service was held for the Muslim community nationwide, while a Christian prayer and thanksgiving service was held by Christians nationwide last Sunday.

Background

Independence Day is an official state holiday observed in Ghana and the Ghanaian Diaspora on March 6. 

Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to attain independence from British colonial rule.

Independence Day serves as a time to reaffirm national unity, as well as national sovereignty.