Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence
by Useni Eugene Perkins, Illustrated by Laura Freeman

On a humid March night in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah made history. While thousands of people, including dignitaries from around the world cheered, he announced his country’s independence. After many decades of British rule, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule.

Kwame Nkrumah’s Midnight Speech for Independence shares the story of Nkrumah’s declaration of Ghana’s independence and the tremendous history that led to that celebrated moment.