1) Pan-African Political Project for Young Politicians
The Trust has recognised the persistence of narrow nationalist discourse that can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s. This discourse has recently resurfaced in countries such as South Africa, where myopic nationalist propaganda has been promoted by certain communities and politicians.
This project is designed to target young aspiring African political leaders in African universities. It seeks to provide them with a strong Pan-African ideological grounding through the study of the works and ideas of Kwame Nkrumah. A curriculum will be developed to help future leaders understand the fundamental principles of Pan-Africanism and its relevance to the emancipation and development of Africa.
The project will initially focus on universities in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Its objective is to cultivate a new generation of politically conscious Pan-African leaders.
2) Nkrumah in the 21st Century
The works of Kwame Nkrumah were written in the middle of the twentieth century. As we move further into the twenty-first century, significant global and continental contextual changes have taken place. This project seeks to demonstrate that, despite these changes, colonial domination has merely changed form and Africa continues to experience the realities of neo-colonial control.
The project will therefore examine the continued relevance of Nkrumah’s colonial diagnosis and his proposed solution of African unity. It aims to recontextualise some of Nkrumah’s major works within the realities of the twenty-first century.
The project will begin with Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism, particularly because some of the contextual examples used in the book are now historically dated. The objective is to produce an updated edition of the book containing contemporary examples of neo-colonialism.
Scholars entrusted with this responsibility will also be encouraged to critically engage with aspects of the text. The editorial team of the Kwame Nkrumah Trust (KNT) will organise a series of seminars in which contributors will present and defend their analyses before final publication. If successful, the same approach will be applied to other selected works.
3) Conference and Journal Publications
KNT will host an annual Pan-Africanist conference focused on examining contemporary issues through the lens of the works and political thought of Kwame Nkrumah.
Calls for papers will be extended to prominent Nkrumah scholars, writers, commentators, and civil society organisations to contribute their knowledge and experience. These conferences are expected to produce special issues of the Nkrumahist Digest Journal as well as edited volumes based on the conference proceedings.
4) Remembering Prominent Pan-Africanists
This project will consist of brief newspaper and periodical articles celebrating prominent figures who contributed significantly to Pan-Africanism and Africa’s early emancipatory struggles.
These individuals will be commemorated annually on either their birthdays or the anniversaries of their deaths. KNT will identify suitable newspapers, journals, and periodicals through which these articles can be published and disseminated.