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May 6, 1960

Reception of Kojo Botsio, the Leader of a Delegation of the Legislative Assembly of Ghana, and J. B. Elliot, Ambassador of Ghana in the Soviet Union, by N. S. Khrushchev

On May 6, 1960, Nikita Khrushchev met with Kojo Botsio, leader of Ghana's Legislative Assembly delegation, and J.B. Elliot, Ghana's ambassador to the USSR, to discuss Ghana’s political and economic challenges and their vision for African independence. Botsio conveyed messages from Ghanaian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah, emphasizing the need to combat new forms of colonialism, secure economic independence, and develop infrastructure, particularly the Volta River hydroelectric project. Ghana expressed interest in technical and financial aid from the Soviet Union to support its socialist development agenda. Khrushchev assured Ghana of Soviet goodwill and potential collaboration while highlighting the challenges of colonial resistance. Both sides agreed on the importance of African liberation and socialist solidarity, with Khrushchev expressing support for future cooperation through on-site assessments by Soviet specialists.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.

May 6, 1960

Reception of a Delegation of the Legislative Assembly of Ghana by N. S. Khrushchev

On May 6, 1960, Nikita Khrushchev hosted a delegation from Ghana’s Legislative Assembly led by Kojo Botsio. The meeting celebrated Ghana’s recent independence and reinforced the mutual commitment to global peace and anti-colonialism. Botsio expressed gratitude for the Soviet invitation and shared greetings and a commemorative gift from Ghana’s Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah. Khrushchev praised Ghana’s fight for independence and pledged Soviet support for African nations striving for freedom. Discussions included economic cooperation, with Khrushchev proposing trade exchanges such as Ghanaian coffee and cocoa for Soviet goods. Botsio conveyed Nkrumah’s invitation for Khrushchev to visit Ghana, to which Khrushchev responded positively, pending further arrangements. The meeting highlighted the USSR’s ideological opposition to colonialism and support for newly independent states, emphasizing mutual respect and future collaboration.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.

1958

‘Abd al-Mun‘im Shumays, 'Ghana: A Liberated African State' (Excerpts)

Already in the interwar decades, radio broadcasting became an important tool for seeking to shape public opinion at home and abroad. Thus, in the late 1930s, an Arabic-language “radio war” pitched Italy against France and Britain, both sides attacking the other for imperialist policies and intentions in the Middle East. With the onset of decolonization in Africa and Asia after World War II, also leading postcolonial countries began to use radio as a tool.

As Tareq Ismael’s classic The U.A.R. in Africa: Egypt’s Policy under Nasser (1971) and James Brennan’s “Radio Cairo and the Decolonization of East Africa, 1953-64” (2010) show, these broadcasts attacked British rule and framed Egypt as decolonizing Africa’s leader, a move that became ever more important as Egypt’s international profile grew after the successes of 1956. (See the respective entries in this collection). At the same time, Egypt-based Arabic-language writers were keen to introduce decolonizing and early postcolonial countries to the Arabic-speaking public; they often framed political developments there in ways that were related to Egypt and/or claimed a certain lead role, in decolonization, for Egypt. While some books were written on Asia and Latin America, most concerned Africa, underscoring Egypt’s location and leadership claims there.

A case in point is ‘Abd al-Mun‘im Shumays’ Ghana: Dawla afriqiyya mutaharrara [Ghana: A Liberated African State], excerpts from which are reprinted here. One of many Arabic-language books on Ghana, on other African countries, and on Africa in general, it is one of the earliest such texts during the post-World War II wave of decolonization: it was published in 1958, a year only after Ghana became independent.