The W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Center Ghana is a testament for all who dare to critically think and stand strong on ethical and moral principles.
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor. Born in western Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a tolerant community and experienced little racism as a child. After graduating from Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
In 1961 DuBois was invited to Ghana by Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah to work on the Encyclopedia Africana. He gained Ghanaian citizenship and spent his final days living in Accra until he died at the age of 95 in 1963. The Center as described below, is one of the most fascinating tourist attractions in Ghana.
A source of inspiration to many, this Centre now houses a research library and gallery of manuscripts, as well as the grave of this famous African-American scholar and his wife.
Somewhere in the recesses of the City of Accra called Cantonments, where the calm air, the cool trees, and the sunshine combine to produce a unique serenity; where the songs of the birds provide a sort of euphoria; there, in that tranquillity, squats a house, No. 22 First Circular Road, which has been dedicated and consecrated to the memory of a man who loved Africa where he traced his roots, a modest man, but whose life and works raised him above ordinary men and placed him among the great men of all time – Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois.
It is the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture dedicated to the life of a man who spent greater part of his life in the struggle for the emancipation of the black man through Pan Africanism.
A house declared a National Monument by the Government of Ghana where the remains of the man, Du Bois and the ashes of his wife, Shirley, rest in a peace – enshrined, that their memory will live among men and women in this generation and beyond.
But, more significant too, House No. 22 First Circular Road, Cantonment, was the dwelling of Dr. Du Bois during the epoch-making last days of his life, and it was here, on August 27, 1963, that he breathed his last.
The black and white rectangular building sits in the middle of raised walls that form a large magnificently landscaped compound dotted with trees, flowers, pathways, and aquarium, with two gates in the Western and Northern walls.
Below is a link to a virtual tour of W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Center Ghana. Enjoy the experience and the rich history of this historical monument.
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