Du Bois letter “A Future for Pan-African: Freedom, Peace, Socialism” is as much of an appeal to Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah as it is a series of instruction Du Bois expected Nkrumah to abide by. Du Bois wrote to Nkrumah in the aftermath of his successful election victory in Ghana, in which he was named the 1st Prime Minister of Ghana in 1957. Prime Minister Nkrumah extended an invitation to Du Bois to join the nation of Ghana in celebration of its independence. Du Bois, however, politely refused for a number of reasons, including his inability to procure a passport, but nonetheless assisted Nkrumah in the transition from colonial governance to direct governance through his open letter. Du Bois instructed Nkrumah to find alliance amongst other …show more content…
The successful transition of power was accomplished on the Dark Continent by what whites referred to as “savage brutes.” The Pan-Africanist, monitoring various independence movements for example, in Indochina (Vietnam) and Algeria, may have been dismayed by the lackluster turn of events in those respective regions. However, the emergence of Ghana, as the first independent African state, gave hope for Pan-Africanists for a future of free Black African states. Ghana was the light at the end of a dark tunnel that was necessary for understanding the future of African liberation movements. Not only had Ghana experience more political and economic liberties than contemporary African colonies, but its leadership, including Nkrumah were of the educated middle class. Kwame Nkrumah was a beacon of hope for the future liberation of African states. Not only had he been appointed to the highest position in colonial government, but he also used his position to “Africanize” the Gold Coast Colony, allowing for more native to enjoy civil liberties, education, social mobility, and political power. In a manner of nearly five years (1952-1957), Nkrumah’s government comprised of Black Ghanaians, which provided Nkrumah with an incentive to declare Ghanaian