The truth inherent in a known fact remains as such until further probing. The perception the world holds in order to call a “thing” a fact is what is known or what is proven to be true about the said thing. Majority of the entire race however has the former to be an explanation to support a fact.

Facts attached to famous people in history undoubtedly is treated with greater importance than people with the negative of “famous”. Most of these facts related to such people are just known to be true other than “a proven” to be true fact. Skepticisms will continue to be an ingredient in history when proofs as well are not deteriorating. Although “biases” are the bedrock of “historical skepticisms”; the feeling that fuels one to disclaim historical facts especially when the disclaimer has proofs surpasses the former. Proofs when genuine and well marshalled cannot be disputed since a proof is evidently itself.

Born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma; the household name “Kofi” in the Ghanaian tradition was however changed by the bearer of this identification-Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, dubbed “the founder” by many Ghanaians successfully enrolled at the London School of Economics in 1945 hoping to study anthropology had changed his name before the commencement of his education in London to “Kwame”. In his view, he was born on Saturday and thus found the need to be called a “Kwame”.

In the Ghanaian tradition and precisely the Ethnic group Akan, a male child born on a Saturday would bear the name Kwame and with this wall, Nkrumah leaned his argument against. He explained his argument that, he received the name Kofi after his dad had resolved to name him after his closest ally in Nkroful, Western Region of Ghana and thus, the name Kofi is not his household name. In this sense, he would clear the perception that he was born on a Friday.

Fascinatingly, the date of birth owned by the first president of Ghana obviously differs from the calendar of that year basing this on the day Kwame Nkrumah said he was born-21st September, 1909. 21st September, 1909 was the day Kwame Nkrumah was known to be born and thus remains a fact. The importance attached to the image behind the character of this article makes it necessary for all facts surrounding him to be reviewed by all generations. 21st September, 1909 was a Tuesday and that is said to be Kwame Nkrumah’s date of birth contrary to his claims in London that he was born on a Saturday so he should be called a Kwame.

History would have accepted the name Kwame without skepticisms had Kwame Nkrumah not attached his date of birth to the said name. A calendar is a universally “accepted system for fixing the beginning, length and divisions of the civil year and arranging longer divisions of time” according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. Date of births in the twentieth century had all been based on dates given by a calendar. Citing twentieth century because that was the century in which he (Nkrumah) was born.



Clearly indicated in the calendar above, 21st September, 1909 is not a Saturday which Kwame Nkrumah claimed he was born, neither is it a Friday- which would have been a Kofi, the name he was first given by his dad. Following this, will one be safe to say that per Nkrumah’s date of birth he was a “Kwabena” since it (21st September, 1909) was a Tuesday?

In other arguments, will one be vindicated to have put blame on miscalculations of the day he was born or did he at some point in his life reduce or add days to the day he was born for personal gains? What would be the essence of celebrating this day as the day Kwame Nkrumah was born when facts dispute this day linking it to the name he claimed he should be called since he was born on a Saturday?

Dating back, the NDC administration led by Professor Mills declared 21st of the ninth month in every year a holiday dubbing it “founder’s day” adding to the already many holidays on the national calendar. The question, was that necessary since that day does not even correspond to his true identity?
Proofs are always powerful, perhaps there would be explanations from oral traditions or other sources that will explain the reasons behind the “big” date of birth after this.