March 6, 1957 - At long last, the
battle has ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country
is free forever!
And yet again, I want to take the opportunity to thank
the people fo this country; the youth, the farmers, the
women who have so nobly fought and won the battle.
Also, I want to thank the valiant ex-service men who
have so cooperated with me in this mighty task of
freeing our country from foreign rule and imperialism.
And, as I pointed out... from now on, today, we must
change our attitudes and our minds. We must realise that
form now on we are no longer a colonial but free and
independent people.
But also, as I pointed out, that also entails hard work.
That new Africa is ready to figt his own battles and
show that after all the black man is capable of managing
his own affairs.
We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other
nations, hat we are prepared to lay our foundation - our
own African personality.
As I said to the Assembly a few minutes ago, I made a
point that we are going t create our own Africa
personality and identity. It is the only way we can show
the world that we are ready for our own battles.
But today, may I call upon you all, that on this grer
that at day let us all remember that nothing can be done
unless it has the purport and support of God.
We have won the battle and again rededicate ourselves
... OUR INDEPENDENCE IS MEANINGLESS UNLESS IT IS LINKED
UP WITH THE TOTAL LIBERATION OF AFRICA.
Let us now, fellow Ghanaians, let us now ask for God's
blessing for only two seconds, and in your thousands and
millions.
I want to ask you to pause for only one minute and give
thanks to Almighty God for having led us through our
difficulties, imprisonments, hardships and sufferings,
to have brought us to our end of troubles today. One
minute silence.
Ghana is free forever! And here I will ask the band to
play the Ghana National Anthem.
Reshaping Ghana's destiney, I am depending on the
millions of the country, and the chiefs and the people,
to help me to reshape the destiny of this country. We
are prepared to pick it up and make it a nation that
will be respected by every nation in the world.
We know were going to have difficult beginnings, but
again, I am relying n your support.... I am relying upon
your hard work.
Seeing you in this... It doesn't matter how far my eyes
go, I can see that you are here in your millions. And my
last warning to you is that you are to stand firm behind
us so that we can prove to the world that wen the
African is given a chance, he can show the world that he
is somebody!
We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from
now one, there is a new African in the world!