Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park architect Bethel Kofi Mamphey shares his insight into the inspiration behind the renovations, as well as its significance.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Citi TV, the architect explained that he wanted to create something very related to everyone, especially millennials.
According to him, although most young people have heard of Kwame Nkrumah, they did not experience and witnessed him, as such he designed the place such that visitors would get a true and honest feel of what Dr Kwame Nkrumah was.
“Most of us millennials, have heard of Nkrumah, but we didn’t see him, so coming up with the project, I wanted to create something that will allow people to experience parts of him that people have never seen– the emotional phases he went through as a President. The Freedom Wall is to give visitors a feel of Dr. Nkrumah,” he said.
Touching on why he did not change the old mausoleum, Mamphey indicated that the structure was properly constructed and built with marble, a material that would enable it to stand for a very long time.
He explained, “We left the old mausoleum as it is. It is a very beautiful structure. It was made with marble stones which is an everlasting material. We just restored the dilapidated state of some of its structures including the broken concrete fence. That is where his remains are. The land is the same. The difference is that the lawns and the trees have been well-manicured, so now you can see everything at a distance”.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park houses the remains of Ghana’s first president and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah. The facility was first designed by Dr. Don Arthur in 1992, and built at the former Polo grounds in Accra.