“Keep the flame of independence burning”: SECAM President to Ghanaians

“This fight for the dignity of the African people does not end with political independence, but today we must across Africa acquire our economic independence, our respectability and our dignity in the concert of nations,” the Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said.

The Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) went on to pay tribute to the “illustrious figure of Kwame Nkrumah”, Ghana’s first president, who he said fought hard for the liberation of his country.

 “I know that Patrice Lumumba, the father of Congo's independence, came here to Accra to exchange and seek  ideas from Kwame Nkrumah,” the Cardinal said.

He added, “Today we find again on the continent, even in his family in DR Congo, many people named after Kwame Nkrumah. This shows how much relevance Ghana’s independence has for the entire African continent.”

The Catholic Church leader who had been serving as SECAM Vice-President and succeeded the late Richard Kuuia Cardinal Baawobr who died in November 2022, months after he had been elected SECAM President, congratulated members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) and all Catholics “for their witness and commitment to the Gospel of Christ over the years.”

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Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.