The memorial park and mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana are currently undergoing renovations. This site, which houses the remains of the father of independence, was inaugurated on July 4th by President Nana Akufo-Addo, after more than a year of rehabilitation work. The work on this iconic building had been eagerly awaited since its creation in 1992. Many people had complained about its dilapidated state and it had not been renovated until now. Today, the site boasts several new features and the aim is to preserve the memory of the founding father.
Among the new features of this renovation are a VIP room, an audiovisual gallery, and a wall with quotes from Kwame Nkrumah. To keep the memory of the founding father alive, Bethel Kofi Mamphey, the architect behind the work, had to study the man behind the myth, “I had to live his life, understand his childhood and what influenced his decisions. All these elements were taken into account in the design of the renovation project. One of the features we’ve added to the park is a mini-amphitheater. We imagined it as a platform to encourage public speaking and poetry, dear to Nkrumah. Everything in the park has been designed to evoke his spirit”, explains Bethel Kofi Mamphey, at the microphone of Christina Okello of the Africa editorial staff.
The 29-year-old architect also reflected on the materials needed to protect the memorial park from further degradation, “We introduced materials such as wood and the pergola, a form of shelter, then added additional cladding and steel rods to prevent rust. Thanks to these various elements, the building is no longer at the mercy of rust as it was before, due to its proximity to the sea”.