Accra: In a moment that signaled his rising global influence, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was featured on the front cover of TIME Magazine on February 9, 1953, four years before Ghana's independence. At the age of 47, Dr. Nkrumah was the leader of the Convention People's Party and was seeking to guide the country away from British colonial rule.
According to Ghana Web, an image of TIME Magazine's cover from that year emerged online, capturing Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in an illustration by Boris Chaliapin. Chaliapin, an artist for the magazine, was credited with illustrating more than 400 covers, including those of former US President Richard Nixon and other notable figures.
The cover image featured Dr. Nkrumah with the African map in the background and an inscription beneath that read, 'GOLD COAST'S KWAME NKRUMAH - In the Dark Continent, dawns early light'. This cover was a significant moment that highlighted Nkrumah's influence and his role in the push for Ghana's independence.
On February 24, 1966, Kwame Nkrumah was deposed in a coup by the National Liberation Council, led by Colonel Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka and Lt Gen Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa. This operation, known as "Operation Cold Chop," occurred while Nkrumah was on a visit to Hanoi in Vietnam.