Bethel Kofi Mamphey, the 29-year-old architect behind the refurbished Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, has been speaking about the inspiration behind the new look and feel of the edifice dedicated to the first president of Ghana.
He said creating an experience where young people, especially, can understand and appreciate the work of Ghana’s former President was the inspiration behind some of the newly added features at the park.
The facility which housed the remains of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah was designed by Dr. Don Arthur in 1991. It is located on the former polo grounds in Accra, where Ghana’s independence was declared.
The facility was shut down in 2022, and refurbished with new features at the cost of $3.5 million.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park now has a reception hall, administration, ample restroom facility, a restaurant, a gift shop, a library, among other attractive features.
There is also an audiovisual hall, a tunnel with Dr. Nkrumah’s speeches inscribed on the wall and a Freedom Wall. Audiovisual elements have also been added to the water fountain.
Speaking to Bernard Avle on the Point of View on Citi TV, the 29-year-old architect said that creating the Freedom Wall with quotes and pictures depicting the different states of emotions of Ghana’s first President was aimed at providing visitors of the park a genuine sense of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
“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 some of the facilities, Mamphey said “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”.
Mr. Mamphey also disclosed that all labour used in the refurbishment works were Ghanaians, a feat he claims the former President stood for and would be proud of.
“Everybody on the project, from the engineers to the welders were all Ghanaians. This is fully Ghanaian. There were no ex-pats”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, 4th July 2023, commissioned the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
According to the President, the redeveloped Park will attract some one million domestic and international tourists annually.
Speaking at the unveiling of the redeveloped memorial park, President Akufo-Addo added that the government will continue to invest in the tourism sector to help revive the economy.
