Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park: How Accra’s Old Polo Grounds Became a Symbol of Ghana’s Independence
By Ghana News Express
As Ghana prepares to mark the birthday of the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, attention has turned to one of Accra’s most historic landmarks — the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, located on the former Old Polo Grounds along High Street.
The historic site, opposite the former Parliament House, holds an important place in Ghana’s independence story because it was where Dr Nkrumah addressed Ghanaians at the dawn of independence in March 1957.
The former Polo Grounds had a very different purpose during the colonial period. The area was used by Europeans to play polo, a horseback sport in which players used long-handled mallets to hit a ball towards their opponents’ goal.
Its use during the colonial era reflected the racial divisions and social segreg...









