The story of African independence as a whole is spearheaded by men as founding fathers. You hardly hear of women’s contributions, as they are either erased or obscured from the archives; and when they are somewhat “recognised”, they are represented as their partners’ spouse, which then becomes a case of the danger of a single story or a complete untold story.
Background
Theodosia Salome Okoh was a teacher, artist and the woman who designed the Ghanaian flag. She attended the famous Achimota School, which groomed people who went on to contribute immensely to Ghana’s independence; including influential alumnus such as Ghana’s former presidents Kwame Nkrumah and Edward Akufo-Addo.
While at Achimota School, she participated in the arts and sports and spent her time playing hockey and football before earning her fine art certificate; little did she know one of these interests would stamp her into Ghana’s and Africa’s story of independence forever.
As an artist, she drew inspiration from different places and spaces, from the streets of Ghana which were reflected in her paintings. One day she stumbled upon a call for new national flag designs from a newspaper, she took it on and did the needful. After trying out different designs, she later submitted and carried on with her life - as you do once you apply for stuff. And then came 10th October 1956 when she recognised her design in the newspaper where it was announced as the new official flag.
There were some people who thought the flag was Nkrumah’s idea due to his inspiration from Marcus Garvey but Theodosia design was inspired by Ethiopia.
Black Pride
The flag was centred around Black Pride; with the Black star in the middle as a symbol of Black Pride.
“People thought Black wasn’t nice, but I decided Black is nice so I’ll use Black, and those who don’t like it will see that after all, they wished they were Black,” Theodosia Okoh in an interview on The Nana Churcher Show.
Erasure vs Obscurity
The issue of erasure and obscurity is a universal narrative when it comes to women, regardless of industry; they are either completely erased or obscure. That’s why radical revision is key.
This is why intellectual gatherings are important in discussing and remembering collective memory of such people. For example, Theodosia Okoh was one of the subjects at the recently held Njabala Foundation symposium, where erasure was a recurring theme from all panelists.
It is no secret that patriarchy is designed to not see women. The Republic echoes that could Theodosia’s erasure be attributed to the fact that people were more focused on ending British rule and didn’t care for the other nitty gritties that were part of independence like the designing of the flag? If this is the case, but how about post-independence? Because her story is still not that known. And while two things can be true at the same time, the continued erasure of women spans generations - one wonders when it will ever end.
Concluding Thoughts
Ghana has one of the most beautiful flag designs. And not just the design but the meaning behind every colour on the flag. It is truly telling how easily women’s stories and hard work are erased and centred around men. This is why collective memory, funding of cultural projects and radical revision should be emphasised to ensure women’s stories are kept alive in history.
Sources: The Nana Churcher Show, The Republic
Photo Credit: Sophia Apenkro
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