Mornah hits back: Criticism of Nkrumah celebration of ignorance is out

Bernard Mornah A member of the Planning Committee on the Nkrumah Centenary Celebration has hit back at critics for describing the programmes as a flop. Bernard Mornah told Joy News such criticisms are borne out of ignorance. The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Asare Otchere Darko minced no words when he said the events were poorly organized. In a comprehensive article which gained prominence in some of the newspapers, Mr Darko singled out Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Bernard Mornah, and Prof Badu Akosah for criticisms, questioning the criteria by which the president, John Evans Atta Mills selected them. “To use people who can’t even organize a drink up in a brewery to plan an important celebration like that is to say’ I’m not interested in the programme’s success’, I’m just interested in making a sectarian case.” He said the manifest incompetence of the organizers were evident in the poor patronage in most of the programmes organized, citing a play at the National Theatre and a vigil. “The night vigil at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Sunday was embarrassingly dull, amateurish.”…“Those of us who watched it on TV would have been forgiven to think it was an open audition for anybody on the streets to walk on stage to show what they can do-recite poem or sing a song.” Mr Darko later told Joy News in an interview, the celebration is “suffering from a national lack of patronage. I am sure Nkrumah deserves more than that.” But in a strong worded rebuttal, Bernard Mornah told Joy FM’s, Dzifa Bampoe, Otchere Darko’s criticisms were tantrums, empty on information and filled with ignorance. He argued the committee had nothing to do with the play at the National Theatre and must not be accused of doing a poor job. “We do not have any hand in the organization (of the play) and so for anyone to use that as a yard stick of assessing the successes or the failure, simply means the person is highly ignorant of the activities of the committee,” he sniped “We planned to have an activity at Nrokuful and it went very well. We planned to have a launch. The launch went very well. The former Flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo the National Chairman of the NPP Peter Mac Manu attended and it was colourful. He explained the first of three phases of the celebration has been successful, hoping the remaining will be even more successful. He appealed for constructive criticisms from the general public to ensure the mistakes in the first phase are not repeated. Play the attached audio for excerpts of the interview with Mornah and Otchere Darko. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana