1966 – Kwame Nkrumah Begins Exile After Ghana Coup

On May 21, 1966, deposed Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah began his political exile in Guinea following a CIA-backed coup earlier that year. Once the face of African independence and Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah’s forced removal sent shockwaves across the diaspora. Invited to Guinea by President Sékou Touré, Nkrumah was named honorary co-president and continued his liberation advocacy from abroad. His exile marked a turning point in Cold War-era interference in African politics, as the West moved to suppress socialist-leaning Black leaders. Even in exile, Nkrumah’s writings and speeches—like Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism—galvanized African youth and inspired Third World movements. May 21 symbolizes not just his personal transition but the broader risk Black leaders faced when defying Western imperial interests. Nkrumah’s exile reminds us that Black sovereignty often meets resistance—but true visionaries never stop building from wherever they stand.