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The History Hour: The creation of Ghana's flag and the oldest person at primary school

Discussion & Talk

The creation of Ghana's flag and the oldest person to go to primary school

14/10/2023 GMT

The creation of Ghana's flag and the oldest person at primary school

BBC World Service - The History Hour, The creation of Ghana's flag and the oldest person at primary school

How Ghana's flag was designed, and the 84-year-old Kenyan man who fought to be educated

We find out how Ghana's flag was designed after independence, how an acid attack survivor fought to change the law in India, and why an 84-year-old enrolled at school in Kenya.

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.

We hear from Kwasi Okoh about how his mother Theodosia Okoh designed Ghana’s flag after it became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence.

Our guest, former diplomatic and foreign affairs editor, Tim Marshall, explains the importance of flags for national identity and their changing purpose through history. We also learn about the moment in 1966 when Kwame Nkrumah, one of Africa's most famous leaders, was ousted from power in Ghana. 

Plus, how in 2013, India's Supreme Court made a landmark ruling aimed at transforming the lives of acid attack survivors. It followed a campaign led by Laxmi Agarwal who at the age of 15 was burned when acid was thrown at her.

And the artist Yinka Shonibare discusses how ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ exhibited in London’s Trafalgar Square was the world’s largest ship in a bottle.

And finally, how Kimani Maruge became the oldest man to enroll at a primary school in Kenya.

Contributors:
Kwasi Okoh - son of Theodosia Okoh
Tim Marshall - former diplomatic and foreign affairs editor for Sky News
Chris Hesse - Ghanaian filmmaker
Laxmi Agarwal - acid attack survivor
Yinka Shonibare - creator of Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle
Jane Obinchu - Kimani Maruge’s former teacher

(Photo: Ghanaian football fans wave their national flag. Credit: Getty Images)

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