TheCable

The William Edward Burghardt (WEB) Du Bois Museum Foundation, a New York-based international organisation, says it will sign an agreement with the Ghanaian government to build a museum complex in the country. 

In a statement by the foundation, it said the Du Bois Memorial Centre and burial site in Accra (Ghana’s capital) will be transformed into a state-of-art museum complex and a world-class destination for scholars and heritage tourists.

The foundation was established to honour the life, purpose, and legacy of Du Bois.

Du Bois was a civil rights activist who advocated for a change in the institutionalized and transparent racism in the USA.

He became a citizen of Ghana and resided in the country until he died in 1963.

According to the statement, the agreement will grant authority for the foundation to construct a multi-million dollar museum complex to preserve Du Bois’ legacy over a 50-year period.

“The Du Bois Memorial Centre in Accra where Dr. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, are buried, opened to the public in 1985, but in recent years had required additional upkeep and maintenance,” the foundation said.

“The Du Bois Museum Complex aims to transform the Center and create a living museum that revives the transformative spirit and vision of Dr. Du Bois for a unified ancestral home for Africans in the diaspora around the world.

“The complex will serve as a historic memorial site where visitors can honour his life and legacy, connect to their cultural and ancestral roots, and serve as an impetus to inspire solidarity between people of African descent.”

The foundation further said the agreement will be signed on September 20, where Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana president, will offer remarks on the significance of the agreement in strengthening historical, cultural, and economic ties between the West African country, the US, and diaspora Africans.