FATHIA, FATA NKRUMAH
Fathia Nkrumah, named at birth Helena Fathia Halim Ritzk was born on 22nd February 1932 to a Coptic Christian Family in Cairo, Egypt.
Fathia became the First Lady of the West African State of Ghana, when it was reported that Fathia married Nkrumah at the Christianborg Castle, in Accra on the evening of the 1957 New Year’s Eve upon her arrival in Ghana. Her marriage to the Iconic Anti-colonial Leader and Independent Ghana’s First President, Kwame Nkrumah captured the public eye. Their marriage was considered by many, a political union between Mediterranean-oriented North Africa and the rest of the continent, usually termed Sub-Sahara or Black Africa. The marriage of Fathia in her new homeland Ghana, was not taken kindly by many Ghanaian women, as they had hopes of Nkrumah marrying a black skin toned woman and a Ghanaian who better presented African in general and Ghana in particular. These women would not understand that their National Hero Nkrumah was marrying a foreigner who was also a light skin toned woman, regardless of explanation that despite her light skin, she was still African. Fathia seemed to have had a lot to put up with, and to fight off with regards to her marriage to Nkrumah, as also she had to cut herself off from her family in Egypt who did not approve her marriage.
Fathia was happy, not only about her marriage to Nkrumah but also about Ghana. Being the ‘first’ first lady of Ghana, and not originally a Ghanaian impreast upon her a huge responsibility to try her best possible to look Ghanaian and present the people of Ghana properly in her way of dressing. She happily embraced the rich vibrancy of the Ghanaian culture, including the Ghanaian women way of dressing, wearing the staple “Kaba and Slit” using the rich ‘Kente’ fabric or cloth. Fathia Nkrumah represented the era in the 1950s where women prized tailored looks.
During important public occasions, Fathia often wore Ghana’s signature outfit, “Kaba and Slit”, made from pieces sewn from Ghana’s kente fabrics. Usually, her choice of kente colours and pattern were made to match the “Wrap Pieces” of her husband, the then President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. When Fathia was not cladded in kente, then she would appear in decent gowns that match her personality. Fathia’s love for the kente was evident in how she most of the times appeared in public in kente.
This act by Fathia Nkrumah warmed the hearts of Ghanaian women, who before protested her marriage to Nkrumah, they welcomed her whole heartedly and consequently the wealthy “market” women who were powerful and influential and who controlled the textile trade named a kind of ‘Kente’ cloth design after Fathia, the First Lady, calling it “Fathia fata Nkrumah” to wit “Fathia deserves Nkrumah” or “Fathia is perfect for Nkrumah”.
Fathia Nkrumah found meaning in her role and played it well. She appeared more at public functions and served as the Chief Patron of the National Council of Ghana Girl Guides. She also played hostess to a lot of World Leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Charles de Gaulle, Haile Selassie and yet Queen Elizabeth II on her official visit to Ghana in 1962, and even had the honour to dance with the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip who accompanied the Queen.
Fathia Nkrumah, as the wife of Kwame Nkrumah was the First Lady of the newly Independent Ghana from 6th March 1957 to 24th February 1966, when Nkrumah as Ghana’s First President was overthrown in Ghana’s first successful military coup d’état.
Fathia Nkrumah was the mother of Gamal Nkrumah, Samia Nkrumah and Sekou Nkrumah.
Fathia died on 31st May 2007 at Badrawy Hospital in Cairo due to a stroke after a period of illness at age 75.
Her memorial mass was held in the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral Church in Cairo in June 2007, and subsequently Fathia Nkrumah’s body remains were flown to Ghana for a funeral at the State House and following her ‘lifelong request’ was buried next to her husband at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Accra Ghana.
