William Emmanuel Abraham
William Emmanuel Abraham | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1934 Ghana |
| Other names | Willie E. Abraham, Kojo Abraham |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, academic |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Known for | Philosophy, Pan-Africanism, work on Anton Wilhelm Amo |
William Emmanuel Abraham, who is also recognized as Willie E. Abraham or by his Akan day name Kojo Abraham (born 28 May 1934), is a retired philosopher from Ghana.
Biography
Abraham completed his early education at Government Boys' School and Adisadel College located in Cape Coast, Ghana. In 1957, he graduated with first-class honors in philosophy from the University of Ghana. Following this, he pursued further studies at Oxford University, where he obtained a B.Phil. degree and became the first African to be appointed a Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. In 1960, he was appointed Governor of the School of Oriental and African Studies, part of London University.
Upon returning to Ghana in 1962, Abraham joined the Philosophy Department at the University of Ghana and authored The Mind of Africa, promoting Pan-African ideals. The following year, he was chosen as vice-president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and toured scientific institutions in the Soviet Union. He worked closely with Kwame Nkrumah and contributed to Nkrumah's 1964 publication Consciencism. In 1965, Abraham succeeded Conor Cruise O'Brien as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana. Additionally, he led an inquiry into irregularities involving import licenses and taught at the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute until its closure in 1966.
It is widely believed that Abraham was the true author behind Consciencism, as its complex writing style contrasts with Nkrumah's usual works.
Often referred to as "Nkrumah's court philosopher," Abraham was detained during the 1966 coup that brought Joseph Arthur Ankrah to power. Afterward, he relocated to the United States, where he held academic posts at Macalaster College and the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he now holds the title Professor Emeritus of Philosophy. Throughout his career, he has maintained a scholarly focus on eighteenth-century Ghanaian thinker Anton Wilhelm Amo.
Works
- The Mind of Africa, Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1962
- "Ideologies in Contemporary Africa", The Ghanaian Times, December 1963
- "Political Education is Essential", The Ghanaian Times, 24 October 1964
- "The Life and Times of Wilhelm Anton Amo", Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana, vol. 7 (1964), pp. 60–81
- "The Role of the Press in the Transition to Socialism", in W.M. Sulemann-Sibidow, The African Journalist (Winneba: Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute, 1965), pp. 43–51
- Speech delivered at the launch event for Kwame Nkrumah's Neo-colonialism: the last stage of imperialism, The Spark, 19 November 1965
- "Kwame Relies on the Masses", The Nkrumaist, vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1966), pp. 11–14