In the early days of the CPP, and frequently afterwards, Nkrumah urged party activists to:

'Go to the people

Live among them

Learn from them

Love them

Serve them

Plan with them

Start with what they know

Build on what they have.’

This was sound Maoist advice for the building of any nationalist, progressive party, and very suited to the organisation and policies of the CPP. In the words of Nkrumah: ‘The masses of the people form the backbone of our Party. Their living conditions and their welfare must be paramount in everything we do. It is for them in particular, and Africa in general, that our party exists’.

For the time, through the various democratic organs of the CPP, the people were empowered.

Decisions of the party were those of the entire membership. At party meetings and rallies, policies were clearly stated and discussed. All were encouraged to express to express their views. The gathering were joyful occasion, the political message of the CPP being regarded as cause for celebration. The most humble were made to feel important by being given the opportunity to participate in the freeing of their country.

Through the process of enrolment as a party member, people felt they belonged to a countrywide movement with objective which would make a real difference to their lives.

The use of slogan, party songs and symbols, constantly used and publicised, helped to spread the party message that only independence could bring about an improvement in living conditions.

With amazing speed, CPP branches were formed in towns, villages and places of  work throughout the country. Each branch had an elected Branch Executive Committee, linked to regional and central authorities, thereby ensuring a two-way process of consultation.

Self- Government NOW

Between 1949 and 1957 the CPP concentrated on achieving its first objective, the winning of independence. For until political freedom was attained, the party could not implement long-term objectives of socialist planning and Pan-African goals.

The Accra Evening News

In the days of no TV and limited radio, publicity for a party comparing depended largely on the spoken and written word, newspapers, placards, posters, pamphlets and so on. The written word was of special importance. Nkrumah considered it an essential component of  political struggle.
The CPP had, in Nkrumah, not only a highly gifted speaker, but an experienced political writer. During the ten years (1937-47) he had spent studying and working in the USA and Britain, he had edited numerous campaigning newspapers and journals.

The CPP’s campaign was brilliantly publicised in the party’s first newspaper, The Accra Evening News, founded by Nkrumah in 1948, the first issue of which appeared on 3rd September. Each day, through the columns of this paper the CPP’s political agenda was publicised: the injustices of colonialism exposed and Pan-African objectives promulgated.

The paper became so popular that it was sometimes impossible to satisfy demand because of lack of funds and limited printing capacity. Copies of the paper would be shared among many readers.

Its famous motto headed each issue:

-We have the right to live as men

-We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquillity

-We have the right to govern ourselves

Soon, ‘Self-government NOW’ as well as other slogans printed in the newspaper began to appear on walls and buildings throughout the country.

When The Accra Evening News was founded, Nkrumah had already written his first book Towards Colonial Freedom. He was to write fifteen more, and several pamphlets.