Erica Powell
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Erica Powell
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(15 March, 1921 – 5 June, 2007) was a British Private Secretary to
Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...
, President of
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
and later to
Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...
, President of Sierra Leone. She was a controversial figure, who was suspected by the British and by Ghanaians of lack of loyalty, and to have been too close to Nkrumah. She ghost wrote Nkrumah's autobiography, while also writing her own interesting biography, which was eventually published, after Nkrumah's death.


Life

Powell was born in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
on 15 March, 1921 into a middle-class family. She trained to be a secretary and then to teach. She came top of her class during the 1940
London Chamber of Commerce The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is a business organization based in London, founded in 1882. It provides support for its members’ businesses through services and advocates on behalf of London’s business community. The Cham ...
Shorthand and Typewriting exams. She went on to be employed by
Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...
, during
the second world war World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...
. On the rebound from a failed romance with a farmer in Lincolnshire, she accepted an offer in February 1952, from the
Crown Agents Crown Agents Ltd is a not-for-profit international development company with head office in London, United Kingdom, and subsidiaries in the United States and Japan. Incorporated as a private limited company Crown Agents Ltd has only one shareholde ...
for the Colonies. They offered her the position of "Private Secretary (Female)/ Gold Coast". She said that an attractive swimsuit got her the job of Private Secretary to the
Governor of the Gold Coast This is a list of colonial administrators in the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) from the start of English presence in 1621 until Ghana's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. In addition to the Gold Coast Colony, the governor of the Gold Coast ...
, Sir Charles Arden-Clarke. While working for the Governor, she became a close friend and confidant of
Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...
, then bidding for
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
's independence from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Her closeness to Nkrumah led to her being dismissed in 1954, and being sent back to the UK. Powell returned to Ghana in January 1955, to work for Kwame Nkrumah, a position she held for ten years. During that time she largely wrote Nkumah's (auto)biography, although this was not admitted until much later. She became close friends with the leading librarian Evelyn Evans, who provided calm during periods of stress. Other expatriates in Ghana included
Dorothy Hodgkin Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin (née Crowfoot; 12 May 1910 – 29 July 1994) was a Nobel Prize-winning English chemist who advanced the technique of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of biomolecules, which became essential for ...
, who visited her husband Thomas and
Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...
. Her close relationship and loyalty to Nkrumah bred a lot of rumours, both in Ghana and the UK. It also brought a lot of resentment from various quarters. She was accused of being a foreign spy whilst in Ghana. Nkrumah married an Egyptian even though they had no common language. He complained of being intensely lonely to Powell and wrote to her in 1965, saying "Did I ever tell you that I married not for myself but for the presidency?" Powell kept in contact with Nkrumah after he was removed from power, while he was in exile in
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
until his death in April, 1972. Powell was made an MBE in 1958 and
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1960. She later worked for
Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...
as his private secretary from 1970 to 1979. She attended Nkrumah's funeral in 1972, as part of the official Sierra Leone delegation. In 1984, she published her autobiography
Private Secretary (Female)/Gold Coast.
The title was drawn from the advertisement that she had applied to, in the 1950s. The biography was delayed for some years because Nkrumah objected to the tone of the initial drafts. It was noted that missing sections of letters hinted that she had a very close relationship with Nkrumah. Powell died in
Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
on 5 June, 2007. Her obituary was covered by the Times and BBC Radio.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Erica 1921 births 2007 deaths People from Brighton Secretaries Ghanaian civil servants Ghanaian women civil servants British expatriates in Ghana British expatriates in Sierra Leone Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire