None of the people in this story are real except for Jerry Rawlings. Amazing as it may seem, he really did attempt a coup, go to jail, get sentenced, then get released by some of his comrades and lead another coup. That time he was successful. Here’s what happened.
On May 15, 1979, less than five weeks before elections were to be held in Ghana, Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings and some other junior military officers tried to take over the government of Ghana. They were not successful, and Rawlings was put in jail. A few days later, he was tried, and he gave a speech at his trial that was broadcast over the radio to the whole country. Many people who listened to that speech were inspired by Rawlings because he talked about ending the corruption that was rampant in the government and the country.
Rawlings was sentenced to be executed, and most people thought that was the end. But on June 4, 1979, some of Rawlings’s friends in the army broke into the jail and released him, because they had heard his speech and thought he could help them end the corruption they saw around them. Together, they staged a coup. They started by taking over Broadcast House, where the national radio station was, and then took over other government buildings until they were in control. Within several hours, there was a new government.
Over the next weeks, there were a lot of soldiers in the streets, some of whom were violent toward civilians, and many of the women working in the markets were harassed or even beaten because they were accused of “hoarding” goods. Many of the wealthy businessmen were sent to jail, also because they were thought to be hoarders. This was a difficult time for Ghanaians.
Rawlings ruled Ghana (with only a few short breaks) until 2001. When I was doing research for this book, I found that many Ghanaians were happy with Rawlings as a ruler, but just about as many were not. Today, Ghana has a democratically elected leader.