Kwame Karikari; Africa’s Media Guardian @ 80

 By Shine Esi Kwawukumey 

Professor Kwame Karikari @ 80

In an era where principled leadership is a rare currency, one name reverberates across the African continent with enduring power: Professor Kwame Karikari.

A week may have passed, but the power of Thursday July 17, 2025's public lecture in Accra still lingers not just in words, but in the rekindled fire it ignited for freedom, truth, and justice. 

A constellation of academics, human rights defenders, media professionals, admirers, friends, and family gathered at the Teacher’s Hall to celebrate the life, legacy, and indelible contributions of the venerable professor, whose 80th birthday fell on Wednesday, July 14, 2025 a day before the public lecture.

It was a deeply moving testament to a man whose eight decades have been defined by fearless journalism, academic excellence, and unflinching commitment to free expression and democracy across Africa.

In fact, it became a masterclass in history, activism, mentorship, and African solidarity all anchored in the life of one man whose legacy reads like a roadmap for those who dare to speak truth to power.

Honoring a Trailblazer

Sulemana Braimah 

In a warm and reverent welcome, Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, acknowledged Professor Karikari’s immeasurable impact. 

“We are gathered not only to reflect but to pay glowing tribute to a truly exceptional individual whose life has impacted thousands, if not millions,” Braimah said. 

Professor Omaru Partey

He recognized the presence of distinguished guests from Ghana and beyond including Professor Omaru Partey, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere in Nigeria; Femi Falana, the renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer; Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, Paramount Chief of Nandom traditional area and Dermatology Physician; Dr. Yao Graham, Coordinator, Third World Network Africa -(TWN-Africa); and  Professor Audrey Gadzekpo of the University of Ghana underscoring the continental reverence for the celebrant.

Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle

Dr. Yao Graham

From Tamale to the World: 29,200 Days of Purpose

Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh 

Chairing the evening’s celebration with warmth and wit, Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh delivered more than a welcome. 

She offered a biographical tribute that traced the extraordinary arc of Professor Kwame Karikari’s life. 

Her voice carried humor, reverence, and insight as she painted a vivid portrait of a man whose journey from a modest boyhood in Tamale led him to become a global icon in journalism and advocacy.

“I calculated: 80 years is 29,200 days,” she said to a mix of awe and laughter. 

“Against the average life expectancy of 63.7 years for men in Ghana, Professor Kwame Karikari has truly lived and lived meaningfully."

"Almost 30,000 days of purpose, struggle, and transformation.”

Professor Kwame Karikari’s early years were steeped in discipline and principle, nurtured by the Swiss Presbyterian missionaries in Awisa and shaped further in Komenda. 

His ideological awakening came amidst Ghana’s shifting post-independence landscape, but it was in the crucible of the 1970s American civil rights and anti-war movements while studying at the City College of New York and later Columbia University that his commitment to social justice solidified.

From the editorial rooms of The Guardian Weekly in London to newsrooms in Georgia and New York, Professor Kwame Karikari honed a journalistic voice that would later echo across Africa. 

Yet it was his decision to return home in 1979 not for comfort, but for contribution that truly marked the turning point in his legacy. 

He arrived in the thick of the June 4th uprising and immersed himself in the national discourse with boldness and intent.

His journey would unfold through seven pivotal phases: pioneering journalism education at the University of Ghana’s newly founded School of Communication Studies; leading the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation under the Rawlings regime; enduring political imprisonment; and, perhaps most significantly, founding the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in 1997. 

In all these, his steps have been deliberate, principled, and sacrificial.

Through decades marked by turbulence and triumph, Professor Kwame Karikari has remained grounded in ethics, driven by passion, and unwavering in his pursuit of truth. 

As Professor Manuh aptly summed up, his life is not just about longevity: it is about meaningful endurance.

Femi Falana: “He is the Conscience of Africa’s Public Sphere”

Lawyer Femi Falana, SAN

Delivering a stirring keynote address, Nigerian human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, did not mince words.

“In celebrating Professor Kwame Karikari,” Falana said, “we celebrate a man who has become a conscience of the African public sphere a moral compass, a tireless defender of our collective liberties.”

Falana recounted legal victories spearheaded by the Media Foundation for West Africa under Professor Kwame Karikari’s leadership, particularly against the repressive Gambian regime of Yahya Jammeh. 

These included groundbreaking ECOWAS court rulings in favor of tortured and detained journalists wins that not only freed individuals but fortified press freedom jurisprudence across West Africa.

“His voice reminded us that a silenced people can never be free,” Falana declared. 

Professor Kwame Karikari, Falana emphasized, was not content with being a commentator. 

Falana praised Professor Kwame Karikari for being unafraid to call out sectarianism in journalism and for urging media institutions to prioritize ethics over tribal, religious, or partisan biases. 

He described him as an “engaged intellectual committed to transformation,” who believed that “knowledge must serve liberation.”

The Scholar-Activist

On the left- Professor Audrey Gadzekpo 

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, of the Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana and Chairperson, CDD-Ghana and long-time mentee of Professor Kwame Karikari also affirmed his identity as a “scholar-activist,” a rare blend in today’s intellectual landscape. 

Recounting his pivotal role in shaping the University of Ghana’s journalism program and his fearless defense of campus radio station Radio Universe, she noted, “He didn’t just teach us journalism, he taught us to live it.”

She applauded his strategic foresight that made them launched the first Ghana Journalists Association Code of Ethics, mentoring generations of journalists across Africa, and advocating for liberalized airwaves at a time when such ideas were radical.

Professor Gadzekpo also pointed to current global challenges in media - declining press freedom, AI disruption, and economic uncertainty and called for more “Professor Kwame Karikaris” to confront these threats with courage, scholarship, and humility.

A Life Rooted in Pan-Africanism

Professor Kwame Karikari’s legacy extends far beyond Ghana. 

From Gambia to Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda to Liberia, he has helped shape journalism training, supported threatened journalists, and advised governments on media reform. 

A staunch pan-Africanist, he calls cities across the continent and across Ghana home.

Yet, he remains grounded in love and loss. 

In a deeply personal moment, he mourned the absence of four dear brothers Shabaz, Sheshe, Soledad, and Kwabena, who he wished were alive to share this milestone.

Looking Forward

While last Friday’s dinner crowned the weeklong celebration, the Thursday lecture anchored the moment in reflection, activism, and an unmistakable call to action. 

As Professor Kwame Karikari’s torch passes into new hands, the charge is clear: continue the fight for freedom, justice, and truth.

In the words of an Akan proverb shared by Lawyer Femi Falana during the evening, “The one who climbs a good tree deserves a push.”

At 80, Professor Kwame Karikari has not only climbed the good tree, he planted the forest. 

And on this momentous occasion, Ghana and Africa responded with a well-deserved push of gratitude, admiration, and enduring respect.