President Rawlings Speaks to Phillip Nyakpo - 23 May 2001

AfricanPod with Phillip Nyakpo

A telephone interview with former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings. The interview is unique because it is one of the first interviews he gave as ex-President, after nearly two decades as an African Head of State. I conducted the interview when I worked as News Editor for Skyy Power FM based in Takoradi, Ghana. I called to to speak to the former president at the time when his phone number was possibly a state secret. That was on 23 May 2001. I published a version of the interview on AfricanPod's YouTube Channel 12 years after it was recorded, and it has been played more than 50 thousand times. The context of the interview is that President Rawlings reportedly kept more than 20 soldiers from the 64 Infantry Regiment as his personal bodyguards on leaving office. In what seemed like a swift move, the new government of then President John Kufuor replaced all of the soldiers with Police personnel, much to the displeasure of Rawlings. Just hours after the security re-arrangement, and with the pain fresh on his mind, I called Rawlings on his mobile phone from the Newsroom to get his reaction. For the records, the Government spokesperson at the time, Elizabeth Ohene explained there was nothing unusual about the move, because the sitting President Kufuor was also being guarded by Police, and former President Rawlings would not be treated differently. I have chosen to make this historic interview available in audio format here on AfricanPod - 18 years after it was first recorded. Enjoy it, for all it is worth. Contact me on [phone] Twitter: AfricanPod www.AfricanPod.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanpod/message