George Mwinnyaa : NPR

Thursday July 4, 2024

Students cheers from the stands during the celebrations for Ghana 65th Independence Day at the Cape Coast Stadium on March 6, 2022. - Independendence Day is an official state holiday for the citizens of Ghana both within and in the diaspora and celebrates and honors the Heroes of Ghana who led the country to attain its independence. Ghana was the first African State to attain independence on March 6, 1957. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP) (Photo by NIPAH DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Students cheers from the stands during the celebrations for Ghana 65th Independence Day on March 6, 2022. The country gained independence on March 6, 1957. The author of this article recalls his boyhood celebrations — which involved uniforms, marching and a free bottle of soda. Nipah Dennis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Nipah Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

Opinion

Goats and Soda

His first Independence Day in the U.S. blew his mind. It wasn't just the fireworks

July 4, 2024 • "Who could have colonized a great country like America?" That's what this Ghanaian thought when his American wife told him it was Independence Day.