Also known as Black Star Square is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ghana. It is situated in Accra and is one of the largest city squares in the world with a capacity of 30,000, second only to Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The square was commissioned by Kwame Nkrumah in 1957 and finished in 1961.
It contains the Black Star Gate, the Liberation Day Monument and Independence Arch and is the site for all official parades most notably the Independence Day parade held on 6th March.
Black Star Gate
The Black Star Gate is located at the centre of Independence Square and contains the inscriptions: ‘AD 1957’ and ‘Freedom and Justice’.
This monument also highlights the Black Star of Africa, which is a five pointed star representing Africa and in particular, Ghana.
Liberation Day Monument
The monument was built in honour of the veterans of the Burma campaign, which occurred during the Second World War. Members of the British Empire, including Ghana (the ‘Gold Coast’ at the time) and other allies, fought in Burma against invading Japanese forces.
Some of the veterans started a peaceful protest once they had returned to the Gold Coast. They marched towards Fort Christiansborg (located in Osu), however, shots were fired towards the protesters, resulting in seven veterans being killed.
Independence Arch
Since 2011, this arch has been guarded by many soldiers who prohibit people from taking photographs of the arch up close, except those who have been grated official permission.
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