176:. Her close relationship and loyalty to Nkrumah bred a lot of rumours, both in Ghana and the UK. It also brought a lot of resentment from various quarters. She was accused of being a foreign spy whilst in Ghana. Nkrumah married an Egyptian even though they had no common language. He complained of being intensely lonely to Powell and wrote to her in 1965, saying "Did I ever tell you that I married not for myself but for the presidency?" Powell kept in contact with Nkrumah after he was removed from power, while he was in exile in
105:, President of Sierra Leone. She was a controversial figure, who was suspected by the British and by Ghanaians of lack of loyalty, and to have been too close to Nkrumah. She ghost wrote Nkrumah's autobiography, while also writing her own interesting biography, which was eventually published, after Nkrumah's death.
28:
205:
The title was drawn from the advertisement that she had applied to, in the 1950s. The biography was delayed for some years because
Nkrumah objected to the tone of the initial drafts. It was noted that missing sections of letters hinted that she had a very close relationship with Nkrumah.
163:
Powell returned to Ghana in
January 1955, to work for Kwame Nkrumah, a position she held for ten years. During that time she largely wrote Nkumah's (auto)biography, although this was not admitted until much later. She became close friends with the leading librarian
184:
474:
117:
on 15 March, 1921 into a middle-class family. She trained to be a secretary and then to teach. She came top of her class during the 1940
385:
198:
as his private secretary from 1970 to 1979. She attended
Nkrumah's funeral in 1972, as part of the official Sierra Leone delegation.
409:
464:
469:
369:
275:
132:
On the rebound from a failed romance with a farmer in
Lincolnshire, she accepted an offer in February 1952, from the
459:
141:
410:"Brighton Magazine - 'Notable Sussex Women': Award-Winning Author & Publisher Serves Up A Historical Treat"
449:
202:
137:
118:
173:
299:
359:
323:
265:
235:
160:. Her closeness to Nkrumah led to her being dismissed in 1954, and being sent back to the UK.
454:
444:
439:
386:"Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah: visionary, authoritarian ruler and national hero | DW | 24.02.2016"
145:
8:
365:
331:
271:
140:". She said that an attractive swimsuit got her the job of Private Secretary to the
168:, who provided calm during periods of stress. Other ex-patriots in Ghana included
169:
157:
136:
for the
Colonies. They offered her the position of "Private Secretary (Female)/
433:
335:
195:
149:
148:. While working for the Governor, she became a close friend and confidant of
122:
102:
98:
210:
165:
133:
126:
66:
27:
213:
on 5 June, 2007. Her obituary was covered by the Times and BBC Radio.
114:
97:(15 March, 1921 – 5 June, 2007) was a British Private Secretary to
44:
177:
121:
Shorthand and
Typewriting exams. She went on to be employed by
153:
188:
94:
431:
201:In 1984, she published her autobiography,
26:
353:
351:
293:
291:
289:
287:
300:"Private Secretary (Female)/Gold Coast"
432:
357:
263:
259:
257:
255:
203:Private Secretary (Female)/Gold Coast.
348:
284:
267:Private Secretary (female)/Gold Coast
230:
228:
226:
172:, who visited her husband Thomas and
364:. Xlibris Corporation. p. 136.
358:Amamoo, Joseph Godson (2011-12-16).
316:
297:
475:British expatriates in Sierra Leone
252:
13:
223:
101:, President of Ghana and later to
14:
486:
180:until his death in April, 1972.
402:
378:
361:Ghana: 50 Year of Independence
1:
465:Ghanaian women civil servants
216:
470:British expatriates in Ghana
7:
236:"BBC - Radio 4 - Last Word"
10:
491:
142:Governor of the Gold Coast
119:London Chamber of Commerce
156:'s independence from the
81:
73:
51:
37:
25:
18:
146:Sir Charles Arden-Clarke
460:Ghanaian civil servants
414:Magazine.brighton.co.uk
304:www.britishempire.co.uk
108:
264:Powell, Erica (1984).
85:Presidential secretary
194:She later worked for
450:People from Brighton
174:Conor Cruise O'Brien
127:the second world war
298:Luscombe, Stephen.
183:Powell was made an
152:, then bidding for
113:Powell was born in
89:
88:
482:
424:
423:
421:
420:
406:
400:
399:
397:
396:
382:
376:
375:
355:
346:
345:
343:
342:
320:
314:
313:
311:
310:
295:
282:
281:
261:
250:
249:
247:
246:
232:
62:
60:
30:
16:
15:
490:
489:
485:
484:
483:
481:
480:
479:
430:
429:
428:
427:
418:
416:
408:
407:
403:
394:
392:
384:
383:
379:
372:
356:
349:
340:
338:
322:
321:
317:
308:
306:
296:
285:
278:
262:
253:
244:
242:
234:
233:
224:
219:
209:Powell died in
170:Dorothy Hodgkin
111:
69:
64:
58:
56:
47:
42:
33:
21:
12:
11:
5:
488:
478:
477:
472:
467:
462:
457:
452:
447:
442:
426:
425:
401:
377:
370:
347:
330:. 2007-06-23.
324:"Erica Powell"
315:
283:
276:
251:
221:
220:
218:
215:
158:United Kingdom
110:
107:
87:
86:
83:
82:Known for
79:
78:
75:
71:
70:
65:
63:(aged 86)
53:
49:
48:
43:
39:
35:
34:
32:fair use image
31:
23:
22:
19:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
487:
476:
473:
471:
468:
466:
463:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
446:
443:
441:
438:
437:
435:
415:
411:
405:
391:
387:
381:
373:
371:9781462837618
367:
363:
362:
354:
352:
337:
333:
329:
325:
319:
305:
301:
294:
292:
290:
288:
279:
277:9780905838939
273:
269:
268:
260:
258:
256:
241:
240:www.bbc.co.uk
237:
231:
229:
227:
222:
214:
212:
207:
204:
199:
197:
196:Siaka Stevens
192:
190:
186:
181:
179:
175:
171:
167:
161:
159:
155:
151:
150:Kwame Nkrumah
147:
143:
139:
135:
130:
128:
124:
123:Barclays Bank
120:
116:
106:
104:
103:Siaka Stevens
100:
99:Kwame Nkrumah
96:
93:
84:
80:
76:
72:
68:
54:
50:
46:
41:15 March 1921
40:
36:
29:
24:
17:
417:. Retrieved
413:
404:
393:. Retrieved
389:
380:
360:
339:. Retrieved
327:
318:
307:. Retrieved
303:
270:. C. Hurst.
266:
243:. Retrieved
239:
211:Peterborough
208:
200:
193:
187:in 1958 and
182:
166:Evelyn Evans
162:
134:Crown Agents
131:
112:
92:Erica Powell
91:
90:
67:Peterborough
20:Erica Powell
455:Secretaries
445:2007 deaths
440:1921 births
74:Nationality
55:5 June 2007
434:Categories
419:2019-11-06
395:2019-11-03
341:2019-11-02
309:2019-11-02
245:2019-11-02
217:References
138:Gold Coast
59:2007-06-06
336:0140-0460
328:The Times
191:in 1960.
125:, during
115:Brighton
45:Brighton
77:British
57: (
390:DW.COM
368:
334:
274:
178:Guinea
154:Ghana
366:ISBN
332:ISSN
272:ISBN
109:Life
52:Died
38:Born
189:OBE
185:MBE
95:OBE
436::
412:.
388:.
350:^
326:.
302:.
286:^
254:^
238:.
225:^
144:,
129:.
422:.
398:.
374:.
344:.
312:.
280:.
248:.
61:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.