Last month, The W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Foundation unveiled plans and renderings for the new W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Complex in Accra, Ghana, was designed by Sir David Adjaye, the internationally acclaimed architect of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. The expansion, transformation, and repositioning of the Du Bois Centre in Ghana will turn into a dramatic global center for tourism, study, and celebration of the Pan African diaspora and will bring to a new generation the vision and writings of W. E. B. Du Bois the most influential African American intellectual of the 20th century. It will be the starting point for visitors returning to Africa to explore their roots. It will include a scholastic institute, library, outdoor auditorium, memorial pavilion, craft shops for artisans, a café, and large open spaces for formal gatherings and lectures.

“Redeveloping and restoring this historic center is crucial in preserving the legacy of the father of Pan-Africanism so that generations to come can see how his work contributed to American History,” said the Chairman of the W. E. B Du Bois Foundation, Daniel Rose. “It has been my mission to honor Dr. Du Bois and his family. I hope this center will be a mecca for intellectual thought and excellence; and a catalyst in bridging our communities across the diaspora together.”

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois virtually invented modern African American letters and inspired the work of practically all other modern African American intellectuals to follow. More than that, he reshaped how the complex experience of America and African America could be understood. He left Americans—black and white—a legacy of intellectual tools, a language with which they might analyze their present and imagine a future.
Next week, Our Time Press shares a report on the unveiling event and the ongoing work behind its development, including the perspectives of DuBois family members, Sir David Ajaye, Ghana Tourism Minister Dr. Ibrahim Mohammad Awal and others.