For a long time, not many Ghanaians knew that Theodosia Okoh designed their country’s iconic flag. Like many African countries, the history of Ghana’s independence unfailingly details the contributions of men who are all tagged ‘founding fathers’. Women like Okoh and their contributions, however, are often left out of the archives and consciousness of their country people.
In Accra, Achimota School, formerly known as Prince of Wales College and School, welcomed, trained and produced some of Africa's most prominent leaders. In 1929, Kwame Nkrumah graced the classrooms of Achimota, while training to be a teacher. The same year, the school welcomed Edward Akufo-Addo. Unknown to both Akufo-Addo and Nkrumah, they would both go on to be heads of government in Ghana. Long after Akufo-Addo and Nkrumah graduated, Achimota welcomed a few more students who would play significant roles in Ghana’s independence. Among the fresh batch of students in the 1940s, was a relatively young, average-height, plump-cheeked, possibly chatty Theodosia Salome Okoh (then Theodosia Asihene). The daughter of Very Reverend Emmanuel Victor Asihene and Madam Dora Asihene, Theodosia spent her time in Achimota attending to her interests: sports and art; the two areas in which she would build a legacy.
Outside the walls of Achimota where young Okoh spent her time playing football, discovering hockey, and earning her fine art certificate, the Gold Coast—as Ghana was known then—and its citizens were neck-deep in negotiations for independence from the British...
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