Editorial assistant to Ghana's first Prime minister Kwame Nkrumah, June Milne has passed away at age 98. June Milne became literary executrix of Kw
Editorial assistant to Ghana’s first Prime minister Kwame Nkrumah, June Milne has passed away at age 98.
June Milne became literary executrix of Kwame Nkrumah’s estate following his overthrow in 1966.
She was with him in Romania when he died 1n 1972.
In his will, Nkrumah appointed her his Literary Executrix, and he left all his published and unpublished papers and the copyrights of all his writings and speeches to her.
After his publishers, Thomas Nelson Educational Publishing refused to print any further materials after Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow, he set up Panaf Books Ltd in London in 1968.
The new company bought the remaining books, rescuing them from the previous publishers’ plans to pulp them.
Panaf kept in print the books Nkrumah had written before the coup, and published the new books he immediately began to write after arriving in Conakry in March 1966.
June Milne managed the company for more than 20 years and retired from publishing in 1987 to spend more time in her work as Nkrumah’s literary executrix.
She has collated, organised and preserved Nkrumah’s archives of published and unpublished papers.
Mrs Milne authored three books “Kwame Nkrumah: Life After the Coup And the Conakry Period in 1990, a moving biography Kwame Nkrumah in 1974 and Kwame Nkrumah: The Conkrary Years, Life and Letters.
Image result for june milne kwame nkrumahShe met Kwame Nkrumah in 1957 and worked closely with him until his death.
In 1997, copyright of all Nkrumah’s published works was passed to Nkrumah’s son, Gamal.
June Milne was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1920. She was educated at Cheltenham Ladies’ College and obtained a first class degree in Modern History at {the University of London.
June Milne in death joins her husband Van Milne who died in January 2006 after suffering a stroke.
She is survived by a daughter and a son.
In a tribute on facebook, Samia Nkrumah thanked her father’s research assistant for keeping the vision and philosophy of Africa’s greatest leader alive.
“Go well, dear June Milne.
The news of your passing brings out a great deal of emotion within me as I think of how instrumental you were in protecting Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s words and promoting his ideas.
Your collaboration started in Ghana from the 50s. After the 1966 illegal overthrow of Nkrumah’s government, you travelled from London to Conakry no less than 15 times. Together you set up Panaf Books in London in 1968 to keep his work in print after his old publishers abandoned him.
Thanks to you, his writings are available today, for posterity and the benefit of the younger generation carrying the torch of African freedom and unity.
We will forever be grateful to you and to your family.
Source: Joynewsonline
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