Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has paid glowing tribute to Rev. Christian Tsui Hesse, the celebrated personal photographer of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, describing his life’s work as an irreplaceable asset to Ghana’s national memory.
In a Facebook post shared after visiting Rev. Hesse at his residence, the Vice President said she was deeply honoured to meet a man whose lens captured some of the most defining moments of Ghana’s independence and Pan-African history.
She noted that his contribution “is not something any nation can forget,” stressing that his iconic photographs continue to shape how generations understand the country’s political and cultural evolution.
“It gives me, at a very personal level, a lot of joy to be here to meet with you in person,” she said. “Your name is not something that is missing in our history… what you have done is not something that any nation can forget.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang praised Rev. Hesse for his decades-long commitment to preserving historical negatives and safeguarding national archives, despite facing numerous challenges, including limited institutional support. She acknowledged the struggles he endured, “even getting us as a nation to play our role in the preservation” of such valuable records.
The Vice President assured him of the government’s renewed commitment to safeguarding and properly utilising this priceless visual heritage.
She noted that Nkrumah’s legacy, deeply rooted in Pan-Africanism, makes the accurate preservation and retelling of these stories even more important for Ghana and the continent.
“What I can do here is to assure you on behalf of the nation to do whatever we can to ensure that we are owning this resource and using it to the best advantage,” she said.
Rev. Chris Hesse is widely regarded as one of Ghana’s greatest cinematographers and filmmakers. His work as Nkrumah’s personal photographer gave him a front-row seat to major political events across Africa, producing a historic archive unmatched in scope and cultural significance.
The Vice President ended her message by thanking Rev. Hesse for his “extraordinary service to our nation” and praying for his continued strength and good health.
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