Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Ghana Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She designed the national flag in 1957 — the red, gold and green with the black star that has stood for Ghana, and for African independence, ever since.
Theodosia Salome Okoh was a teacher and painter, born at Akim Oda into the Asihene family of Anum, and was working as an art teacher when the government of the soon-to-be-independent Gold Coast called for designs for a national flag.
Hers was chosen. Red for the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence, gold for the mineral wealth of the country, green for its forests and farmland, and at the centre the black star — taken from the Black Star Line, Marcus Garvey's shipping company, and standing for African freedom and the connection to the diaspora.
It flew for the first time at midnight on 6 March 1957, and because Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African colony to become independent, the design was copied and adapted across the continent; the black star became a general emblem of African liberation, and the national football team is named for it. Very few individual designs have been that widely borrowed.
She painted throughout her life and was also a considerable force in Ghanaian hockey, chairing the national association for years — the national hockey stadium in Accra carries her name. She died in 2015.
Hers was chosen. Red for the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence, gold for the mineral wealth of the country, green for its forests and farmland, and at the centre the black star — taken from the Black Star Line, Marcus Garvey's shipping company, and standing for African freedom and the connection to the diaspora.
It flew for the first time at midnight on 6 March 1957, and because Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African colony to become independent, the design was copied and adapted across the continent; the black star became a general emblem of African liberation, and the national football team is named for it. Very few individual designs have been that widely borrowed.
She painted throughout her life and was also a considerable force in Ghanaian hockey, chairing the national association for years — the national hockey stadium in Accra carries her name. She died in 2015.
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