Sankofaonline News Desk: UN Headquarters New York. September 25, 2025
In a speech that blended historical reverence with urgent diplomacy, President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana took the floor at the United Nations General Assembly today to defend the institution’s role as the world’s “town square” and to call for the immediate removal of the decades-long blockade on Cuba.
Mahama invoked the legacy of Ghana’s founding father, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, whose doctrine of non-alignment shaped Africa’s post-independence foreign policy. He reminded the Assembly of Cuba’s unwavering support for Africa during the fight against apartheid, noting that Cuban blood was shed on African soil in the pursuit of liberation. “Cuba has been and continues to be a faithful friend of Africa,” he said.
His appeal to lift the blockade was not merely political—it was moral. Mahama framed the United Nations as a sacred space where nations gather to air grievances, express concerns, and confront global challenges. “The very fact that I can stand here and say these things,” he said, “is what makes this space vital.”
He warned that the integrity of this shared space must be protected at all costs. In an era of rising polarization and digital fragmentation, Mahama argued that the UN remains the last bastion of collective dialogue—a plaza where nations, like citizens of a global village, come together not just to speak, but to listen.
President Mahama’s remarks were a powerful reminder that diplomacy is not just about policy—it is about preserving the spaces where humanity can still meet face to face. His call to end the Cuba blockade was a call to honor friendship, history, and the principles that hold the world together.
