AN EXTRAORDINARY ASSOCIATION COPY: MUHAMMAD ALI'S OWN COPY OF "HIS HERO" KWAME NKRUMAH'S AFRICA MUST UNITE, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY NKRUMAH TO ALI "WITH ADMIRATION" DURING ALI'S VISIT TO GHANA IN 1964, WITH INTRIGUING PROVENANCE

(ALI, Muhammad) NKRUMAH, Kwame. Africa Must Unite. London: Heinemann, (1963). Octavo, original purple cloth, cartographic endpapers, original dust jacket.

Second printing of the Ghanaian's President's call for pan-African unity, inscribed and presented by him to recently crowned Heavyweight Champion of the World Muhammad Ali: "To Mohammad [sic] Ali, with admiration, Kwame Nkrumah, 18/5/64." This fantastic association copy was presented by Nkrumah, a leader of the pan-African movement, to Ali, who was becoming a prominent figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, at a time when each man was at the height of his powers. With an intriguing and well-documented provenance.

This extraordinary association copy originated from a meeting, in May 1964, between the boxing world champion and the Ghanaian President and prominent pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972). The meeting came at a crucial time in Ali's life, having just risen to become Heavyweight Champion of the World after defeating Sonny Liston in February, 1964, shortly after which he changed his name from Cassius Clay and joined the Nation of Islam. In line with that group's black liberationist politics, Ali decided that he wanted to "see Africa and meet my brothers and sisters." He spent two weeks there, and gave an exhibition fight in the national stadium in Accra. This copy includes a copy of the front page of the Ghanaian Times for May 19, 1964, which reported on the meeting of Ali and the President: "Mohamed Ali meets his hero. The 'King' of the world meets his hero at last. It was a proud moment for kente-clothed Mohamed Ali (Cassius Clay) as Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah shakes hands with him at Flagstaff House, Accra, yesterday. Mohamed Ali, who arrived in Accra at the week-end, had earlier in America expressed his wish to meet his personal hero—Osagyefo—during the visit to Ghana. And yesterday his dreams were fulfilled. Osagyefo presented Ali with two of his latest books—'Africa Must Unite' and 'Consciencism.' The champion said afterwards that he felt greatly honored and thrilled by the warm hospitality shown him by Osagyefo 'a great Leader of the people of Africa and of African descent.' He said he would greatly treasure the two books given him by Osagyefo."

In Ghana Ali was hailed by the press as the "Ring Poet" and was given the honorific name Muhammad Kwame Ali. Undoubtedly Ali and Nkrumah, both strident public figures in their opposition to white hegemony, would have respected each other—but evidently he did not "treasure" the books, at least not for long. Ali traveled on briefly to Nigeria, and then to Cairo, where he visited the Mohammed Ali Mosque, before heading back to America on June 23. Evidently his copy of Africa Must Unite never made it out of Africa, until now, as it was recently discovered in a bookshop in Giza, Egypt. The story of its discovery was detailed in the London Review of Books, Vol 38 No 10, May 19, 2016 (a copy of the article and the original receipt for the book, as paid by the author of the article, are included). The article notes of the book, "Not only was it a testament to an important period in the history of Africa and America and a piece of boxing memorabilia, it was also evidence of the close connection between the Civil Rights Movement and postcolonial liberation politics in Africa. 'This wind of change blowing through Africa is no ordinary wind,' Nkrumah wrote on the first page of Africa Must Unite. 'It is a raging hurricane against which the old order cannot stand.' In 1966 Nkrumah was toppled by a CIA-supported coup and his books, along with those of senior figures in his party, were burned." Second printing stated on copyright page.

Bump to top edge of front board, mild staining in places to covers, foxing to edges and endpapers, the book a little warped, soiled dust jacket chipped and worn at edges, but largely intact. Perhaps not quite very good condition overall; nonetheless a remarkable and quite desirable association copy, presented by Nkrumah to Ali.