Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings is one of the most popular and provocative leaders in African history. A former President of the Republic of Ghana (1992-2000), Rawlings came to power through a military uprising in 1979 and 1981. In 1992 and 1996, he won multiparty elections to become the leader of Ghana for a third and fourth time. To date, Rawlings is Ghana's youngest and longest-serving leader. Renowned throughout the African continent and beyond, Rawlings continues to cast a charismatic figure in African politics, in what is often described as 'The Rawlings Factor.' In the late 1980s, faced with numerous economic challenges, Rawlings initiated heritage tourism facilitated by way of Pan Africanism as a means to economic and social development. Ghana's forts and castles became center stage, and continue to be so until today. In this edited interview, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and author discuss politics, economics, heritage tourism, and development.
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