ABSTRACT
Tracing the influence and impact of Lincoln’s image and cultural symbolism as it traversed transnationally throughout Africa, the essay explores how different value systems and practices—educational institutions, religious organizations, political campaigns—put Lincoln’s status and cultural meaning to work. Specifically, the essay examines how ideas about Lincoln were historicized and imagined, and Lincoln’s words disseminated in different registers such that a diverse range of people, from school children to ministers, have been able to assign meaning and use to Lincoln. The essay focuses on African leaders, such as Lincoln University educated Ghanaian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah and other elites.
