A publisher par excellence: Charles Wereko on the life and times of Evander Mckay Milne, Kwame Nkrumah's publisher, whose wife, June Milne, became Nkrumah's research assistant. Known as Van to his friends and family, he helped put African literature on the world map by establishing Heinemann's African Writers Series.

The life and work of the late Evander Mckay Milne (1920-2005), publisher of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, has been celebrated in traditional Ghanaian style in London.

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Van Milne, who died at 85 on 26 December 2005, published 14 books written by Kwame Nkrumah, including his autobiography. Van also established the Heinemann African Writers Series through which he helped novelists like Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Wole Soyinka, Ayi Kwei Armah and Ngugi Wa Thiongo to become writers of international repute.

The tribute and celebration of his life in traditional Ghanaian style (held on 25 March at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies--SOAS) was kicked off with the pouring of libation by Nana Kusi Appiah Ababio II, Benkumhene of Ojobi in the Central Region of Ghana, and was interspersed with the playing of dirges on "Atentenben" and "Atumpan" (Talking Drums).

President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana sent a special message via a video link, and his acting high commissioner in London, Adolphus Arthur, led a government delegation to the event which included Mike Eghan, a leading member of the Convention People's Party (CPP). Also in attendance was Samia Nkrumah, daughter of Kwame Nkrumah, Erica Powell, Nkrumah's former secretary, and Van Milne's widow, June (who was Nkrumah's research assistant and later literary executrix), and the Milne family.

In a tribute read on behalf of the government of Ghana, Adolphus Arthur commended the yeoman's role Van Milne played in propagating the ideas and teachings of Nkrumah which led to Ghana's independence and later the total liberation of Africa.

The acting high commissioner said President Kufuor recognised Nkrumah's achievements and had also stressed that "you do not need to be an Nkrumahist to appreciate the great contribution Nkrumah made to Ghana and Africa".

Arthur continued: "If Dr Nkrumah was one of the greatest pan-Africanists of his time and the most prolific writer of his generation of African leaders, we got to know this through the publishing prowess of Van Milne."

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In keeping with Ghanaian tradition, the government of Ghana presented a pair of native sandals, three pieces of cloth and two bottles of Schnapps to June Milne. The presentation was made by Mike Eghan.

On behalf of the Milne family, Peter Milne, son of the publisher, thanked the government of Ghana for recognising the contribution of his father.

Van was born on 9 September 1920 on the north coast of Scotland, the 11th child of schoolteacher parents. He had a distinguished career as an RAF pilot of a Lancaster bomber during World War II, when he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC); and then as a book publisher, notably of African books.

His publishing career began in 1953 with Thomas Nelson, and later with Heinemann Educational Books. His role involved much travel in Africa and elsewhere, both finding authors to write textbooks, and then marketing them.

But his publishing career was notable for other reasons. Shortly before the independence of Ghana in 1957, Van who was then working for Thomas Nelson, heard that the then prime minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, was about to submit for publication his autobiography. The UK firm, Longmans, was poised to sign the contract, but Van was able to arrange a meeting with Nkrumah. There was instant rapport, and Nkrumah switched publisher to Nelson. It was Van, therefore, who was responsible for the publication of Nkrumah's first book, Ghana: Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah, timed to coincide with Ghana's independence on 6 March 1957.

It should be remembered, however, that Nkrumah was a writer all his life, long before 1957, and continuing until his death in 1972. It was, therefore, a great landmark in Ghana's history when Nkrumah, already an experienced writer, first met Van, an experienced book publisher, who became responsible for the publishing of all the seven books which Nkrumah wrote between 1957 and 1966, the year of the CIA-inspired coup which overthrew his government.

Following that coup both UK publishers for which Van worked, Nelson and Heinemann, decided to stop publishing Nkrumah's books, fearing the effect his overthrow might have on their other book sales in Ghana. Van was furious, and about to resign. But Nkrumah persuaded him to remain, having decided to form his own publishing company, PANAF, to keep in print his already published books, and to publish new ones he intended to write in Conakry where he lived as co-president of Guinea.

During the Conakry period of Nkrumah's life, from his arrival in Guinea in March 1966 and his death in 1972, PANAF published five new books by Nkrumah, and four pamphlets. Then a further two books, compiled in Conakry but published posthumously, making seven in all.

PANAF was administered from London by Nkrumah's research assistant, Van's wife June, who had worked in that capacity since 1958, After June's retirement from PANAF, the pan-Africanists Solomon and Ruki Kakembo took over the administration of the company in 1998.

Van's vital role in being Nkrumah's first book publisher will never be forgotten. Nor will his valuable contribution to African writers in general, when he founded the highly successful African Writers Series. His travels in Africa had brought him into contact with a new generation of African novelists. Recognising their talent at a time when they lacked opportunities to get their works published, he not only helped them with their early books, but brought them the wide readership they so richly deserved.

The best known of these writers were Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Ayi Kwei Armah and Wole Soyinka who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.