"Ghanababa" Warren at a ceremony at the National Theatre in Accra. Ghanaba died on 22 December 2008. On 21 June 2009, a tribute was held at the Jazz Gallery in New York with Randy Weston, Obo Addy, and Kwaku Martin Obeng. Africa first On 1 July 1974, the anniversary of Ghana's Republic Day, he adopted the name Ghanaba. From a young age he wanted to remain true to his African roots. His pride in his African heritage was revealed in his music and the clothes he wore. His goal was to make the African presence felt in world music. Max Roach said in 1974 that Ghanaba wanted to strengthen "Afro-American music" by turning to African music for inspiration. He was disturbed by the desire of many Ghanaians for material goods manufactured outside the country. Ghanaba was among three people picked by Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah to give advice on political, spiritual, and personal matters. He repeated the same service to Jerry John Rawlings when he became head of state. In the 1970s Ghanaba joined African Obonu (later known as the Ghanababii) and others to perform the monthly Free South Africa Shows. These were organized at the Accra Community Centre in solidarity with Nelson Mandela and the people of South Africa in the fight against apartheid. Other shows were organized to commemorate important dates in African history, such as Namibia's Independence Day, and also to honor Africans such as boxers Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. He was an avid reader who had a sign in his house that read "I would rather read". He collected books, newspapers, and other material that he hoped could be catalogued. New York University expressed interest in his collections. A professor of African Studies at the school established the African Heritage Library in Accra with most of the material coming from Ghanaba's collections. Decades earlier, he had wanted to donate it to the government of Nigeria because of its commitment to the second edition of the World Festival of Black Arts in 1977. A supporter of Pan-Africanist, he opined that if political and economic developments do not go hand in hand with cultural developments no progress would be made. The Ghanaba Afro-Jazz Gallery is an independent art project "dedicated to honouring, and preserving, the legacy of the legendary Kofi Ghanaba" and to promoting Afro-Jazz music and culture. The title of Robin D. G. Kelley's book Africa Speaks,