“If death shall be an endless sleep where all pressures, dreams shall cease, one would never have a need to weep lying in eternal peace.”
— Joseph Anderson
I.K. Gyasi id est, Ibrahim Kwaku Gyasi, the nonagenarian who has just been laid to rest was a man of many parts. To the academic world, he was very learned; to the administrators of schools, he was a disciplinarian to a fault; to the religious, he was as devout as the word itself and devoted to the Ahmadis; to the youth, he was a guiding light, establishing the Old Vandals Association in Ashanti.
Sunday, January 4, quietus; Monday January 5, contacts and information; Tuesday, January 6, no lying-in-state, no speech, Moslem religious service — at Asafo, then to Nsuta (Mampong) for repose Wednesday–Friday: family at Atasemanso House to receive sympathizers; no sound systems, no music, no brochures, no wreaths. The End.
Like Julius Caesar, I.K. Gyasi would have said Veni, vidi, vici (weni, widi, wiki) and we would have said venit, vidit, vicit (he came, he saw, he conquered — in the third-person singular) Simple.
His younger brother, Kwame Gyasi, would have loved to hear my composition: “There was a hole…” (in which the dead body was put). Instead he was given the Vandal funeral version of “Owu owu ye ya se…”
As Cassius says of Caesar who “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus,” I.K. Gyasi had some of us “under his huge legs,” as our mentor, friend, brother.
Friday: The discussion continued, and the coterie of Vandals at the funeral including Justice Owoahene of Wenchi High Court, Enimil, Lucio, Lawyer Ohene Gyan, would dart off to “Vibrations” for some “ice water” I. K. Gyasi would have reminded us that originally the first batch of students were called “Commonwealthman’s” or “Thirdians”, Commonwealth Hall being the “third” Hall, after Legon and Akuafo Halls, in 1956/1957.
Then it was filled with a crop of young, virile, energetic men who included Nana Akuoko Sarpong (Shaw cross), Jones Ofori Atta, O.A. Asamoah, K. Odoom, D.K. Shardow, K. Debrah (Akoannye) … No room for female. At a function the “hu-hu-hu” among the Thirdians was noticed by a student from one of the “sedate” halls who furiously blurted out: “Keep quiet, you vandals”; Thirdians, referred to as vandals? Okay, we accepted it, but would show to the world that we were not as “some people” see us.
I. K. Gyasi would later write, “Commonwealth Hall has been hated, feared, admired and loved in turn by others; and the tag ‘Vandal’ with a capital ‘V’ was adopted (like the ‘Verandah Boys’ used as an insult to CPP members by the elderly ex-UGCC members).”
Batches of students came; the students viewed it “glorious to be held in contempt by the old men” still persevere in their habitual disturbances, and still succeed academically. Jones Dotse, Dei-Kwarteng, Kwaku Gyan, Yaw Manu Ofori-Kuragu, Boakye Ansah, Boafo-Arthur, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, Amankrah, Dramani Mahama, Gyan Apenteng, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, Agyemang Manu, Nanabanyin Dadson, Owusu – Agyemang (Posojo), Pipim, Wonderful Ghartey……..
When Sarbah Hall was built in 1963, some students from Commonwealth Hall were the first to occupy the place to escape “pairing” — hence the “V” (Viking); so, as “cousins” why should the two groups even “think” of fighting, burn cars? … it’s a dent on our cooperation and/our perennial quest for convivialities.
Of course, I played my part, as Vice-President, Choirmaster (with Agyemang-Manu as my Deputy), Chairman of the Supreme Council of Vandals and Guys (SCVG) and I crowned these with the option of writing my final year. Long Essay on Vandalism with the dissertation: “Building a Sub-culture; A Sociological Probe into Vandalism” submitted to the Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Bachelor of Arts degree, in 1977. (Current Vandals would take note of the word “enahoro”; to turn one’s room-mate out of the room ostensibly in order to “camp” – there is no word like “narrow” in the Vandal Argot; it was all fun; otherwise, how could I be warned before going for What you know” contest in Accra of being ponded if I lost. I got to win and returned to the hall to be ponded, the gang of ponders led by my own roommate, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu?.
In my research, I was assisted with information from meticulous and methodical I. K. Gyasi, Kwaku Gyan, Oko-Kyerematen, Wonderful Ghartey Pipim. I. K. Gyasi never sang (openly) but he would have loved to hear that some of the many Vandal Graduates in Music, Musicology would have composed a more presentable “Vandal Anthem” instead of polluting the National Anthem, “God Bless Our Homeland Ghana” with inspirational words (and sung on a public television station). No, no, no.
Which Ghanaian paper hasn’t I.K. Gyasi written for? Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, The Pioneer, The Mirror, Ghanaian Chronicle (now The Chronicle), The Spectator, The Independent, The Guidance (a publication of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission). I followed …, my mentor.
His publications in the Chronicle of old under the caption “Bluntly Speaking” were a must-read. From 1996 up to 2016 (when he retired from writing) he remained a regular columnist for The Chronicle. Whilst he was a Chief Examiner of WAEC Literature in English, I was (simply) an Examiner of WAEC English Language.
While he wrote “A Textbook of English” for students, I wrote “English for School and Colleges”. He had been on radio and TV (GTV Metro TV, TV3, OTEC FM, Garden City Radio, Capital Radio, Mercury, Luv FM, Hello FM, Fox FM, Angel FM …)
We chatted a lot. He would pat my back for obtaining an M. A. in Contemporary English. He was meticulous, nay finicky. He would see a small fault; he would call me on phone for a discussion on a grammatical issue; including punctuation. If he were alive he would have called me to discuss the
front-page headline of the Catholic Standard of January 11, 2026: “Ghana Condemns U.S Action in Venezuela.” Where is the period after ‘s’ — to show the truncation; otherwise, it would read “United S”.
If he were alive he would nudge me to point out to readers that “All protocols …” cannot be observed at the “Introduction” of the Chairman for an occasion or that “lying-in-state” is correct while “laying in state” is wrong OR that we have “one week observance” and NOT “one week observation” He was a great social critic. And he continued his administrative role, including serving as a Headmaster of Ahmadiyya Secondary School, Kumasi, Trustee of the Otumfuo Education Fund (1999 – 2016); member of the Advisory Committee on the Media Commission, This is what I.K. wrote about my yet-to-be launched 200 page book: “Nowhere Cool”; “…a novella… in which the author tells a simple but interesting story.
Using the ‘in media res’ and ‘flashback’ techniques, he presents his characters at certain stages in their life before he takes the reader back to the early ones… the story is a realistic portrayal of a period in the history of Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa… it is not meant to provide comic relief; it is a serious one about the vicissitudes of life… it is a thoroughly entertaining read.” Not “99 Days in Agege” but the book chronicles our 1,000 cockrows and chirpings in Alata-land.
- K. Gyasi lived a Vandal life. His life synchronized with the living expression as the acronym suggested in my capacity as Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the hall’s Echo: a “vivacious, altruistic, neighbourly, dedicated, affable lad” (now the “l” becomes “loyal” or “loving”). Kwabena Gyasi Business Analyst (IMF). Her Ladyship Miriam Gyasi Jawhary, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Aisha Tiwaa Gyasi, Tax Consultant at Totoe Legal Service; Ibrahim Kofi Gyasi, Program Manager, Canada; Adwoa Afrakoma Baah Obeng MTN, you have lost a great father!
Africanus Owusu-Ansah
africanusoa@gmail.com
