This is a funeral with historical and political perspective. Odeefo Akyin VII, Omanhen of the Ekumfi Traditional Area and other royal members of the traditional area have announced the final funeral rights for two of his immediate predecessors, Nana Akyin VI and Akyin VII.
Two deceased queen mothers of the traditional area and two late Ebusuampanyin of the Royal Asona clan will also feature at Ebiram, the traditional headquarters of the Ekumfi state.
The month long commemoration begins on June 9, 2023 with general cleaning in all the 53 towns and villages, stretching from Otuam, the largest town in the east to Obidan and Supruwdo, down Mankessim, along the coast, to Otabenadze, at the foot of the Obaakwaa Hill, where Ekumfi share borders with Enyan, Ajumako and Gomoa.
If you are travelling on the Accra-Cape Cast Road, Ekumfi begins at the border with Antseade.the last town in the Gomoa West District, through to Mankessim.
Some parts of Mankessim, especially the suburb called Edumadze, from when one crosses the River Amissah and Nananom, where Mr. Fred Oware’s Manna Heights Hotel is situated, is Ekumfi.
According to the official programme, all towns and villages in the traditional Area will take turns to drum and sing Asafo songs at the funeral grounds.
The climax of the commemoration is on Saturday, June 19, 2023 when a grand durbar will be held at the grand palace at Ebiram, under the auspices of the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, with Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng and other dignitaries gracing the occasion.
Many people may not appreciate the significance of the occasion because they may be too young to appreciate the role of Nana Akyin VI, especially in national politics and chieftaincy in general.
When Nana Akyin VI ascended the royal Asona Stool of Ekumfi, there were internal wrangling. Some king makers, especially along the coastal belt, did not agree with the choice of Nana Akyin VI. They made life very difficult for the new chief, who left the royal palace at Ebiram and settled at Ekrawfo.
I remember as a child, at every dawn, a convoy of vehicles would take over the main street at Ekrawfo, with people shouting and dancing Asafo songs. Apparently, they were looking for Nana Akyin VI to force him to abdicate or destool him.
News in the grapevine was that elders of Ekrawfo took him to a shrine at Obutu, which is a source of a stream and kept him until night fall, when he was brought back. This continued for some time until the advent of the First Republic and the formation of political parties.
Nana Akyin VI joined the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and became one of its leading lights. When the CPP won the general election in 1954 and formed the government of Prime Minister Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Nana Akyin VI was a strong advocate on national issues.
Those challenging him for the Ekumfi stool chickened out. The CPP rewarded him with a number positions. In 1959, Nana Akyin VI was made the President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, a position he held successfully for 14 years until 1973.
Many Ghanaians may not know this. But when Osagyefo, the President was in power, he had not deputy. There was no Vice-President nor Prime Minister. There was a three-man Council of Chiefs who took charge of the country anytime the President travelled.
In those days when the talk of African Unity and the Non-Aligned Movement to neutralise the East and West cold war, diplomacy was at its zenith and the president travelled a lot.
Nana Akyin VI, led the three-man Council of Chiefs to administer this nation any time the President was away, until the coup of February 1966 changed the political direction of this country.
As a child growing up at Ekumfi Ekrawfo at the time, I saw a lot happening though I could not make much meaning until much later. When Osagyefo the President was the leader of this nation, there was no major event at which Otuam Asafo did not feature. Any event at the Black Stars Square or the state opening of Parliament during the First Republic usually featured Otuam Asafo group.
In the early 1990s, I had the privilege of visiting Bristol University at a time Dr. Kwabena Donkor, Member of Parliament for Pru East, was a Doctorate student at the university.
The university mounted an exhibition of Asafo flags apparently seized by the British colonial masters, from the Gold Coast, when they were administering the country.
The most outstanding flag, in terms of the design, colour and length exhibited at Bristol that day, came from Otuam. Needless to state that most of the flags originated from various settlements along the Fante coast, in modern day Ghana.
In Fante parlance, Nananom Pow, Nyimpa Na Woyee, to wit, “it is human beings who organised Nananom Pow”. Apparently, Nana Akyin was responsible for quite a number of silent revolutions in the Ekumfi Traditional Area.
I could say without any contradiction that one contributory factor to me becoming a journalist was my exposure to Junior Graphic as a newspaper,when I was a Middle School pupil at Ekumfi Ekrawfo.
In those days, the Graphic Group of Newspapers was publishing the Junior Graphic for selected secondary schools. Somehow, we used to receive the newspaper on Thursdays at Ekumfi Ekrawfo.
As a boy growing up at Ekumfi Ekrawfo, Nana Akyin VI epitomised pride though we might not have understood what was happening in the political terrain.
Nana Akyin VI used to ride in a fashionable Pontiac car. Our thrill, watching the car approach after school, when the Omanhene had closed from work at Cape Coast and was coming home, knew no bounds. The driver would usually hoot the horn ‘Pa Pa.’
A huge roar would come from the school kids: ‘P-O-N-T-I A-C!”
In those days, Nana AkyinVI was very much interested in the welfare of school kids. Occasionally, he would come to school to encourage teachers and kids and sit in when examination results were being announced.
Undoubtedly, the longest Monarchs Ekumfi had ever known, he frowned on laziness and encouraged hard work. Hs popular adage was: ‘YE ADZE NA WOMBO WODZIN”,literally meaning‘Do something for the people to remember you’.
He used to bring school kids to his royal palace at Ekrawfo. Our role was tohoot at people who failed to utilise their strength and resources for their own welfare and for the general good.
One day, a man was brought in, who was accused of causing harm in his native town along the coast.
When Nana Akyin VI and his Councilors heard him and realised that he was a nuisance to society, in spite of his huge frame, the chief asked that the case be temporarily suspended until schools kids had been brought in. The case was called again when school kids had settled in.
Nana Akyin: EseWofreWo Den? (What do you say is your name)?
Accused Person: Nana, Wofre Me Odamu Gyan! (Nana my name is Odamu Gyan.)
Nana Akyin: OdamuGyan Den? Ewo Sika? (Why Odamu Gyan,do you have money)
Accused Person: Daabi (No)!
Nana Akyin: EwoMba! (Do You have children)
Accused Person: Nana Daabi (Nana No)
Nana Akyin: EwoYer? (Do you have a wife)?
Accused Person: Nana Daabi (Nana No)!
Nana Akyin: AbowaWoatoWoOdamuGyan Ma Aye OdamuGyanAmpa! (A foolish man who has been named someone with nothing who has really lived his name).
The march-past back to school wason the song OdamuGyan.
A hardworking entrepreneur, it was the buildings he Nana Akyin VI constructed at Ekumfi Essarkyir that was used to begin the Ekumfi T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School.
For me, I could vouch that it was his influence in getting Junior Graphic to Ekumfi Ekrawfo Ahmadiyya Middle School that tilted me towards journalism as a profession.My interest in the profession grew when I went to secondary school and read copies of Junior Graphic from the library that my interest in journalism as a profession was cemented.
From Junior Graphic, I developed interest in reading every newspaper and magazine, as well as listening to news on radio.
In secondary school, one of my greatest thrills was listening to early morning news and information from the radio box. I went to Suhum Secondary/Technical school.
At 5:30 am every day the announcer will read out in Twi… ‘Apedwa Radio Na Erefre Yi… Osagyefo Se Oma Mo Akye O, Oma Mo Akye Ahenewa, meaning (Apedwa Radio is calling. Osagyefo send all of you his good morning wishes).
My interest in the profession grew from there to the extent that anytime I was on holidays in Accra, I would walk from Accra Newtown, where my brother was residing, all the way, on excursion to Ridge, the Accra fashionable suburb, where the Ghana Institute of Journalism is situated, just to look at the sign post.The rest, they say, is history.
There are many reasons why the month-old funeral is a trip down memory lane in history with a political perspective.
Ekumfiba Ebo Quansah at Ebiram
