These were some of my instant reactions when at 9.30 p.m. on that fateful Friday a friend called and said he had heard that Professor Atukwei Okai had passed away. I went into immediate denial and started to send WhatsApp messages asking friends whom I thought could confirm or deny the sad news. It was a simple message, “Have you heard………. “
Although the late former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, was mostly known for his international diplomacy that averted clashes in and between many countries, he also played a huge role in making Ghana the beacon of democracy that it has become in the West African sub- region.
In this 21st Century, all nations including African countries and for that matter Ghana have come to recognize the inherent dignity, the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.
I called him Kordeitse Dientse (veritable father of Kordei, his eldest child). I chose this poetic manner of acknowledging my dear departed friend, Professor Atukwei Okai, not only in keeping with the Ga culture of respect and courtesy in addressing a person by reference to his eldest child, but also in appreciation of the rhyme and rhythm in as in Logoligi logarhythm. (A poem by Atukwei).
Tributes to Kofi Annan on his extraordinary accomplishments as UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006 have poured in since he passed away on August 18.
What is inequality and how does it look like? Inequality is the gap between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, men with means and vulnerable women of straw.
The sad and unexpected passage into eternity of Kofi Atta Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and the first black person to hold the highest diplomatic position in the world, brings to mind several anecdotes related to our collective and fond memories of a personality who brought honour and justifiable fame to his homeland Ghana, all people of black descent everywhere and indeed all the oppressed the world over.
There are a few things as defining of a great man as a sense of calmness and grace. Kofi Annan was the very epitome of greatness, the kind we imagine when we think of our great Kings during the time when our traditions and culture flourished.
I’m back to one of my favourite subjects — elect District Chief Executives (DCEs) and assembly members and carry out regulatory and institutional reforms to fundamentally alter the direction of Fourth Republican party politics in a positive way.
The KNUST Alumni Association mourns with the family, the nation and the entire global community on the passing of this great son of the universe – Kofi Annan.
Last week was an interesting, tiring and yet very fulfilling one for me. Monday marked exactly 18,250 days since I arrived on the surface of this earth and let out a piercing cry to announce my grand entry.
I can’t recall exactly when I first watched the Deadly Voyage movie, but the scenes are still fresh in my mind. For the benefit of those who may not have watched the movie, here's a gist.
It is difficult to imagine Professor Atukwei Okai forever lying motionless and unable to speak a word but it is that otherwise improbable situation that brings it home that indeed the great poet and humanist has left this earth.
Spanning from politics to academia, the year 2018 has so far taken away some prominent Ghanian legends, leaving many tongues wagging and many hearts grieving.
Some things in life belong to the category which someone has described as “the unalterable law of life”. An example is ‘Devaluation”. Another is “Pumping Dollars into the Economy”. No African Minister of Finance wants it, yet every African Finance Minister succumbs to their power. They are called, “Classical Economics”.
