Graphic team signs book of condolence for Razak El-Alawa
The Editorial Team of the Daily Graphic, led by the Editor of the newspaper, Mr Kobby Asmah, yesterday signed a book of condolence in memory of the veteran journalist, Razak El-Alawa.
Other team members were the Deputy Editor, Mr Theophilus Yartey; the Regional Editor, Mr Edmund Smith-Asante; the Chief Sub-Desk Editor, Mr Alhassan Zakaria, and the acting Night Editor, Mr Samuel Bio.
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The book was opened at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra.
The team was received by the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Affail Monney.
They also commiserated with a daughter of the deceased, Ms Halima El-Alawa, who was at the centre.
Mr El-Alawa, who died on May 3, 2021, aged 76, was a quintessential journalist who was also a columnist of the Daily Graphic.
He was buried in Kumasi on May 4, 2021.
Tribute
In his tribute, Mr Asmah said Mr El-Alawa had duly paid his dues to the country, the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), where he worked, and the inky fraternity in general.
He said the late veteran journalist had left behind many success stories, notable among them being winning the GJA Journalist of the Year award three times.
Mr Asmah prayed to Allah to keep the deceased’s soul safe and blessed.
Background
Mr El-Alawa won the GJA Journalist of the Year award in 1975, 1976 and 1978. He was also the runner-up in 1977.
For winning the award in 1978, Alhaji El-Alawa was sponsored by UAC to Liverpool, United Kingdom.
His weekly column in the Daily Graphic on Saturdays, titled "Reflections", was a favourite of many readers.
An old student of the Konongo-Odumase Senior High School (KOSS), El-Alawa was admitted to the University of Ghana in 1967 for a BA (Honours) degree in History.
In September 1974, he was posted to the then Graphic Corporation for his National Service, after his post-graduate studies at the School of Communications Studies, University of Ghana.
He was appointed a Staff Writer at the Daily Graphic in September 1975 and served as the Northern and Upper Regional correspondent of the newspaper.
Described as a true son of the Commonwealth Hall (Vandal City) of the University of Ghana, El-Alawa played an instrumental role in the affairs of the Old Vandals Association, rising to become President of the association from July 2011 to July 2016.
As an undergraduate student, he was the Editor of the Echo, a publication by the Commonwealth Hall.
Returning to the Commonwealth Hall in 1973 as one of the pioneer students for the Post-graduate Diploma course in Communication Studies, he became the Editor-in-Chief of the Echo and also Secretary of the Junior Common Room (JCR).
Yoruba affairs
A Yoruba by birth, he played a key role in the affairs of the Yoruba community in Ghana.
Although he lived almost all his life in Ghana, he never lost touch with his roots in Nigeria.
When Dr Hilla Limann assumed the Presidency of the country, El-Alawa became one of the press secretaries at the Castle.
