Tamale loses ‘development chief’
The Tamale-Louisville sister-city relationship is arguably the oldest of such partnerships in the country today. It dates back to 1979 when the Tamale metropolis and the city of Louisville in Kentucky in the United States of America sealed a bond of friendship to cooperate and support each other.
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The relationship has been driven and strengthened by the singular role played by the leader of the team from Louisville, Dr Susan J. Herlin. Through her efforts, hard work and commitment, she succeeded in putting smiles on the faces of the underprivileged in the Tamale metropolis for many years.
Grief
It is for this reason that the people of Tamale are overwhelmed with grief over the shocking news of the death of this illustrious development partner a couple of months ago in her home city of Louisville.
Until her death, the 75-year-old African history professor was the “Zosimli-Na”, chief of companionship, in recognition of her development efforts to promote and forge close friendship between the citizens of the two cities. for the purposes of receiving assistance for the development of Tamale. She was enskinned by the then Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani.
The occasion of her enskinment was marked with a colourful durbar about two decades ago. She was ably supported by her husband, Professor Wyatt McGaffey, an anthropologist who had stood by her in her support activities and sojourned in Tamale.
Funeral
According to the President of the sister-cities relationship in Tamale, Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia, the final funeral rites for the Zosimli-Na would be observed at her palace at Lamashegu, a suburb of the city, with traditional splendour befitting of a royal in the Dagbon kingdom.
“We are going to use the opportunity to celebrate the life of the late chief, whose initiatives have not only helped in placing Tamale on the world map but have also benefitted hundreds of deprived people in the metropolis who would not have been where they are today but for her generosity,” he indicated.
Benefits
The Zosimli-Na had always been proactive with her development works. For instance, hundreds of brilliant poor students benefitted tremendously from a scholarship scheme she established.
A beneficiary of her largesse, who is now a journalist with a leading daily newspaper, Suweibatu Tiyumba Yakubu, described her as “amazing and compassionate; she helped change my life by making my dream to become a journalist a reality”.
Dr Susan also fostered the exchange of information between government agencies such as the Northern Regional Library, the Louisville Free public library and the waste management departments of the two cities. Through her, some senior high schools also received donations of school equipment and water reservoir facilities.
A U.S. writer, Mark Mattox, summed it up when he wrote that the work of Zosimli-Na was a “story of a woman’s search for something interesting to do that sparked decades-long career as an African advocate and historian; the joy she discovered helping others, her richest reward”.
“And her song, the story of a regal, retired university professor who rose to a position within the Ghanaian nobility, is an ode to a champion more servant than king,” he added.