Akropong goes red to mourn Okuapehene
By
Edmund Smith-Asante
Beginning
today, the dominant colour that will be seen on the entire Akuapem Ridge,
particularly the seat of the Akuapem Traditional Area, Akropong, will be red,
with some black as well.
The
purely traditional mourning will require indigenes of Akuapem, as well as
guests, to refrain from adorning themselves with any jewellery, including
earrings, bracelets and necklaces, as well as putting on gay clothes, during
the solemn period.
According
to the Funeral Planning Committee, sympathisers and guests would have to be
clad in either black or red, while those filing past the body of the late chief
must remove their sandals or footwear.
The
public is also forbidden from taking photographs of the chief’s body as it lies
in state.
There is
also a ban on all forms of noise-making till the funeral ends, with drinking
bar operators being asked to close by 11 p.m. each day.
Further,
the firing of guns and muskets in the Akuapem Traditional Area within the
period has been limited to only people identified by the Akuapem Traditional
Council and granted permit by the police.
Funeral
rites
The
funeral activities will begin with the body of the late Paramount Chief of
Akuapem lying in state of from Tuesday, February 2, to Saturday, February
6, when a burial service will take place at the Christ Presbyterian Church in
Akropong, to be followed by funeral rites on the Presbyterian University
College Park (Salem), also in Akropong.
There
will also be a thanksgiving service on Sunday, February 7 and final burial
rites on Monday, February 8 at the forecourt of the Okuapehene’s Palace in
Akropong.
The
funeral of the late king, who left behind a wife, Mrs Gloria Ayebea Djan, and
five children, is a big event that is likely to have high-profile guests,
including President John Mahama and former Presidents J.J. Rawlings and J.A.
Kufuor, attending to pay their last respects to the late Omanhene.
Leaders
of the various political parties will also pay their last respect.
Biography
of the late king
Oseadeeyo
Addo Dankwa was installed as the Paramount Chief of the Akuapem Traditional
Area in 1974 at the age of 44 and reigned continuously for 41 years.
He is
reputed to be the longest reigning Okuapehene since the formation of the
Akuapem State.
Before
being called by the ancestors, Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa became the President of
the Akuapem Traditional Council, a position he occupied from 1974 till his
demise.
He was
also a member of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs from 1975 and member of
the National House of Chiefs from 1990 till he passed on.
He was
also a member of the Research Committee and Chairman of the Publicity Committee
of the National
This story was first published by the Daily Graphic
on February 1, 2016
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