Okatakyie Akwasi Amankwah Afrifa

We Shall Always Remember You

We shall always remember you, General !

The cowards who needed your blood to silence Ghanaians and depict how far they can go to exhibit the worst form of brutality ever visited on any Ghanaian, have finally been exposed to the whole world as the greedy beasts that they are.

For fun,they slaughtered you like a wild beast and even stole your corpse until the NPP gave it back to your family for the final funeral rites to be performed.

Today we are all witnesses to their crimes that has had the stench reaching as far as the United Kingdom.

May the almighty Maaawu Allah Nyankupon God Nyumgbo bless us with many more of your kind who will stand up against dictators in our dear country of ours, and may you rest in aeonian peace.

Lest we forget, may those coward brutes receive the reward of their guilt right here on earth before leaving to see their creator Lucifer to receive the interest on their guilt in hell.

Jato Julor Rawlings 4 weeks ago

All is Well
by Henry Scott-Holland.



Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I, and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone,
wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me and if you want to, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
let it be spoken without effect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

An Angel In Disguise

If an angels wings are forever hidden,
beneath two arms that wrap with care;
And a vibrant halo glows within,
a tender spirit shining there.
If the melody of a blessed harp
is found in the warmest voice,
and an unconditional love is sewn,
in to your each and every choice.
If the laughter of a cherub rings,
when you have brightened someones day
And pure heavens found in every smile,
you felt need to send this way.
If an angels gown of flowing white
is shielding from all eyes.
At once I knew when I saw you,
I spied an angel in disguise.

~~~~

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

Silent Tear.

Each night we shed a silent tear,
As we speak to you in prayer.
To let you know we love you,
And just how much we care.
Take our million teardrops,
Wrap them up in love,
Then ask the wind to carry them,
To you in heaven above.

~~~~

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die.

Anon

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
you tell me of the future that you planned;
Only remember me; you understand
it will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet, if you should forget me for a while
and afterwards, remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
a vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
better by far you should forget and smile
than that you should remember and be sad.

By Christina Rossetti.

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

Not, How Did He Die, But How Did He Live?

Not how did he die, but how did he live?
Not what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not, what was his church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with word of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
But how many were sorry when he passed away.

Respect (Granddaughter) 4 weeks ago

Okatakyie Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa (1936 - 1979) was a Ghanaian general and political figure. He was the head of state of Ghana between 1969 and 1970. Gen. Afrifa, together with former Head of State Gen. Acheamphong and then head of state Gen. Akuffo and five other Generals (Utuka, Felli, Boakye, Kotei, Amedume), was executed by firing squad in June 1979 in the heat of the June 4 revolution. He was born in Asante Mampong. He attended the local Presbyterian School and moved on to The Adisadel Secondary School in Cape Coast where he excelled and was ironically presented scholarlistic prizes by Dr Nkrumah who he later overthrew. The title "Okatakyie" was bestowed on Afrifa by the late Asantehene Opoku Ware as a recognitions of his bravery in helping rid Ghana of a "Tyrant" as Nkrumah was perceived then. Okatakyie Afrifa was in his time instrumental in raising funds to rebuild the entire village of Krobo, which is a few miles from Asante Mampong. Krobo was the birthplace of both his parent, Opanin Kwaku Amankwaa and Madam Ayewa. At the time of his untimely political murder, together with 9 other military officers, Okatakyie was an elected member of Parliament in the 1979 General Elections for the Mampong constituency. Okatakyie Afrifa had a premonition of his death when in 1976 or thereabouts, he wrote a prophetic letter to the then Head of State Genaral Acheampong advising him to stop corruption and indiscipline in the army otherwise "We will all be lined up and shot". His reward was a few months in jail and long house arrests and then sure enough, Acheampong and Okatakyie together with Akuffo and others were all lined up and shot by Flt Lt Rawlings in 1979. At the time of their execution, Ghanaians were made to understand that they had been punished for overthrowing constitutionally elected Governments of Ghana but, it has now become clear as a result of the National Reconcilliation Committee set up by the Kuffour Administration that Okatakyie and the other 9 Army Officers were NOT TRIED legally and thus considered MURDERED to satitsfy junior officers and the other ranks of the Ghana Army who were baying for BLOOD TO FLOW. Ironically enough, Flt Lt Rawlings who orchestrated the executions of Afrifa for reasons that he overthrew a constitutionally elected government, himself overthrew a constituitonally elected government about a 2 years later. Okatakyie was married at the time of his execution to Mrs Chritie Afrifa and had about 7 children including those he had before his marriage.

Afrifa once famously said "A coup is like having sex: The first time, you're nervous. After that, it's easy and fun."
Source: Wikipedia

Respect (Granddaughter) July 18, 2009

I am at Peace

To the Living, I am gone,
To the sorrowful, I will never return;
To the angry, I was cheated.
But to the happy, I am at peace.
To the faithful, I have never left.
Talk to me, and I will hear,
your prayers, they comfort me,
your laughter makes me laugh,
but don't weep for me as I have my reward,
I am with the Father and will never let me perish,
The Lord comforts me, and longs to comfort you.
So be happy my family and don't despair,
I am in good hands, waiting for the day when
the Lord calls you to come home.

Respect (Granddaughter) June 26, 2009

Liberation from Dictatorship

HEROES OF DEMOCRACY AND PLURALISM


When all the avenues of protest and legitimate opposition had been removed and denied, there was no choice left to any group of people to belong to any other political party, there was the need to intervene. When all political association and opposition were illegal and Ghanaians could only belong to ONE and only ONE party, the ruling party, there was the need to intervene and thank God some were brave enough to take up the challenge. That today Ghana can boast of pluralism in our body politic is testimony to the accomplished objective of our Liberators. The brave men and women stood to be counted and refused to be part of the totalitarian system of governance which our own countrymen, working in consort with the communist allies had foisted on the country.


When people failed to realize that it was a privilege to lead and considered it their birth right, and removed all avenues for opposition, there was every justification to intervene constitutionally. For given any constitution, it is necessary that the provisions that are enshrined in it are based on tenets that are acceptable to all parties. A constitution is a sacrosanct document and is a covenant between the ruling and the opposition parties. Once agreed, any variation in the covenant if not done with tacit approval and cooperation of all parties, renders the document redundant and subject to overthrow. That is why today with all their differences all parties including NPP and NDC can work alongside each other, because as the current Constitution stands it has the tacit approval of all parties.

DEATH OF ONE PARTY

Today the political landscape is occupied by NPP, NDC, DPP, PNC and many more. The parties enjoy openly the freedom and democracy restored and they take all of it for granted. Hardly do we stop to think whether the rush to launch new parties nearly every few months would not have been possible if the one party state had continued. Never again will Ghanaians allow any group of people to enshrine monism into our Constitution. The ONE PARTY STATE IS GONE FOREVER and that is a measure of the success, the awareness and the legacy that 24th February coup gave us. It restored into the Ghanaian body politic pluralism, so much so that today, Ghanaians will never allow anybody or group of people to institutionalized individuals as President for Life no matter their individual contributions to our independence struggle; a struggle which was started by the toil and sweat of peasant farmers, policemen, chiefs and ordinary people.

ONE PARTY DISGUISHED AS UNIGOV

Brave men and women were needed once more to be BOLD TO DEFEND THE COURSE OF FREEDOM, to organize, to revolt and to reject the mother-of-all ONE PARTY STATE - UNIGOV. Interestingly at the risk of lives and in the face of military might, some Ghanaians led not surprisingly by Okatatyie Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, Nana Akufo Addo and others; PMFJ revolted, which successfully culminated in rejection of UNIGOV.

ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Today you and I can enjoy the pluralism, the true democracy and the freedom we so much cherish. We look back today and forget how we could so easily have travelled the Zimbabwe road. Today, the people who had fervently worked to impose the ONE PARTY STATE are struggling to contain themselves in one party, and have formed a plethora of socialist parties i.e. NDC, CPP, PNC and many more. How ironic?

Akwasi Awua Ababio June 25, 2009