By: Abena Kyere, University of Ghana (Legon)
Over the past few weeks, Ghana, together with rest of the world has been mourning the death of one of its greatest sons, Kofi Atta Annan. His death last month came as an unexpected blow, not just to the nation but to the world at large. Leaders from around the globe gathered in Accra for his funeral last week. At the funeral, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo called him “one of the truly iconic figures of modern times”. Video footage provided by Kenya’s Daily Nation news of the state funeral proceedings can be found here.
Mr. Annan became the seventh secretary general and the first black African to hold the job. He did not fit the stereotype of the haughty and secretive international civil servant and tried to answer all questions of reporters and ambassadors with disarming frankness. He published long reports, chock full of classified cables, that detailed the United Nations’ mistakes.
Patrick Lang’at of The Daily Nation(Kenya) writes, Annan is remembered fondly by many Kenyans because of his patient deliberations for peace following the disputed 2007 presidential election that led to the death of over one thousand Kenyans and the displacement of many others. In his condolence message, President Uhuru Kenyatta said: “The government and the people of Kenya join the people of Africa and the international community in remembering his remarkable service to the world. … In this regard, the people of Kenya are grateful to him for the critical role he played as a mediator during the 2008 post-election crisis.”
After leaving his high-profile UN position, Annan joined “The Elders”, an elite group of former leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, eventually succeeding Desmond Tutu.
Looking at this image, the gnawing fear that we are gradually losing all our elders, especially in these times of political turbulence and economic uncertainties is alarming, for a house without an elder is headed for destruction. The snippets below, part of an on-going conversation between members of the CIHA Blog Co-Editor team are telling of the apprehension felt by the passing of one of the greatest men of the century.
G. Acho: Africa and the world has lost a great soul, Kofi Annan.
C. Kemedjio: May the soul of our ancestors be light upon him. He represented Africa with dignity, intimidating the doubters with his superb and eloquent rhetoric. May we all do our part in advancing the work that’s need to uplift Africans
R. Kumalo: Indeed, he belonged to the league of great Africans. The few we can be proud of. With him and Mandela gone I wonder who do we look up to as Africa? I mean continental Africa?
C. Kemedjio: Brother…look inside yourself and you are half there.
Perfect words of consolation to mourning hearts, ones perhaps Dr. Annan himself would have proffered. He would have perhaps called on each and every one of us to look into ourselves for the solutions the world desperately needs. His travel home to rest calls on all humanity to look within ourselves and draw important lessons from his life on earth.
For the old, his death is a reminder of the legacies we would like to bequeath the world. What will the world say when we have finally left? How would we be remembered? How do we want to be remembered? For the young and still growing, we are called upon to serve the world in all ways and means available to us. He calls on us to stand for what we believe in, even when we face persecution for our beliefs, even when we have to stand alone.
Although mother Ghana weeps, she is proud to have given the world one of the finest men that ever was! Busumuru! Rest in Perfect Peace.