On May 31, 2023, a Ghanaian literary icon of global repute, Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, passed on in Accra at the age of 81.
Well-deserved tributes poured in from around the world in honour of a woman who pursued and achieved greatness and became relevant to her motherland Ghana and the rest of the world.
Yesterday, the country held a state funeral in her honour, by way of paying her the last respects and bidding her farewell to the land of the dead.
That national honour is obviously an indication that the whole nation cherished the life of Prof. Aidoo, particularly her contribution to national development and global progress.
The calibre of people who attended the funeral of the Ghanaian literary icon to pay their last respects to her illustrated the fact that she was a stateswoman and a global personality.
Imagine the likes of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Dramani Mahama, Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, Chief-of-Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare, other high-profile politicians, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Chief-of-Defence-Staff, Air Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, and members of the diplomatic corps at the state funeral.
The presence of family members, traditional rulers, former colleague lecturers, friends, sympathisers and well-wishers from Ghana and across the world painted a picture of a person known and loved by many people of diverse backgrounds.
There was the woman who put her name and those of her holy village of Abeadze
Kyiakor in the Central Region and Ghana on the global map in her own special way.
It is difficult on our part to find the appropriate words to describe the life of Prof. Aidoo in depth, except to say she was an icon and this can be testified to in various ways and with the relevant illustrations by those who had close relationship with her.
This is why the tributes given at her funeral by President Akufo-Addo, a close associate, and her daughter, Kinna Nana Adjoa Kwesiwa Likimani, must be treated as good sources of learning about the departed great daughter of the country. (See our story on page12).
Their eulogies tell the whole world that Prof. Ama
Ata Aidoo was an exemplar in all her pursuits, a great person those who would choose as a mentor would not miss it in life.
We agree that not everyone can achieve greatness even at the national level much more to become a global icon like Ms Aidoo was, but if nothing at all, your family must cherish you and feel your absence.
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What kind of life are you leading? How productive and relevant are you to your family, immediate community and the Ghanaian society at large?
Are you just part of the population statistics or a person whose absence can create a vacuum that would be difficult to fill?
We need to learn lessons from the life story of Prof. Ama Ata Aidoo, whose family in particular would feel her departure in a very painful way for a long time.
A family source has it that Prof. Aidoo goes home on Saturday and so we take the opportunity to ask the family to accept our deepest sympathies.
We want them to know that we share in their painful loss.
Fare thee well, Prof! May you have blissful rest in the bosom of the LORD.
