Final Rites for Nana Kwadwo Amoa I

Nana Kwadwo Amoa Originally uploaded by beninmwangi

Last night my family, friends, and I attended the Ghanaian Funeral that the Council of Ghanaian Traditional Rulers in Georgia put on for my father. Let me say for clarity sake that my father’s burial and funeral service took place a month ago. But since he was a traditional ruler in Ghana, the nana’s adviced us that he had to be also given a traditional Ghanaian funeral or remembrance service because without this he couldn’t be recognized as an ancestor.

It was a beautiful event and one that I am sure my father would have been very happy about. Ghanaian traditional rulers, clergy, family, and friends were all there and made the event very heart warming.It is very hard to summarize a funeral, but when its your own father’s its even harder. But I believe that my Dad would like for people to know both how he lived and how he departed. He would be happy the celebration that followed, as it was one of the most lively and original that I’ve ever witnessed.

Representives from the Ewe Association of Georgia performing their tribute to my father. This dance step that they were doing was a sight to see. The Ewe’s have flavor!

Photo from beninmwangi

 

So I will try as best as I can to summarize this event by saying that it started with music from a really good DJ from Ghana. Visitors who arrived early -which is to say around 10 PM were immediately greeted with by such gospel greats as Mighty Clouds of Joy and Shirley Ceasar, these were followed up by more contemporary gospel icons like Kirk Franklin. As a steady stream of visitors began flowing in the MC began by welcoming them. He asked them to make themselves comfortable and to please be patient, as it appeared that some of the nana’s had not yet arrived. Again the music played, this time the warm and inviting sounds of the Ghana High Life genre of music poured itself out of the speakers. This music always brings back good memories for me.

While the music played the family and close friends of Nana Amoa I, gradually began to get comfortable amongst themselves and their hosts. As they arrived they noticed a pattern which would later that night become very familiar to them-entrants entering the door and shaking hands from left to right. They also noticed that true to the instructions that they were given everyone else at the function also wore red and black, which to the Akans are the official colors of mourning.

Then there were the traditional rulers themselves. Although, nearly everyone else in attendance also wore red and black or some variation it was still very easy to recognize them. For they wore very elaborate cloths, draped around them in a rather ornate and regal fashion. They also in the beginning of the funeral wore a serious and almost military-like expression on their faces.

Council of Ghanaian Traditional Rulers in Georgia

Photo from beninmwangi

Before long the MC asked the traditional rulers for permission to begin. They gave the official “go ahead” to begin and he welcomed everyone in attendance to the event. Something that I want to note is that the MC made a special effort to make the African Americans in attendance feel welcome and this theme would continue throughout the night. Afterward the MC’s welcome the pastor, Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Lartey, opened the next phase of the event with a prayer. More music again followed.

Nana’s Dancing

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After the break the MC passed the baton over to the nana’s. Before he did so he indicated that the only thing befitting a man of my father’s stature was strict adherence to their Asante customs. This included speaking in the mother tongue and the pouring of libations, which they promptly carried out. Next they did a role call, it was sort of like the one’s that your teacher did for you when you’re in school. Nana Kumi did the role call, each person whose name they called answered “present”. But then they got to my father’s name “Nana Kwadwo Amoa I” as custom demanded, they had to call his name. After receiving no response they carried out the next piece of ritual by asking if anyone has seen Nana Amoa. As we all knew, the answer was no. And with that they moved on to the next step, which was to declare that he had gone on to the land of the ancestors, in the next life. Therefore his sandals could be placed upon the ground (this symbolizes in the Akan culture that one is no longer a nana) and from that day forward his name could be removed from the roster of nana’s in the Council and that he would instead be always referred to as an ancestor. This was very deep and at this point the realization of my father’s transition once again became very apparent to me.

The next phase of the funeral was the announcement of the Council’s scholarship in my father’s name. They announced that the fund would go to a deserving Ghanaian physics graduate student. There was a very attention grabbing dance tribute performed by the Ewe association in honor of my late father. Anyone who attended may correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that they made a $1000.00 donation to the scholarship fund. Afterwards the Council of Ghanaian Traditional Rulers in Georgia donated $1500.00 to the fund.

Ewe Association Tribute

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Somewhere within this time frame a second MC, Mr Kofi Mintah, took over and he really hammered home the point that my dad’s story represents what can happen when Ghanaians and African-Americans share collaboration-whether it be in science or business. He implored the audience to work to further that collaboration.

Dubois Bust in Accra, Ghana

courtesy of bee721

Damon Dash in Ghana

courtesy of William Bedzrah

Afterwards, the family spokesperson said something on the behalf of the family, that spokesperson turned out to be me. I said some words on the behalf of Yaw and then I recounted the time that my father and I shared in Ghana, along with the life lessons that he taught me during our stay in Ghana.

Benin

Photo from beninmwangi

One of my last impressions of the function was to come from Nana Mensah. He gave a very touching story about my father. This story was about how my father encouraged him to follow his heart and write about about Ghanaian day names and how they relate to creation.

“When Dr. Brown and I were at the Ghana Expo, he overheard me explaining to an African-American about the Ghanaian day names. Later on he urged me to write a book on it. A few months later he asked me how the book was coming along. I told him it wasn’t finished yet. A few months later I received a call from Morehouse College asking me when I’d be available to come and speak with Dr. Brown’s students about my book. I told them it wasn’t even finished yet. But the person on the other end of the phone told me that Dr. Brown said it was ok and that I should still come. So I did go to Morehouse and to my surprise there was a hall full of students eagerly awaiting my arrival. Mo0rehouse paid me $200.00 for my time and I would like to take that 200.00 and donate it to the fund. I will soon be finished writing the book and when it is done I’d like to donate the profits from the first 1000 copies sold to Nana’s scholarship fund.”

To me Nana Mensah’s personal story represented that seed, which is to say my father’s legacy, being carried forward or planted. He also challenged me, personally, to do something to keep Dr. Brown’s legacy alive too. This is something which I will share with you later and in more detail. But for now let me just say that we, the family of the late Nana Kwadwo Amoa, are all very appreciative to the Council of Ghanaian Traditional Rulers in Georgia, The Asanteman Association of Georgia, the Ewe Association, and each and everyone of the other Ghanaian Associations that was involved in this farewell for what you have done.

Farewell Nana