Accra May 31, GNA - Hundreds of people on Wednesday joined the family and widow of the late Emeritus Professor Albert Adu Boahen, a renowned historian and politician, who died last week, for the one week celebration of his life.

The people included Members of Parliaments (MP) from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ministers of State, the Academia, Media Practitioners, Actors and people from all walks of life.

Traditional rulers, the Clergy and church members of various denominations were also at Airport Residential area residence of Prof Adu Boahen to sympathize with the family.

Dr Obed Asamoah of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and some members of the NDC exchanged pleasantries while members of the NPP came in groups to greet the family members.

Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Former Minister of Education, Youth and Sport; Mr Dan Botwe, Former Minister of Information; Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Former Minister of NEPAD and Regional Integration and Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Water Resources, Work and Housing, were present.

Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister-Designate of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, and Mr Kwadwo Agyei Darko, Former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development; Sheikh Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister were among the NPP members at the function.

Other people present included Professor Akilapka Sawyer, Former Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana and NPP members from the various constituencies.

The various groups presented donations in the form of drinks, as custom demands, to the family of the Professor as their contribution towards the one-week celebration.

The NPP MP's donated four crates of malt, four crates of minerals, four crates of Guinness, four crates of beer and two bottles of schnapps as their contribution to the one week celebration. Professor Adu Boahen was born on May 24, 1932 at Oseim, in the Eastern Region.

His political life started whilst he was in his second year as a student of the Mfantsipim Secondary School in the Central Region. He took part in the protest strike by the School and other Cape Coast schools against the arrest of the 'Big Six' by the British Government.

Prof. Adu Boahen graduated from the University of Ghana in 1956, with a B.A. Honours Degree in history and was offered a scholarship to study at the University of Oriental and African Studies, London, where he graduated with PhD Degree in African Studies. He became a Lecturer at the University of Ghana in 1959 and a Professor of History in 1971.

He was also noted for both his political activism and international role as a visiting Professor to universities throughout the world, and as a Consultant to UNESCO.

To his credit are nine books and over 25 published and unpublished articles.

Amongst his many books and papers on modern and colonial history is the monograph 93Mfantsipim and the Making of Ghana: A Centenary History 1876-1976=94, for which, he won the Norma Award for Publishing in Africa in 1997.

Prof. Adu Boahen, who received many awards, was also the Editor of UNESCO's eight volume 93History of Africa=94 series. On July 12, 2004, Prof. A. Ali Mazuri, the renowned African International Cultural Historian and Political Scientist, presented a copy of "Ghana in Africa and the World" dedicated to Adu Boahen to President Agyekum Kufuor.

The seventh volume of the book of eight volumes and written by about 30 authors was edited by Prof. Adu Boahen. Prof. Adu Boahen's real political carrier began in 1978, when he took part in a strike against the General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong=92s Supreme Military Council (SMC), for which he was detained in the Tamale Prisons for four months. He also criticised the June 4 Uprising by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (rtd) that ended the rule of the SMC under General F.W.K. Akuffo. His involvement in the Movement of Freedom and Justice in June 1990 led to his arrest and detention. Prof Adu Boahen was Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Election 1992, which he lost. Prof. Adu Boahen, suffered a stroke in 2001 and was admitted at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra and died at the age of 74 on May 24, 2006. 31 May 06