The NPP Chicago pays special tribute to a historian, philosopher, leader, academician, politician, and philanthropist, the late Emeritus Professor Albert Kwadwo Adu Boahen who passed away peacefully on May 24th, 2006. It is due to his firmed principle, leadership, discipline, and courage that all Ghanaians are now enjoying the breath of freedom under the NPP Government. In fact, it is with heavy heart that we pay this tribute due to the enormous role, which Prof. Adu Boahen played in Ghana’s, as well as Africa’s history from the past to the present.

Prof. Albert Adu Boahen was an intellectual historian and political activist, who not only wrote and analyzed historical events, but also shaped and became part of the history. He stood up against Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong’s idea of Union Government in the 1970’s and broke “the culture of silence “ imposed by Ft. Lt. John Jerry Rawlings in the 1980’s on Ghanaians when many did not have the courage to dare.

Prof. Adu Boahen proved that the little man with the pen of truth, integrity, peace, patience, joy, kindness, love, self-control, and the fear of God, is mightier than the giant with the sword of hatred, intimidation, hostility, outburst anger, jealousy, selfish ambition, and demonic activity. In so doing, he helped us to solve the riddle of the “Ghanaian Sphinx”-the monster with a woman’s head, a lion’s body, a serpent’s tail, and an eagle’s wing, that walked on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night. Thus, we humans could be our own worst enemies or best of friends depending upon how we treated each other. We could call “the blood to flow” until there was sign of life or call for a blood transfusion to resuscitate life. We also have a choice to either evoke the goodness in us to build the bridge of understanding, or to sow the seed of discord to divide us.

Pro. Adu Boahen’s life, faith, and service to God, as well as his fellow man can be summarized in the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where the is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

O, Devine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be loved as to loved;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

Prof., you were God’s instrument of peace which sowed love, pardon, faith, hope, light, and joy to Ghanaians, Africans and the world when hatred, doubt, despair, darkness, sadness, and tyranny prevailed.

MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE WITH THE LORD. DAMIRIIFA DUE! DUE! DAYIE!

Dr. Aaron Ohemeng On Behalf of NPP Chicago Chapter, Chicago, Illinois, USA