Akufo-Addo pays homage to Ghana's unsung heroes

President Nana Akufo-Addo has paid homage to Ghanaian heroes who were not at the forefront of Ghanas independence struggled in his independence address to the Nation.

According to the president, they equally fought hard for our cultural integrity and the identification of who we are as Ghanaians.

He paid homage to Ephraim Amu, the composer of the famous Yen Ara Asase Ne, Philip Gbeho, the composer of our National Anthem, Theodosia Okoh, the designer of our national flag, Apaloo, the poet who immortalised the philosophy and music of the Ewe language among others.

He said: "I pay homage to Ephraim Amu, Tata Amu as he was fondly called. He was the composer of what easily passes as our unofficial National Anthem, Yen Ara Asase Ne. Is there a Ghanaian among us today who can sing or hear that song, in whichever language, without being moved?

"Ephraim Amu stood alone, most of the time, against what he saw as cultural domination. You did not have to wear a European-cut suit to be a scholar, you could wear a fugu, kente and above all, a locally woven fabric, and still be an educated person, he argued. He insisted you did not have to eat foreign foods because you were a scholar, and he insisted our music was as interesting and sophisticated as any around the world. Those were radical ideas for the time.

"I pay homage to Philip Gbeho, the composer of our National Anthem, and to Theodosia Okoh, the designer of our national flag. I pay homage to Kofi Antubam, the artist who first put Ghanaian art on the map. I pay homage to Saka Acquaye, the poet, writer, sculptor and musician, who wrote the first African folklore, The Lost Fisherman. I pay tribute to J.A. Braimah, the Gonja scholar and statesman who wrote insightful publications about the Gonja people.

"I pay homage to Apaloo, the poet who immortalised the philosophy and music of the Ewe language. I pay homage to E.T. Mensah, King Bruce, Jerry Hansen and the others who popularised highlife, which has become an enduring identity of Ghanaian music. I pay tribute to the great musicologist, J.H. Nketia, who is the great authority on African music.

"I pay homage to Otumfuo Prempeh I, who waged a heroic, even if unsuccessful, battle against the British and retained his dignity even in exile. I pay homage to Yaa Asantewa, that woman of valour, who led the Ashanti resistance to British imperialism. I pay homage to Nana Ofori-Atta I, who saw the wisdom in investing in the education of the young.

"I pay homage to Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong, the first Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, who became an icon in the development of our educational system.

"I pay homage to Oko Ampofo, sculptor and physician, who encouraged confidence in our traditional arts and medicine. It is thanks to him that herbal medicine became a respectable subject of study and research in our country.

"I pay homage to Dede Ashikisham and Akua Shorshorshor, famous market queens, who financed Kwame Nkrumah and the nationalist movement from their successful businesses."