Okusaca Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

North American (U.S.A and Canadian) citizens and residents of Akuapem and Asuogya descent – including chiefs and queen-mothers – converged on Ohio’s state capital and largest city, Columbus, over the U.S. Labor Day week-end to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the founding of the Okuapemman Association of U.S.A. and Canada (OKUSACA). Ordinarily, this would have been the annual commemoration of the North American version of the Akuapem and Asuogya Odwira and Ohum festivals, but with the passing of the late Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III, the Okuapehene, just a few weeks before the event (which is held in a different North American city – typically the home of one of OKUSACA’s affiliate Chapters – every year), it was decided that this year’s celebration would be “toned down” to just an anniversary celebration devoid of the usual pomp and pageantry that characterizes the Odwira/Ohum festivities. However, with OKUSACA’s 30^th anniversary also coinciding with the 10^th anniversary of the hosting Columbus-based Ohio Chapter, the week-end’s commemoration of the dual milestones was anything but toned down, even if stripped of any official mention of (or reference to) Odwira/Ohum in observance of the proper protocols because of the Okuapehene’s passing. (Indeed, a minute’s silence was observed at the official opening and welcome ceremony of the festivities on Friday night in honour of the late Oseadeeyo.) And by the time it was all over, there was a general consensus amongst all who attended that this year’s event was one of the very best celebrations that OKUSACA has ever had in its 30-year history.

The venue for most of the activities of the joint anniversary celebrations, which were held under the theme "Akuapem/Asuogya Youth – Our Hope Our Future", was the plush Crowne Plaza Columbus North-Worthington hotel, and approximately 300 of OKUSACA’s members (not counting children under 18 years) from its 10 affiliate Chapters of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, the hosting Ohio Chapter, Washington DC and Toronto, Canada descended on the hotel and were joined in attendance by their friends and well-wishers from all over the world. This included two political luminaries from Ghana: a Minister of State in the person of Honorable Helen Adwoa Ntoso, the Volta Regional Minister (who has had a long-standing relationship with OKUSACA, going back to the days when she was the Eastern Regional Minister and helped to broker the peace accord that brought an end to a divisive, long-lasting chieftaincy dispute that had plagued the Akuapem traditional area for over two decades) and the Akuapem North Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. George Opare Addo.

Also in attendance was Dr. Arikana Chihombori, a Tennessee-based medical practitioner of African descent (originally from Zimbabwe) who, along with OKUSACA’S own Dr. Martin La-Kumi (a.k.a. Nana Obenfo Sasraku La-Kumi I) a renowned dentist of Toronto, Canada, graciously co-chaired the week-end celebrations’ signature event, the fund-raising dinner-dance held in the evening of Saturday September 5, 2015 that had as its main goal the raising of funds to support (and help rehabilitate some structures at) the Demonstration School for the Deaf at Mampong Akuapem. Another attendee worthy of mention – because of the significance that his presence represented – was the President of the Okuapemman Association in Europe, Mr. Emmanuel Manukure Saforo, who came all the way from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to be a part of the celebrations.

One of the highlights of this year’s festivities was a very colorful durbar held on the afternoon of Saturday September 5, 2015. (In fact, that in itself – having an afternoon durbar in traditional festival style separate from and in addition to a dinner-dance in the evening – was a first in the history of OKUSACA’s 30 years of holding these festivities, and credit goes to the host Chapter in Columbus, OH for pulling it off.) In fitting style to the theme for the joint-anniversary celebrations, the person selected to give the key-note address at the durbar was none other than an up-and-coming star of the Akuapem (and Ghanaian) youth in the Diaspora, Ms. Ashley Yaa Koryoe Addo, Assistant Attorney-General in the Health and Human Services Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. In her keynote address, Ms. Addo advised Ghanaian youth in the diaspora to make positive choices to justify the commitments and sacrifices of their parents and avail themselves of the many opportunities open to them by virtue of their being in countries like the U.S. and Canada. She advised the youth not to be distracted by the “drama” associated with being in high school – and especially the exposure to social media these days, something that she said contributes largely to poor grades in school. She urged the youth to rather focus mainly on their studies to improve their chances of higher academic pursuits, and also challenged them to seek excellence in such habits as good time management, personal organization and skill development, forging of relationships with the right mentors (in their quest to make the right career and professional choices), and also getting involved in worthy endeavors to improve their communities.

Ms. Addo also advised the youth to disabuse their minds of ignorance about Africa especially as they are bombarded constantly with negative portrayal of Africa in international news media. She enjoined them to be proud of their roots and not give in to any ridicule that others might attempt to subject them to about their heritage. For their part, the young but very accomplished and eloquent key-note speaker encouraged Ghanaian parents in the diaspora to continue to motivate their children during their struggles in trying to find a balance between two cultures – the diasporan (Western) culture they live in and the Ghanaian culture that the parents themselves grew up in (and which shapes how they try to raise their children, regardless of whether the children were born in or outside Ghana). She said it is equally important for diasporan Ghanaian parents to instill in their children the values they grew up with even as they (the parents) learn to adapt to the seemingly progressive social and cultural changes around them in their countries of residence.

In his annual address at the fund-raising dinner-dance, the National Coordinating President of OKUSACA, Mr. Kwasi Aye-Addo (who is also the President of the Atlanta Chapter) congratulated the entire membership of the organization on its 30^th anniversary and also the Ohio Chapter on its 10^th anniversary. Mr. Aye-Addo recounted the numerous contributions that OKUSACA has made towards the socio-economic development of the Akuapem and Asuogya traditional areas in Ghana and enumerated some of the specific projects that have been initiated or contributed to by OKUSACA. These included renovation works carried out at the pediatric unit of the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Mampong Akuapem (which included the replacement of old doors with aluminum self-closing ones to keep mosquitoes out of the ward and the OPD), donations of hospital supplies and equipment to the Tetteh Quarshie and Akosombo hospitals, donations of substantial amounts of money to the Presbyterian University at Akropong Akuapem for infrastructure development and of computers to the same university to assist with research, funding of the construction of a school block for the village of Bolokofi near Adawso, and donations of assorted items to the School for the Blind at Akropong.

Mr. Aye-Addo praised the efforts of the association in helping to bring lasting peace to the Akuapem area and in working to foster closer relationships between the people of Okuapemman and Asuogyaman in the diaspora with our chiefs and people back home, paving the way for the exploration of opportunities in education and socio-economic development that would empower our people. The National President also took the opportunity to announce that the association was in the process of developing a meaningful and attractive welfare package for its members, adding that its leadership was in consultation with some corporate bodies to help sponsor the annual Odwira/Ohum festivities to lessen the financial burden on the hosting chapters.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the President of the Ohio Chapter, Mrs. Juliet V. A. Badu-Dwomo, in a speech to formally welcome attendees to Columbus and open the traditional durbar, reminded the gathering that if the association (OKUSACA) is to achieve its strategic goal of educating and developing the youth, our culture (as Akuapem and Asuogya people – and perhaps as Ghanaians) must adapt and update itself with modern technology. She said members of OKUSACA should emulate the example of the Chinese and other Asian communities in the U.S. in fostering strong social networks amongst our people, a trait that she said helps in promoting quality education, hard work, innovation and a great sense of cultural identity in those communities and enables their members to make sacrifices for one another and for the benefit of generations yet to come.

One significant feature of this year’s OKUSACA festival was the election of a new National Secretariat to steer the affairs of the organization. After 16 long years of hard work and outstanding stewardship that have seen OKUSACA grow in membership and accomplishments, both Mr. David Osafo, the National Co-ordinating Secretary and Mr. Eugene Adum Kwapong, the National Treasurer, announced in the course of the past year that they were retiring from their respective positions in order to make room for a set of fresh faces (and young blood) to lead the organization into the future. Accordingly, the following people were elected (and sworn-in) to run OKUSACA for the next two years:

Patrick C. OsBourne (Ohio Chapter) – National Coordinating Secretary

Josephina Banchi (Dallas Chapter) – Assistant National Coordinating Secretary

Alex Darku (Toronto Chapter) – National Treasurer

Stephen Atta Koranteng, Snr. (Houston Chapter) – Assistant National Treasurer

Joycelynne Nketiah-Gyasi (Atlanta Chapter) – National Public Relations Officer

Daniel Ofori-Som (Minnesota Chapter) – Assistant National Public Relations Officer

The anniversary festivities were rounded off with a thanks-giving church service on Sunday morning that was officiated by Reverend Joseph Amponsah of Ramseyer Presbyterian Church, Columbus, OH, followed by an all-out fun picnic at one of Central Ohio’s major attractions, the “Columbus Beach” (the water-front of the Alum Creek Water Reservoir, officially known as the Alum Creek State Park). In addition, those attendees who were fortunate to stay the extra night (choosing to leave on Monday morning instead of Sunday evening) were treated to another evening of fun at a special, first-of-its-kind let-it-all-loose party hosted by the Ohio Chapter. All said and done, this year’s OKUSACA anniversary celebration was one memorable week-end of relaxation and enjoyment that is certain to be looked back on and talked about with fond memories by all those who were a part of it for many years to come.