'Beyond fear and power pioneer journey from the village to the city and back' - Major Boakye Djan (rtd) launches book

Major Osahene Boakye Djan (Rtd) a former official spokesperson of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) launches the book title: “Beyond Fear and Power pioneer journey from the village to the city and back.”

The 307-page book authored by Mr Korletey Jorbua Obuadey covered his pre-school days, primary school days, middle school days, secondary school life, and his university days as well as his working with the media.

Other topics captured are his military career days, undercover agent to Nigeria, taking command in an infantry battalion, and the run into June 4, 1979.

Major Boakye Djan (RTD) in a pre-launch engagement with the media in Tema said the idea behind the title and the writing of the book was to demystify people’s fear for the military.

“When you talk about soldiers and coups, it brings the fear of the unknown, but we are not like that, the title is therefore to demystify that fear among Ghanaians,” he stated.

According to him, people have misunderstood the actions of the military and therefore called for the training of the youth especially those in second cycle institutions for six months to appreciate and acquire the needed discipline and courage for the betterment of the country.

For him, people should not only look at the adventure part of a coup but must also consider the pain it brought to many.

“People just look at the adventure part of it and not the pain, people come to me and ask, when are you, going to make a coup in Ghana again, and I just smile,” he said.

He believed that enlighten Ghanaians about what he has gone through as a journalist who worked with the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times, as well as the ‘D Company Commander’ of the 5^th Battalion of Infantry, and the spokesperson for the AFRC, as well as the general history of Ghana, would go a long way to help people appreciate Ghana’s history.

The octogenarian also stated that he had also realized that the habit of publishing books that existed in the country during his youthful ages had diminished and therefore there was the need to revive it.

He said for him, the only way to rekindle such public writing habits was for people like him to start writing about themselves and the history of the country, saying, “There is so much to write about Ghana’s history.”

Mr. Obuadey, on his part, said he thought it wise to document the life story of Major Boakye Djan (RTD) because there was a lot of Ghanaians could learn from their forefathers and forbearers like him who have been in power and government.

He said it would be sad if the younger generation does not pick some lessons from such persons before their death.

He noted that it took between two and three years for the book to be written and revealed that at one point, the retired military officer went into a coma, putting fear in him on what would happen to the completion of the book if he passed on.