Tribute On The passing of the Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama

Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama

Today Dagbon bows its head.  
Today the drums of Gbewaa weep.  
We have lost our father, our anchor, our Lion King — the 37th or 40th Yaa Naa, Naa Abukari Mahama.

From the great lineage of Naa Zoligu, through Luro, Tituɣuri, Zanjina, Gariba, Andani Jangbariga, Yakubu Nantoo, Andani Naanigoo, down to Mahama Kurili... the blood of kings flowed in him.  
He was Binbɛiɣu, Yɔɣto Lana, Gbewaa zuu, Kurisabi (Mion) Paɣa Bia — a true son of the skin, rooted in both the paternal and maternal lines that trace back to Naa Gungobili and Mion lan Tolhu.

Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama was not just a king.  
He was a father to all. A unifier. A custodian of our customs, our language, and our dignity.  
In times of division he called for peace. In times of sorrow he gave comfort. In times of joy he danced with his people.  
_"Na ni ŋun Bɔrila ŋun maanda, O jɛ ŋun saɣinda"_ — He was the one who listened, the one who approved, the one who carried Dagbon on his shoulders.

His reign reminded us that leadership is service. That a true Gbewaa sits not above his people, but among them.  
He wore the skin with humility, and he left it with honor.

To the Royal House of Andani, to the Elders, to all Dagbon and to Ghana — we mourn with you.  
May God (Naawuni) who knew his days, grant him Jannatul Firdaus.  
May the ancestors receive him at the gates of Gbewaa.  
May his name be spoken with pride by generations yet unborn.

Dagbon will miss the sound of your voice in the palace.  
Dagbon will miss the wisdom in your counsel.  
But your legacy will not die. The skin remains. The lineage continues.

Dama dam! Dama dam! Dama dam! 
Rest well, our 37th/40th King.  
Rest well, Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama.