“Kumasi has its own lingua franca…… ‘chef’ …. Is a respectable reference to you … you may be referred to as ‘kapo’ (capo); ‘Daleta’ (Director) or ‘Esquire’, ‘Wiper’ is … a signal that ‘I shall return’… in this city, ‘l’ and ‘r’ are used interchangeably (blaa – brother); hulay (hurray)… Even though, it is the wont of modern day politicians to refer to the ‘Kumasi thing’ with derision … as crude and coarse, the Kumasi thing is in fact a formidable, powerful, original and even sexy thing… that the Ashanti Bar will unravel to mesmerize our colleagues in the next few days”.
Yaw Acheampong Boafo
President, Ashanti Region
(Ghana Bar Association)
YAW ACHEAMPONG BOAFO’s speech on Monday 14th September, 2015 may have had the intendment of ‘welcoming’ delegates to this year’s Annual Bar Conference. It could have been ordinary, pedestrian, dreary, banal or humdrum. But he chose to give it a colouring, a seasoning, a flavour and a tinge, interspersed with appetising anecdotes of the ‘Kumasi thing’.
To the young President, an Old Boy of Prempeh College and London- and Ghana—trained lawyer, the Ashanti Bar undertook “to organise and host the greatest Bar Conference ever …and when the years pass, all will say we came to Kumasi 2015 and the Ashanti Bar did us good … Welcome to the greatest city on earth, the Jerusalem of the Republic of Ghana”.
It was a well attended conference, with over 1000 delegates registering. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene with a retinue of chiefs; His Excellency President Kufour; Her Ladyship Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief Justice of Ghana; Dr Dominic Ayine, the Deputy Attorney – General and Minister of Justice; Honourable Peter Anarfi – Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister were all present. So also were Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and Alan Kyeremateng, in their capacities as members of the Bar.
The theme of the Conference was: “Rule of Law, Access to Justice and Sustainable Development – the Panacea to Political Economic Progress of a Nation State”. The formal opening of the Conference at the Great Hall, KNUST, Kumasi, was done by Mrs Georgina Wood, the Chief Justice of Ghana. She acknowledged that the integrity and respect for judges were at their “lowest ebb” given the “ignoble acts” of some judges, and that the Judicial Council would act expeditiously in the unfolding saga of bribe-taking by some of them. To her, “all is not lost” and confidence would be restored in the Judiciary.
Nene A.O. Amegatcher, the National President of the Bar gave an interlocutory address. He explained the rationale for this year’s theme for the Conference, coincided with the world-wide celebration of the Magna Carta. Dr Dominic Ayine, the Deputy Attorney General, expressed worry at the current system where no plans had been made for LLB students to proceed to the Ghana School of Law to complete their training to become lawyers. President John Agyekum Kufour (formal introduction– no need to introduce him as ‘former President’) who was called to the English Bar and Ghana Bar some 54 and 53 years ago respectively, spoke on the Conference theme, and traced the history of ‘law’ quoting Plato, Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas profusely.
His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene stole the show with his sweet – flowing, scintillating speech as the Special Guest of Honour. He was smug in our presence since he had in 1999, had a Life Honorary Member of the Bar honour conferred on him. In the wake of the scandal that had hit the judiciary, he ‘put it to’ all contemporary organs to ensure that the judiciary succeeds. In the 1980s, a Kumasi rapper would have said: “Nana woye bueei”. The standing ovation said it all.
In the evening, His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II hosted the delegates to a colourful and mouth – watering dinner – dance, at Manhyia Palace. At the ball, a ‘Lifetime Membership Award’ was bestowed on President Kufour, and the citation that accompanied the award, extolled his distinguished, exemplary and exceptional leadership as President of Ghana.
Tuesday, 15th September 2015, was the GBA Business session at the Golden Tulip at which Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, Thaddeus Sory Esquire, Professor Ken Agyemang Attafuah respectively spoke on: ‘The Changing Face of the Law’, ‘Staying Execution of Non – Executable Judgment–The Legal Practitioner’s Conundrum’, and ‘Right to Fair Trial’. The members of the Conference Drafting Committee were appointed, headed by Mrs Joyce A. Thompson, and a membership that included Paul Kumi, Susan Nyampong and my goodself. In the evening, a swashbuckling jamboree was held at the spacious and security – tight Officers’ Mess at Danyame—it was a long night and the convivialities continued at the nearby discos.
The GBA Business session continued on Wednesday, 16th September, 2015. Kofi Dometi Sokpor Esq. spoke on ‘Saving the Public Purse: Lessons from the Judgment Debt Commission’ while Michael Gyang Owusu addressed members on ‘Representing Clients in Arbitration Proceeding; a new Essential Skill for Lawyers’. Justice Amadu Tanko’s address was on ‘Delays in Interlocutory Appeals; A Time for Radical Legislative Regime Change’. His style of scholarly edification sent his listeners reeling. Felix Ntrakwa, Esq. gave a highly educative talk on ‘Companies Bill and Its Implications for Company Law, Administration and Practice’.
The evening saw Honourable Kwadwo Bonsu, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly hosting the delegates in his official residence. The ‘salsa’ dancers were a delight to watch, particularly, the tall, cherry—like, buxom, voluptuous lady with her Cinderella-like intricate syncopations. Honourable Kwadwo Bonsu gave the occasion a personal touch by moving around the people and ensuring that everybody was well – served with drinks and savouries (NOT: small chops). And could one guess the potentate who was present?
In the morning of Thursday, 17th September, 2015, a great number of delegates undertook a ‘health walk’, accompanied by batches of Police and Prisons Officers. Bottles of Vita milk drink were doled to partakers. Later in the day, there were addresses on health, and Dr Alfred Doku, the Consultant – Physician and his team, delivered various talks on Glaucoma, Cervical Cancer and Urine Incontinence and Retention. Members took advantage of the occasion to check their health status.
At the National level elections, Benson Nutsukpui won the National President, beating his two other competitors, Felix Ntrakwa and Bennett Wilson Tamakloe. It was a rewarding gesture for Benson’s immense contributions to the Bar over the years. The National Vice – President was won by Anthony Forson Jnr, who beat his sole competitor, Michael Gyang Owusu. In the evening, the Conference Dinner Dance was held at the Dome of the Golden Bean Hotel. It was an elegant affair, with luscious and delectable food and drinks a—plenty, except that, sorrily, a patron had to be a Lazarus before being given a ‘toothpick’.
On Friday, 18th September, 2015, ‘Kumasi breakfast’ was served at the Garrison Officers’ Mess. When a delegate from one of the Regions notable for ‘merekyekyew wo nkyefua’ came to the place and saw fufuo, konkonte, omo – tuo, tuo – zaafi, and ampesie, he asked:“But where is the breakfast?” Perhaps he was expecting to see an array of toasted bread, cheese, butter, English muffins, scones, croissants, bagels, fried eggs, et cetera. “W’awe gya”, the Kumasenu would say.
Friday had been pencilled for tours, and by ten thirty in the morning, the interested persons were on the move to the Bosumtwe Lake, passing through Feyiase, where stands a kola tree Okomfo Anokye got grown from his spittle. Any question about Komfo Anokye being an albino may be directed at the Tour Guide. At the Lakeside, stories were told about the origin of the lake, having been discovered by Akora Bompe of Asaman.
Like Caesar, many participants at this year’s Conference might say ‘veni, vidi, vici’ (I came, I saw, I conquered). ‘Veni’, ‘vidi’( I came, I saw)–yes; but as for ‘vici’( I conquered), it must be the preserved dictum of the vivacious, sprightly, bubbly, exuberant, ‘President One’ of the Ashanti Bar, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, Esq. who turned his potential energy into kinetic energy propelled by an equally smart coterie, including Paul Adu Gyamfi, Francis Koffie, Anthony Oppong, Osei Kofi, Osei Poku, Oduro-Konadu, Nene Korda, Eudora Oppong, Elizabeth Hassan, Irene Attobrah, and Ivy. Mesmerised? The ‘Kumasi thing’ was (and, is) on display.
Africanus Owusu-Ansah
africanusoa@gmail.com