Akatakyie AZ Group: Dazzling and Sparkling in OWASS and Beyond
By
Kat. Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng (AF147), Immediate Past Akatakyie Global Vice
President
In
recent years, speech and prize-giving
days in our senior high schools have become an intense competition of sorts
among alumni bodies as they seek to project their schools and alumni groups,
with social media acting as a propagating catalyst. This past weekend, Opoku
Ware School, celebrating its 74th anniversary this year, was not
left out of this trend.
In
1999, the group of students who were admitted to the school was accorded the
letters ‘AZ’, in accordance with the finest traditions of the school’s unique
numbering system. They graduated in 2001, and this year, these Akatakyie, as
silver jubileee celebrants, took their turn to host a homecoming weekend with
the speech day as the jewel in the crown of activities. The theme for the
weekend was ‘Building Alumni Excellence: Honouring the
Past, Present and Future’
They
had come from near and far, from every corner of the globe and from every
background, to celebrate 25 years of God’s mercies since they left the school
and to give back to the fountain that nourished them. Lawyers, doctors, finance
persons, entrepreneurs, administrators, enginieers, IT specialists, businessmen
– bound together by the unique ‘AZ’
label, from which many friendships had endured over the years.
Though
connected via Whatsapp, meeting in person brought a new perspective and fresh
vigour, especially as some had not met since parting ways in 2021. Of course,
some had passed on to glory and others could not make it, but that did not
dampen the spirits of the valiant Akatakyie AZ group members who stormed the
campus for a weekend of fun, of reconnection to their roots and of appreciation
to God for his grace.
On
Thursday evening they joined the students, staff and other Akatakyie for a
debate between students of the school, Prince of Peace Girls SHS and St. Louis
SHS under the motion ‘The use of tablets in senior high school has caused more
harm than good.’ To the utmost disappointment of the young gentlemen, the
ladies of St. Louis won the debate.
The
official homecoming curtain went up on Friday morning, when they arrived on
campus in grand style and in a convoy of SUVs stretching from the forecourt of
the Melcom store near Santasi roundabout, all the way to the school gate. They
blew their horns, unfurled and waved giant school flags and pumped blue and
gold smoke into the air for their triumphant entry,. to a rousing welcome by
the students, and thence for a vibrant ‘jama’ session with the boys at the
school’s iconic foyer. Social media buzzed with images and clips, and the
plaudits flowed, as some ladies swooned over the handsome AZs, pledging that
their sons would attend the school one day.
Then
it was time for an interactive mentoring session with the boys at the school’s
Nana Joe Mensah Auditorium, where the AZs engaged the boys and shared with them
their professional and personal life experiences. The session was topped up
with a stage entertainment performance by Kat. Kojo Manuel, a social media
influencer who thrilled the students. A football tournament followed in the
afternoon, with the AZs emerging triumphant in a final match between the group
and combined team of their
contemporaries from Prempeh College and Kumasi High School.
Saturday
was the day and all roads led to ‘Santisburg’! Bright and early, the AZs, smart
in their special anniversary kaftans, turned up at the school foyer as special
guests at a parade put on by the school’s cadet corp, methodical in their
steps, with the school’s regimental band in full swing. The Guest Speaker, Kat.
David Asamoah (AG19), the Board Chair, Kat. Kwasi Ofori Kuragu (C10) the
headmaster, Rev Stephen Owusu Sekyere and the Akatakyie Global President Kat.
Mike Adu Domfeh (AB146) were all in attendance and were led to inspect the
parade. Social media buzzed.
Afterwards,
the entourage proceeded to the school’s Kat. Nana Joe Mensah Auditorium for the colourful main event, which was
entirely funded by the group at a cost of GHC100,000.00 and chaired by one of
their own, Kat. Nana Sarfo Kantanka (AZ79), Kyidomhene to Ofumfuo’s
Nkwantananhene. Deserving students and tutors were rewarded, and the school’s
athletics team that won the recent regional superzonal championships were
honoured. A fundraising event to support the school’s drive to nurture sporting
excellence raised GHC52,000.00, before the AZs handed over the baton to their
immediate juniors, the BCs, who will host homecoming next year, when the school
turns 75.
After
the three-hour event, it was time to
inaugurate, consecrate and hand over to the school the group’s
anniversary gift in appreciation for the nurturing they had received there many
years ago.
The GHC500,000.00 project, the fifth and final phase of a
comprehensive landscape project comprises grassing, planting of shady trees,
construction of semi-circular reinforced concrete seats to foster interaction
or socializing, construction of a laundry area with reinforced concrete seats
and table, 10 standing pipes, 5
reinforced concrete scrub basins, floor drains, 600sqm area of pavement
blocks installation, installation of kerbs to define pedestrian walkways.
Lunch followed at the school’s iconic Burgess Hall for all guests,
whilst the students were treated to a sumptuous lunch of jollof rice with
chicken and yoghurt in the dining hall, sponsored by the stars and showboys of
the weekend, the AZs. Thus the curtain came down on the stage for the day, but
this did not prevent the young(ish) men from stepping later into the night to
unwind and enjoy themselves.
Sunday morning meant a thanksgiving mass to thank the Lord, and the
AZs lived up to the billing, turning up at the auditorium in their numbers,
resplendent in their kente cloths. Kat.
Rev Fr Joseph Owusu Ansah (AZ108),
who lives in the UK and travelled home to Ghana for this homecoming,
led the celebration of the mass, his
very first on campus since leaving the school 25 years ago.
They joined the students to sing and dance in praise. They brought
gifts to the altar- humble tokens of appreciation to the Lord for seeing them
through a successful event. St. Peter House Annexe won the special interhouse
offertory.
Before finally signing out, they donated GHC10,000.00 to the school
chapel, bringing to a formal end what had been a sparkling, dazzling homecoming
event that had raised the bar in many ways.The AZs had come, they had seen and they had conquered, both on campus
and on social media. The entire fraternity has every reason to be proud of
them.
