After 58 years of the passing of the late Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah, the Ofori Panin Fie, the seat of Okyenhene in Kyebi in the Eastern Region, under the auspices of Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Okyenhene, will on 10th February 2024 hold a final funeral rites for the late Twafohene of Okyeman.
The late Twafohene, Barima Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Dankwa I, joined his ancestors 58 years ago, and his stool that was blackened by Osagyefuo Ofori Atta II, became vacant until the last year 16th December 2023 when Katakyie Kwame Boakye Dankwa II, grandson of Barima Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Dankwa I, was enstooled to succeed his grandfather as Twafohene.
And as customs and traditons demand, a final funeral rite is expected to be held in his honor. However, the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council says from Sunday 4th February 2024, the new occupant of Twafo stool will make a memorial service for his predecessor, and on the 10th February 2024, the final funeral rite will take place at the forecourt of Ofori Panin Fie, Kyebi.
In a public statement, the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council educated the public that ‘’When a chief sojourns to his ancestors in ancestral world to rest with them, traditionally two different funerals are done to bid him farewell’’.
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The statement said ‘’The first funeral is called Dɔteyie, which is the burial service (funeral) and this is where the mortal remains are laid in state for chiefs, queens, royals, and other mourners to file past to bid him farewell before he embarks on his final journey to (Baamu) royal cemetery to rest with his ancestors’’.
‘’By custom, which is common practice in both Akans and non-Akan tradition, a final funeral rite of a chief or queen can ONLY be done if a successor is enstooled to occupy the vacant black stool’’ part of the notice underscored.
The New Twafohene, Okatakyie Ababio Boakye Danquah, last year swore an oath of allegiance to Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin.
The late J.B. Danquah was a politician, scholar, lawyer, statesman, and traditional ruler who passed away on February 4, 1965.
The traditional ceremony climaxed later in the evening with the inauguration of the late JB Danquah statue.
Meanwhile, this upcoming event is expected to be attended by hundreds of indigenes from the Akyem land, traditional rulers across the country, Politicians, and the Clergy, among other prominent personalities.