Service of remembrance held in honour of the late Dr J. B. Danquah

A service of remembrance organized by the children of Dr. J. B. Danquah, and attended by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, (GAAS) the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, The Okyenhene, has been held in honour of the late Ghanaian statesman, Dr Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah.

The service took place at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Kyebi, in the Eastern Region, on Sunday, 4 February 2024. The late Dr J. B. Danquah was the maternal grandfather of President Akufo-Addo. Dr Danquah died some 59 years ago while in detention at the Nsawam Maximum Security Prison on 4 February 1965, from torture and a heart attack.

During the service, tributes were read by the children of the late Dr. J. B. Danquah, representatives of the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, The Okyenhene. The sermon which centred on the need for forgiveness was preached by Rt Rev. Dr A. N. O. Kwakye, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

After the service, President Akufo-Addo, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, The Okyenhene, and other dignitaries visited the tomb of the late Dr J. B. Danquah where they laid wreaths in his honour.

Time to forgive

Preaching the sermon, Rt Rev Dr Kwakye called on close family members of Dr J. B. Danquah as well as members of the Akyem Abuakwa State and those associated with the late statesman to forgive those who perpetrated “evil against him”.

He said, after all, those who directly or indirectly contributed to the final event that led to Dr Danquah’s death 59 years ago “no longer live with us”.

“I, therefore, pray that members of his close family, members of the Akyem Abuakwa State, and members of his party that adore his principles and all those associated with Danquah would take this opportunity to forgive the perpetrators of the evil against him,” Rev. Kwakye added.

You left us a legacy

In their tribute, the children of the late Dr J.B. Danquah stated in part; “Papa’s involvement in politics eventually hurt those associated with him, an example being his imprisonment in 1961, not long after contesting with Dr Kwame Nkrumah for the Presidential Position.

“This significantly impacted us, especially in our education, as he chose not to leave the country like many others did; instead, he preferred being in prison so his family knew his whereabouts. Some of us had to attend school intermittently, doing minor jobs in between, which was very cumbersome.

“He was released in 1963, but thinking that we would have some respite, he was arrested again in January 1964, sealing his fate. This was an incredibly sorrowful moment for us. At that time, Papa lived close to the then Kwame Nkrumah circle, a bustling area where passers-by were attracted by the presence of Police and military men who had already filed for his arrest.

“Then, the leader of the group declared that the family had been given two hours to vacate the house a rented house, not a government bungalow. Everyone was wondering and arguing about how Dr Nkrumah could do such a thing.

“Our Mom was uncontrollable; yet we had to leave where to? We had no idea perhaps to friends’ and relatives’ houses, but this was under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s rule. Indeed, everything was packed away from the residence.

“Unfortunately, just about a year after his detention (4 February 1965), Papa died at the Nsawam security prison. Again, Dr Nkrumah gave his orders: Danquah must be buried by Saturday, 6 February when he had died on the 4th.

“By then, Mr Williams Ofori Atta (Papa Willie), Papa’s nephew, drove to Nsawam Prison and found a way to transport Papa’s body to Kyebi. Papa was deceased, but we had an excursion to Nsawam Prison. From the Nsawam main road to the prison was miles away.

“The walls of the facility nearly touched the sky. Within the high walls was the condemned cell where Papa was placed in cell 9. Even before you got to the individual cells, there was an iron gate and lock. Each cell had similar security.

“But the most ironic part of it was that in Papa’s cell 9, there were metal chains fixed on the concrete floor, which were chained to his ankles. Papa passed away in chains. We wondered if the metal chain was even necessary given all the security locks that had to be opened before reaching his room.

“How could he have escaped? Even though there was no announcement regarding the funeral on Thursday, it was truly surprising how people knew about it and attended the burial. Papa, you devoted yourself to the betterment of our country, and you left us a legacy. Rest in peace, Papa.”

Legal self-discipline

Joseph Boakye Danquah according to the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) tribute, “was called to the Bar or admitted abroad on 21 September 1927. After his call to the English Bar, J.B. as he was affectionately known to his colleagues returned home and enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Chana.

“He was to be assigned the local Bar No 177. As a lawyer practicing from the late thirties, J.B. Danquah carved a niche for himself as an honest, formidable, resolute, and independent-minded person respected for his forthrightness.

“At the inception of his practice, J.B. initially took up cases involving land litigation, civil liberties, and criminal cases rubbing shoulders with legal giants and stalwarts such as Edward Akufo-Addo, R.S. Blay, A.A. Akainyah, Hayfron Benjamin Snr, Koi Larbi etc. and in no time, he made his mark as a real force to reckon with.

“J.B. Danquah’s attachment to the Ghana Bar Association is as epoch-making as it is indelibly and historically linked with the momentum of nationalist agitation initiated by the Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) whose work helped to ward off the greedy hands of British imperialism and to keep control of the country’s lands in our own hands.

“In 1948, the agitation was to reach unprecedented heights with the senseless killings by the colonial Police of the three nationalist martyrs (ex-servicemen Sgt. Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey) and of the six persons who were arrested and fixed with responsibility by the colonial power for that development, and whom the celebrated Watson Commission characterized as the most active members of the UGCC’s Working Committee, and who have gone down in Ghanaian legend as the “Big Six”, namely J.B. Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, William Ofori-Atta and Kwame Nkrumah.

“He was also Counsel for the Appellants in the celebrated case of Re: Akoto and 7 others 1961[GLR] 523-525. So, as you can see, J. B. Danquah was in the thick of things for setting our country on the road to freedom and national independence.

“The history of the Chana Bar Association cannot be complete without the acknowledgment of Joseph Boakye Danquah, who together with the early pioneers like R.S. Blay and A- Casely Hayford sacrificed their time to steer the affairs of the Association without any form of remuneration.

“J. B. Danquah was to become the third President of the Chana Bar Association, from 1962-1963. If our legal history has been eventful in this past century, we can also say that we have been lucky in the people who have been alive in every generation, to match the grandeur of the events of their time and verily, a Joseph Boakye Danquah to keep us reminded of the need for legal self-discipline in the tumultuous years of our national independence!” the GBA said in their tribute.

He lived and died for his people

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on their part stated that Prominent among Dr. Danquah’s anti-colonial activism was the release of a 400-page Memorandum titled, ‘Things to Change in the Gold Coast”, which had the signature of the Asantehene: agreeing for Ashanti to join the colony upon persuasion by Dr Danquah that Ashanti could only advocate for reforms in the Gold Coast if they were part of it.

“This milestone by Dr Danquah gave impetus to the struggle against imperialism and eventually paved the way for the Burns Constitution of 1946. This enabled the conduct of legislative elections in the Gold Coast, making the colony- the first in Africa under the British monarchy to have a legislative assembly dominated by indigenes.

“It needs emphasizing that twenty-one (21) of the Assembly’s thirty-two (32) members were indigenes. It is important to note that had the Asantehene refused Dr Danquah’s request for Asanteman to join the colony, the British monarchy would have introduced separate administrations for the Gold Coast and Ashanti, a decision that would have delayed for several decades, the quest to attaining independence for a united Gold Coast.

“As visionary as he was, Dr Danquah foresaw from the onset that the quest to liberate the Gold Coast could not be accomplished solely. Accordingly, he teamed up with great nationalists like George Alfred Grant (Pa Grant), F. Awoonor Williams, R.S. Blay, Cobbina Kessie, Ako Adjei, William Ofori Atta, Edward Akufo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetesebi Lamptey amongst others, and founded the United Cold Coast Convention (UCCC) on August 4, 1947.

“The UGCC as it was widely known, became the first political movement in the Cold Coast and pursued as its main objective, recognizing the Gold Coast as a national entity and attaining full political independence within the shortest possible time.

“At the recommendation of Ako Adjei, Dr Danquah would in January 1948, invite Kwame Nkrumah, a Ghanaian pan-Africanist who was based in England to serve as the General Secretary of the UGCC and tasked to ‘prioritise the independence of the Gold Coast before the independence of any other territories’.

“This underscores the determination of Dr. Danquah and the UGCC to pursue the independence of a united Gold Coast and makes a mockery of the misinformation and cruel deception that he was against the independence of the Cold Coast.

“It is, therefore, sad when some individuals mischievously prune history to depict Dr Danquah as an individual who stood against Ghana’s independence. How could a man who was imprisoned with five others for demanding independence for his motherland, and dedicated his life and resources to that cause; be labeled a traitor and collaborator?” the NPP quizzed in their tribute.

“If the New Patriotic Party had the chance to write an epitaph for Dr Joseph Boakye Danquah, our words would be nothing short of this: ‘Here lies a man who lived and died for his people.

“A man who envisioned a Party that would liberate the energies of the people for the growth of a property-owning democracy in this land, with the right to life, freedom, and justice, as the principles to which the government and laws of the land with the right to life, freedom, and justice as the principles to which the government and laws of the land should be dedicated in order specifically to enrich life, property, and liberty of every citizen,” the NPP further stated in their tribute.

Danquah, a man of all ages

Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, The Okyenhene in his tribute noted that “fifty-nine years ago, on the morning of 4 February 1965, Dr Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah, Statesman, Pan Africanist, Author, Poet and Human Rights Activist answered the eternal call, closing the curtains on the stage of an arresting drama.

“In the statecraft of politics in the Gold Coast and Ghana, Danquah was celebrated, venerated, respected, admired, harassed, detained, and now dead. These are the lessons of Danquah’s life.

“The nation stood in grief and shock at the untimely demise of one of the most treasured sons of Ghana in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison where he had been detained on the orders of the Kwame Nkrumah led Convention Peoples Party (CPP), under horrendous circumstances.

“His contribution to the consolidation of Okyeman, Akan cultural heritage, the independence struggle of our country, the defence of democracy, and the struggle against authoritarianism and arbitrariness has a unique place in the history of Ghana. Danquah, a man of all ages.

“Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah considered himself a lifelong worthy servant of the Chieftaincy institution and often described Nananom as natural and anointed rulers.

“A protégé of his elder brother Okyenhene, Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, he was in formal service to Okyeman from 1915 until 1965. Danquah served Nananom at the Conference of Paramount Chiefs of the Eastern Province of the Gold Coast. At the age of 21, he was promoted to Chief Clerk and Registrar and served as State Secretary of Akyem Abuakwa.

“When the foundations were laid for the establishment of the Joint Provincial Council of Chiefs, a hard-fought battle to ensure that Traditional Rulers, as categorised at the time continued to be represented at the highest of decision-making in the Gold Coast colony, Danquah was present, it was he who recorded the minutes and painstakingly stayed the turbulent course,” The Okyenhene said in his tribute.

“Danquah earned the accolade “The Doyen of Ghana Politics”. Dr J. B. Danquah, the man whose research identified an ancient empire called Ghana, the man who worked with Casely Hayford, W. E. Sekyi, and other leaders of the Gold Coast Aborigines Right Protection Society to find common ground was in the end imprisoned under the Preventive Detention Act, an obnoxious law which anticipates and punishes your future actions.

“Today, on the anniversary of his undignified death in political detention, we hold the service of remembrance in church, in Kyebi, in the town in which he lived, worked, served, and is buried. Today, with his blood and traditional families standing together with you in humility and respect we remember Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Danquah.

“May the vision of Dr J. B. Danquah and the challenges of his times guide us all toward this goal of preserving and entrenching the culture of peacefulness, respect for personal freedom, and political pluralism enjoyed by the people of Ghana. May his soul continue to find rest in the bosom of our Lord,” Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin’s further stated in his tribute.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra 

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