Sunyani remains dead silent, as residents mourn late Paramount Chief

The streets of Sunyani have gone dead silent as shop operators, petty traders and hawkers cease their operations upon the directive of the Traditional Council.

Thus, Sunyani has virtually become a ‘ghost town’ with only few human and vehicular movements on the streets.

However, public and civil servants, health workers, drivers, restaurant and chop bar operators are not affected by the ban on commercial activities.

The essence, among others is to allow for an atmosphere of solemnity for the Council, led by Nana Kwaku Sarbeng II, the ‘Akwamuhene’ of Sunyani and its acting President, to perform some customary rites as part of a month-long period of mourning of the death of Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, the late Paramount Chief (‘Omanhene’) who died in July 2022 aged 76 years.

The Ghana News Agency gathered from a source at the Council that a major underlying reason regarding the period of mourning was to allow chiefs and people of the town to show reverence to their late king.

The Council, during a solemn ceremony on Tuesday, July 25, formally announced the death of Nana Nkrawiri II and subsequently declared that all residents within the traditional area were obliged to wear mourning clothing till the period of mourning ends on Friday August 25 this year.

Furthermore, other directives being observed per the declaration by the Council included a ban on funerals, noisemaking, roadside preaching and keeping domestic animals indoors by their owners during the period.

The late Nana Nkrawiri II, from the Boahen Korkor Asennie Royal Family, was born in Sunyani on Friday, May 31, 1946 to Mr. Martin Daniel Kwaakye, the late Head Teacher of former Sunyani High Street Government School, and Obaapanin Afia Fofie, who later became the Queen Mother of Sunyani with the stool name Nana Afia Yeboaa, and was succeeded by the late Nana Yaa Nyamaa Puduo, the immediate past paramount queen mother of Sunyani.

He began his early education at High Street School (now Twene Amanfo Senior High and Technical School) and was known in private life as Christian Kwaakye.

The late Nana Nkrawiri II continued his education at the Sunyani Secondary, now Senior High School (SHS) from 1960 to 1965 and proceeded to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) for tertiary education.

He began a teaching career at the former Berekum Training College (now Berekum College of Education) and later became a teacher at the Dormaa SHS.

He joined the teaching staff at Sunyani SHS and by dint of fate, the mantle fell on him and on Monday, March 17, 1980, was enstooled as the Chief of Sunyani with the stool name Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, succeeding the late Nana Kwaku Yeboah, his maternal uncle.