I spent the late morning/early afternoon of Monday, 27th December 2021, with two Akora ladies who have been friends for 86 years. This is a short account of a lifetime of friendship made possible by Achimota School. I am not sure of where to begin the story, but I am certain the ending is nowhere in sight.
I was invited to the home of Akora Rosina Konuah (1940) by her daughter, Aku. I did not know Aku before she called me and I have still not met her, but we were introduced to each other through WhatsApp by Akora Sarah-Lynn Mansaray (1965), former OAA President. The purpose of the introduction was for me to get to know the story of Akora Rosina who will be 100 years old on January 16, 2022. When I heard the name, it certainly rang a bell, but I was not sure of where I knew it from.
A few days after I had agreed to visit Akora Rosina, I received a call from Akora Alex Amarteifio (1969) informing me that he had been asked to coordinate the visit. I was surprised, wondering what was so special about this visit. Then he informed me that Akora Rosina insists that she would like her best friend Akora Elsie Sowah (1940) to be present for our conversation. The reason for this ‘condition’ was that she might forget a few things she would like to share with me, but her friend was more likely to remember them and provide more context and detail, if necessary. I was quite surprised by the request, and even more surprised that a 99-year old still had friends close to her age that she could invite to meet her visitor. Before I could arrange to go and meet these two old Akoras, I received a call from the daughter of Akora Elsie, Akora Yvonne Odo Sowah (1971) to let me know that everything was in place for me to meet the two.
Akora Alex provided me with all the information I needed to find my way to Akora Rosina’s home at Latebiorkorshie. As I listened to the directions — and he mentioned various landmarks of the area– a lot began to fall in place for me. He was sending me to an area that I used to know very well as a Korle Gonno boy who went to many places around Mamprobi, Latebiorkorshie, Town Council Line, Zongo Junction, Mataheko, Abbosey Okai, etc. Yes, this was my territory!
I arrived at Akora Rosina’s residence, “The BeeHive”, at exactly 11.15 am for our appointment. I was ushered into the living room to meet my two hosts, and I was happy to note that they were adequately impressed by how punctual I was. It was not difficult for me to tell who was who. Mrs Rosina Konuah immediately observed that my face was familiar and wondered where she knew me from. Mrs Sowah told her that she should know me since I was the OAA President. These were clearly two women with no pretences and were very easy-going. They were comfortable in each other’s company and appeared to be comfortable with me. Without any further pleasantries, Akora Rosina wanted to know whether I would be attending her 100th Birthday celebration. She was very excited about it and I assured her that I intended to be there.
The rest of the morning was spent listening to the two ladies talk about their friendship since 1935 when they met at Achimota School. Mrs Konuah used to be Miss Rosina Vanderpuije and entered the Middle School on the Western Compound at Achimota in
1935. Mrs Sowah, who was then Miss Elsie Djabanor and 18 months younger, was a day student at Achimota School at the time, as her father Mr. R.P. Djabanor was a teacher at the School and lived with his family on the school compound. Rosina saw Elsie and admired her, but did not get to know her until Elsie became a student at the Middle School a year later. When Elsie’s father was moving back to Krobo Odumasi at the request of the Konor of Manya Krobo to found Akro Middle School, the first of its kind in the Krobo area, he decided to put his daughter in the boarding school at Achimota. That was how the two met. And, as they themselves told me, the rest is history. It is indeed a history of true friendship.
I got interested in their story because I thought one did not find too many of such stories of enduring friendship these days. Rosina came from a wealthier background with her father as a merchant who built the famous Adawso House in James Town. Her father was also reputed to be the one who introduced the Corn Mill to the Gold Coast. At Achimota School, she met people like Elsie who depended solely on her school teacher father’s salary. They became very close friends who visited and stayed at each other’s homes for the period that they were in school and beyond. Everyone in Rosina’s family knew Elsie, and likewise all of Elsie’s family at Krobo Odumasi knew her ‘twin sister’ Rosina. The interesting lesson for me here was that Achimota School indeed started as a place for bringing people together, regardless of where they came from and their socio-economic status.
After they left Achimota in 1940 with success at the School Certificate Examinations, they wanted to attend the newly established Dispensary School at Korle Bu. They were denied admission because they were girls. They insisted on going there, however, especially as some of the boys who had been admitted had performed worse than they did. Their persistence paid off after two years, and they were admitted for the 4-year programme.
The programme was the precursor to what later became the Pharmacy degree programme at KNUST. They were successful and completed the training and effectively became the first female pharmacists in Ghana. Elsie joined the public service immediately after her graduation, while Rosina was sent to the U.K. for further studies by her father. Six years later, they met again in the U.K. where they both studied Nursing. I learned from this that they were ambitious and knew what they wanted from life. They said Achimota School gave them the confidence to push for what they wanted. It did not matter that they were girls.
I got more and more excited as I listened to these two elderly ladies tell me about their lives and their interactions with other people that I knew of. So, Elsie married Akora Justice E.N.P. Sowah who became Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana later. I believe I know all their children. Rosina married Mr. A.K. Konuah who became the second Headmaster of Accra Academy and was associated with the School’s stellar achievements in the 1950s and 1960s. He also became Executive Chairman of Accra City Council in 1969. One of her four children, James Bannerman Bruce-Konuah, is an Akora (1975). They told me about their circle of friends, which included the parents of people that I knew very well, and other people that I had heard my father mention in conversation. It was obvious that attending Achimota School had considerable influence on their selection of friends and how they brought up their children.
I wanted to know what impact Achimota School had on them. Both strongly emphasized their acquisition of social skills as a major part of what they learned from the School. They learned how to communicate with their peers, and with those older than themselves. They learned how to be humble and treat all equally. They learned to be confident. They also learned to do social work at Achimota School, providing first-aid at Anumle, Christian Village and Achimota Village on Sunday afternoons. This helped them a lot when they went into Nursing.
This friendship of ‘twin sisters’ has endured after almost nine decades because they learned to respect each other. Mutual respect is key to enduring friendships. Their friendship was well understood by their families and friends, and so their children have also remained friends.
Akora Rosina Konuah turns 100 in a few days. The Old Achimotan Association is solidly behind her and wishing her well. Not many Akoras have made it to 100, and this provides a very good reason for us to be happy with her. It was great to see her stand up and walk unassisted, except with the aid of her walking stick. She took a few steps and shook her body, as if she was rehearsing for her dance on 16th January 2022. I am very happy for Akora Rosina Konuah and I look forward to seeing her cut her birthday cake and “open the floor” for her celebration. When I wake up in the morning of that day, I will smile and thank God for the life of Akora Rosina. I will thank Him for letting her show me what great friendship looks like. I have learned from her how to rely on a friend’s memory; after all, “two heads are always better than one”. I will also say a prayer for her best friend, Akora Elsie Sowah, as she begins 18 months of rehearsing for her dance in August 2023. She has walked hand in hand with her friend for 86 years, keeping each other strong and healthy. The OAA is indeed blessed to have them as some of the oldest Akoras, and able to share with us their story.
The Old Achimotan Association wishes Akora Rosina Konuah (1940) and Akora Elsie Sowah (1940) the very best of the festive season and for the New Year.
Ernest Aryeetey
OAA President
