Nane Maria Annan has paid a glowing tribute to her late husband and former U.N Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Reading her tribute at the final funeral rite to mark the end of a 3-day funeral ceremony for the iconic global statesman, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday (September 13), Nane Maria Annan described her husband as a kindred soul and thanked Ghana for giving the world an extraordinary human being.
“I always believed that his inner strength and sense of hope came from his deep roots here and I want to thank Ghana for giving us such an extraordinary human being” Nane Maria Annan said.
The memorial service was attended by the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Current U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, some African leaders from Ivory Coast, Liberia, Namibia and Niger, the Crown Prince of Norway, diplomats, lawmakers and international statesmen and other dignitaries who hailed Kofi Annan’s record as an advocate for humanity and world peace.
The late former U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan was given a private burial at a Military Cemetery in Accra.
Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary General and Noble laureate, died in a Swiss hospital on August 18, 2018 at the age of 80.
TRIBUTE BY NANE MARIA ANNAN, WIFE OF THE LATE FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN
Dear friends of our beloved Kofi, we thank you for all your support at this difficult time.
Dear Ghana, I remember how excited he always was returning home, home to Ghana. On arriving he would draw in the air, feel the scent and he will always look so happily content.
I always believed that his inner strength and sense of hope came from his deep roots here and I want to thank Ghana for giving us such an extraordinary human being”
As a student leader, he attended a conference in Freetown in Sierra Leone. A Ford Foundation Scout spotted him as having the potential of a future leader. How right he was! And that was why he got a scholarship to Macalester.
The rest is history but is it not amazing that he already at that young age would have his irresistible aura of radiant warmth and determination.
We who met him later in life could all feel it, this aura and this joy of life.
Would not his joy of life be the very foundation, the very reason for him to work for a better and fairer world for all add to this his determination to find solutions to challenges, his compassion?
We have seen the tributes of leaders from around the world recognizing his deep humanity and achievements on the world stage. But equally important are the words of those whose names you may not know but whose lives he touched.
This is especially so of the young in whom he believed so fervently. He would often address them directly. Were they drawn in because they found a kindred soul who spoke to them from his heart without pretense and genuine interest.
He challenges them and all of us to work for a better world right where we are; in our homes, in our villages, in our towns and in our cities. All he needed to do was to take one small step and then another.
His legacy will live on in his foundation and in all of us.
My love, you are now back home where you started your long journey. May you rest in peace but may your wisdom and compassion continue to inspire us and guide our steps wherever we are.
Thank you.
STORY BY: HENRIETTA AFFUL – GBCGHANAONLINE.
