A collective biography of eight siblings, Ahwoi and Adu-Gyamfi, has been launched in Accra with a call by Prof Kwesi Botchwey, a former Minister of Finance in former President Jerry John Rawlings’s administration on young people to emulate the value of discipline, national service and remarkable statesmanship, which were very much highlighted in the book by the authors.
The book titled; “Children of House No.D13 South Suntreso Kumasi” is a collection of life stories of the eight children of Madam Maye Charlotte Hudson otherwise also known as Mrs Ahwoi.
Prominent amongst them are the three Ahwoi brothers; Ato, Kwesi and Kwamena, whose exploits in Ghana’s political history cannot be belittled.
The three brothers, have served in the Rawlings, Atta Mills, as well as the Mahama administrations and still remain an integral part of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Their five sisters, Mrs Ama Twum, Mrs Ama Adoma Bartels-Kodwo, Mrs Efua Bram-Larbi, Theodora Naana Adu Gyamfi and Mrs Agnes Appiagyei-Dankah, have also played their part in the development of the country, and these and other fond childhood memories have been captured in the book printed by Digi Books Ghana Limited.
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A former Minister of Finance in former President Jerry John Rawlings’s administration, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, who gave the keynote address, deemed it a great honour, recounted the roles the Ahwois played in the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) era which he said was remarkable.
He said, it was imperative to celebrate individuals who had contributed to the development of the country.
He described as remarkable, their togetherness and the mutual support system that enabled them to overcome the many hurdles along their paths in life.
Prof. Botchwey, expressed the hope that the youth of today, would learn some lessons from the book, by leaving out the negatives and accentuating the positives.
“The value of the book goes beyond the anecdotes but gives true meaning to life deserved commendation. It is a remarkable collection with great lessons,” he stated.
Most importantly, he said the value of discipline was very much highlighted in the book and would serve as a guide to young ones.
The chairperson at the launch of the book, Prof. Dora Edu- Buandoh, praised the siblings for the masterpiece that would not only remind Ghanaians of their rich history, but also guide young ones to achieve greatness.
“It is appropriate to share experience of life with young ones with regards to how challenges were surmounted as it would help them to aspire to become great leaders,” she stated.
She added that it was also important for young ones to understand the need to give out their best when given the chance to serve the nation.
“Biographies are stories of people’s life but well written biographies are powerful and have a real meaning of life. It should be used as a guide to people in life as it has interesting stories which resonate and evoke fond memories,” she stressed.
The former Chairman of the National Media Commission, Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, who was the reviewer of the book, said the book catalogs the biography of the eight siblings and that it is very interesting to read.
He added that the book reads more like a thriller than a biography, stressing that the story is told with a lot of humour.
According to Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng for such a collective recall of personal histories to work, a principal requirement is a willingness of all parties involved to treat the project seriously; of equal importance is the need to treat everyone’s personal history as important, which is what the book has succeeded in doing.
He further stated that it would be bright to describe it as an exercise in “literacy democracy” adding that, it is not every book project that produces a good book, but the book has done so because at the heart of the project is a good story.
Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, reiterated that the heart of that good story is human progress against the odds capsuled in the life of eight individuals.
“The book achieves the purpose of showing the remarkable togetherness and the mutual support system that enabled the children of House No.D13 South Suntreso, Kumasi to overcome the many hurdles along their paths in life as being due to their mother Madam Charlotte Hudson (Mrs. Ahwoi).
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who launched the Book, revealed that the Ahwois have impacted his life as an Entrepreneur hence his presence to officially launch it.
He bought the first copy at Ghc50, 000, whilst the second copy was bought at GHC70, 000 by the first son of Mr Ato Ahwoi and another for GHC100, 000 a member of the Ahwoi family.
