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Official: Professor Kofi Awoonor Passes On In Nairobi Terrorist Attack

The Government of Ghana has expressed regret to the death of Professor

Kofi Awoonor, former Chairman of the Council of State, which occurred

on Saturday in Nairobi, Kenya. A statement signed by Mr Felix Kwakye

Ofosu, a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations on Sunday

morning, said Prof. Awoonor died in Nairobi from injuries he sustained

during an attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall on Saturday morning,

which Somali militant group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for.

The statement said Ghana's High Commission in Kenya has confirmed Prof

Awoonor's untimely passing and indicated that his son, who also

sustained injuries in the attack, survived and is currently responding

to treatment. The Government has extended its condolences to Prof.

Awoonor's family and Ghanaians at large for this tragic loss. Profile

Kofi Awoonor (born 13 March 1935 in Wheta) is a Ghanaian poet and

author whose work combines the poetic traditions of his native Ewe

people and contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa

during decolonization. He started writing under the name George

Awoonor- Williams. While at the University of Ghana he wrote his first

poetry book, Rediscovery. Like the rest of his work, Rediscovery is

based on African oral poetry. In Ghana he managed the Ghana Film

Corporation and founded the Ghana Play House. He then studied

literature at the University of London, and while in England he wrote

several radio plays for the BBC. He spent the early 1970s in the

United States, studying and teaching at universities. While in the USA

he wrote This Earth, My Brother, and My Blood. Awoonor returned to

Ghana in 1975 as head of the English department at the University of

Cape Coast. Within months he was arrested for helping a soldier

accused of trying to overthrow the military government and was

imprisoned without trial. After ten months he was found guilty and

released. The house by the Sea is about his time in jail. After

imprisonment Awoonor became politically active and has written mostly

nonfiction. From 1990 to 1994 Awoonor was Ghana's Ambassador to the

United Nations where he headed the committee against apartheid.

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Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku

I am a Ghanaian Broadcast Journalist/Writer who has an interest in General News, Sports, Entertainment, Health, Lifestyle and many more.

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