Former President John Dramani Mahama has eulogized the late Professor Atukwei Okai, describing him as a genius and a unique oral poet.
Prof. Okai passed away on Friday after a short illness at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The former President in a statement said Prof. Okai will be remembered as “a genius whose musical poetry was not only spectacular in imagery and clever wordplay, but also natural in how it captured the cadences and rhythm of speech.”
“He was a unique oral poet of our time; a wordsmith whose art was a unique combination of music and dramatization. ‘Lorgorligi Logarithms’ for which he was well known, tickled our cultural fantasies. I was honoured to have him accept me into the Writer’s Association after the publication of my book, ‘My First Coup D’Etat’.I am yet to know anyone who was not delighted after listening to one of those beautiful poetic renditions by Prof., which we are going to miss forever.Prof., like the eponymous ‘Rosimaya’, you have finished our Friday and wrecked the rest of our week,” Mr. Mahama added.
Prof Atukwei Okai was a former President of the Ghana Writers Association and was General-Secretary of the Pan-African Writers’ Association.
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