Kumasi (Ashanti), 25 March ’99 –
Saint Cyprian, the patron saint of the parish church that Otumfuo Opoku Ware the second attended, seems to say “Welcome, wanderer, welcome” as elegant preparations have been put in place for the burial service of the late king. The effigy of Saint Cyprian in the forecourt of the cathedral and another in the church hall, dressed in an ash cassock, a pink vestment, with a rod in the right hand and a Bible in the left welcomes visitors to the church. Black buntings are fixed round the cathedral building to suit the occasion of the blessing of the mortal remains of Otumfuo Opoku Ware the second before it embarks on the journey to eternity. Large canopies have been erected on the forecourt with a number of short-circuit television sets placed at vantage points to enable those who would not be able to find space in the in the church building to watch from outside. The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and Crystal Television, a pay television station in Kumasi, are expected to give live coverage.
