News
Appiatse dead to be buried
All is set for the burial of those who died tragically at Appiatse on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at about 1:35 pm, when a vehicle carting explosives to a mining site had an accident killing a number of persons in the process.
About 13 people were said to have died on that fateful day along the Tarkwa-Bogoso Highway.
Nine out of the 13 dead bodies would be buried on Saturday, March 11, 2022, which three bodies were being prepared for burial this Friday, March 4, 2022, as announced by the Appiatse Disaster Relief Committee.
In an interview with The Spectator, the PRO of the Committee, Mr Thywill Quarshie said, each family would be given GHc6,000 to cover the cost of the funeral including coffins which would be borne by the Prestea -Huni Valley Assembly with support from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
“Families of the four persons have explained that funerals are held in every three months in their hometowns and the next will be in June, so if they don’t bury their bodies now, it means June and that would mean an extra cost. But, we don’t want that. So, the committee has agreed and approved that they will take their bodies away for burial.” he added.
Mr Quarshie mentioned that burial services for nine other persons would be held at the park( the explosion site) at Appiatse on March 11.
He told The Spectator “We have finally agreed that the funerals would have to be done this month across board, so that there will be no excuses.”
Meanwhile, autopsy on 13 dead bodies affected by the explosion at Appiatse, near Bogoso, has been completed, the Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea -Huni Valley, Dr Isaac Dasmani, has said.
Dr Dasmani gave the names of the deceased as Ekow Jackson, 40, Akua Nyame,80, Michael Afriyie, 19, Justice Kwesi Takwa, 21, Emmanuel Quainoo, 29, Enock Obeng, 40, Ella Baidoo, 15 months and Isaac Benny, 45.
The rest were Emmanuel Awinguda, 24, Daniel Armah, 35, Martin Quaicoe, 40, Eric Gyimah, 24, and Isaac Anane, 35.
Dr. Dasmani, who is the Chairman of the Appiatse Disaster Relief Committee, indicated that a Consultant Pathologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi,Dr. Paul Ossei Sampene, completed autopsy on Saturday, February 12, at the VIP Mortuary at Ayensukrom No.1, near Bogoso in the Western Region.
“Already, the deceased were identified by their families on February 4.” he added.
The Spectator recalls that, at about 1.35pm, on Thursday, January 20, Detective Corporal Isaac Kamanim of Firearms Unit/Tarkwa, was escorting explosives from MAXAM Company, Tarkwa, in a DAF van with registration number WR 2252-18, driven by Alfred Pappoe to Chirano Gold Mines in the Western North Region.
On reaching a section of the road between Bogoso and Bawdie, a motor cycle rider from the opposite direction ran under the van carrying the explosives.
“The motor cycle caught fire, ignited the van which burst into flames and exploded. Driver sustained deep cut on the head and was rushed to Government Hospital, Tarkwa. The Police escort escaped unhurt. A number of people including the motor bike rider are feared dead.” a police report added.
It said, the extensive damage affected a nearby ECG transformer, with a number of nearby buildings razed down while a portion of the road was also damaged.
“Some vehicles plying that road were also damaged with the passengers and inhabitants sustaining various degrees of injury.” it said.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
The Government of the Republic of Korea has presented a second consignment of equipment to support the study, maintenance and preservation of Ghana’s historic forts and castles under the Korea-Ghana ICT Climate Project.
At the handover ceremony in Accra, today, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, expressed appreciation for Korea’s continued support, including its US$4.5 million intervention towards heritage preservation, technical assistance and capacity building.
The equipment will strengthen the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board’s efforts to address the impact of climate change on Ghana’s historic heritage infrastructure.
The Ministry noted that they remain committed to working with international partners to safeguard Ghana’s priceless heritage for present and future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Association of Spouses of Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations (ASOHOM) brought art, diplomacy and philanthropy together for its glamorous black-tie charity gala, centred on the urgent theme of sustainable water futures.
At the heart of the evening was ‘Woven Currents’, a thought-provoking commissioned exhibition co-curated by Fang W. Linulf of LogonART and Fadila Njoya from Gallery Sankofa, showcasing five outstanding Ghanaian artists confronting water pollution, coastal decay, ancestral memory and ecological regeneration.
Housed within a versatile multi-function hall, far from a conventional white-cube gallery, the venue underwent a dramatic creative transformation.
Drawing on her professional architectural background, curator Fang W. Linulf reimagined the standard event space into a vivid, immersive exhibition environment through bold spatial storytelling.
Monumental art installations encircled gala guests, breaking traditional viewing boundaries and forging a remarkably intimate, visceral connection between viewers and the artworks.
Guided by a powerful curatorial vision, ‘Woven Currents’ positioned art as a call to action: to honour, safeguard and collectively steward Africa’s precious shared water heritage.
Each artwork responded directly to Ghana’s pressing aquatic realities.
Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku’s towering textile installation breathed new life into discarded local second-hand ‘Oburoni Wawu’ garments, delivering a searing commentary on waste colonialism and textile-fuelled ocean contamination.
Patrick Tagoe Turkson crafted intricate assemblages from beach-salvaged flip flops and abandoned ghost fishing nets, weaving Asafo flag and Kente cloth iconography into marine debris to unite indigenous cultural wisdom with modern-day ecological crisis.
Sena Burgundy presented introspective blue-hued figurative canvases exploring inner reflection set against shifting environmental realities.
Nana Frimpong Oduro exhibited dream-like surreal photography rooted in Akan cosmology, capturing ancestral echoes and human resilience within Ghana’s coastal waters.
Evans Torngmortey Akornor built evocative threshold-themed mixed media works from fishing shore remnants, unpacking visible and unseen layers of shoreline history.
Attendees also experienced the poignant live dance performance ‘Cry of the River’ by Vivie’s Dance.
The night featured a high-energy live auction of five signature exhibition artworks alongside a raffle draw. Every penny raised went toward vital humanitarian support for vulnerable communities across Ghana.
Diplomatic delegates, collectors, artists and cultural leaders filled the room.
The curatorial team stressed that ‘Woven Currents’ was never mere gala decoration.
It delivered grounded, locally-centred artistic narratives that enriched formal policy conversations on water conservation, repurposing a diplomatic social gathering into a dynamic public platform for ecological dialogue and meaningful giving.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
