Features
On the Brong Ahafo Association Finland
Today, I focus on the Brong Ahafo Association Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions or personalities and their accomplishments as part of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The association in Finland has chalked significant achievements or successes which must be made known to the public.
Aim and mission
The Brong Ahafo Association Finland was established in 2007. The three people who met to plan the birth of the association are Mr Augustine Tweneboah-Kodua, Elder Matthew Anini, and the late Mrs Comfort Dapaah Agyemang. They invited many others to help establish the association, which is officially registered as the Brong-Ahafo Association Finland.
The mission of the Brong Ahafo Association includes the promotion of unity among people from the former Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana, which is currently divided into three regions—Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East Regions.
The association also aims to preserve and promote the Bono and Ahafo culture or traditions. Also, its goals include contributing to developmental projects in the Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions of Ghana. Another key aim is to help strengthen cooperation of its members and other Ghanaian migrants with others in Finland as the host country.
Events and achievements
The Brong Ahafo association acts as a family to its members. In this way, it can be said that although Finland has a robust social welfare system, the association comes in where close family support or interaction is needed.
Living away from one’s home country and family is not easy and as such the Brong Ahafo Association becomes an important part of social networks, vital in providing informal social security that cannot be provided by public institutions.
The association also serves as an ambassador of Ghanaian culture in the Finnish society by promoting cultural engagements. Its members engage in volunteering its time and skills, in helping individual members and for charity projects in their home regions in Ghana. The association also actively participates in cultural celebrations and family gatherings organised by individual members. It also holds an annual Easter party during Easter period.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The association plays a prominent role in the Ghanaian community in Finland. The association was the first to be formed after the Ghana Union Finland. It is thus a pioneer in that sense of an association representing a Ghanaian ethnic group. The association helps or gives support to its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them and to help them organise the funeral.
The Brong and Ahafo association also collaborates with the Ghana Union Finland, an association for Ghanaian migrants in Finland whose aims include bringing together all Ghanaian migrants resident in Finland and promoting cultural activities for a better intercultural and multicultural understanding. Thus, the group also mobilises members for various activities that help in integration efforts in the Finnish society.
Displaying a rich culture
By its activities, the Brong Ahafo association proudly displays the Bono and Ahafo culture, as part of the larger Akan culture in Ghana. Like other groups representing the Ga-Adangbe, Mfantseman, Eastern Region, and Nzema, the association endeavours to showcase the culture and values of their ethnic origins as well as hold the general Ghanaian heritage in high esteem.
“The association has been quite effective in maintaining cultural identity of the Bono and Ahafo people, creating social networks among members and with others in Finland”, the Secretary, Mr Kwasi Owusu Afriyie, stated.
Members volunteer to support in informal ways that public institutions may lack the full capacity to accomplish, which also helps to integrate members into the Finnish society. Through social events, traditional celebrations, and home visits, the association acts as family for its members during postpartum periods, child dedication in church, funeral rites, etc.
Challenges
The pace of organising things for the association can slow down sometimes, but it is quite impressive to note how members revive it and keep the ‘family spirit’ alive.
The COVID-19 period made the association quite dormant. Bringing back people together has been quite challenging, and requires much dedication before reorganisation can pay results, the Secretary hinted.
Finding a suitable venue and the funding for organising cultural events is quite challenging. It is also not easy supporting important life events such as helping nursing mothers who have no family in Finland. Thank you.
I saw a video of two young men mistreating a guy in school uniform. The manner in which a man in a white shirt was stamping on the head of the student on the ground and kicking him, was heart wrenching. It was like a scene from an action movie.
Comments in the video made me to understand that the two people engaged in the dastardly attack on the chap on the ground were teachers. How teachers who had been trained by teacher training institutions could do what they did, defies logic; simply mind boggling.
This brings the issue of screening of would-be teachers to mind. Is there a psychological vetting system in place to identify unsuitable characters like those two teachers so that they are barred from being teachers or are helped to have the right mindset as teachers? We cannot continue to let the status quo remain and expect a different result.
Digitalisation of the economy has brought in its wake a whole lot of ways that seeks to address pertinent socio-economic issues. One of them is the introduction of the TraffiTech-GH system of regulating traffic flow without human intervention.
This clearly is an innovative way of enforcing compliance which obviously would ensure discipline and therefore safety on our roads. The drivers are raising some issues which are legitimate and must be addressed as soon as possible or should I rather say immediately.
If a Bus Stop is occupied by traders and therefore the drivers cannot stop for passengers to alight or board, they would have no option than to park in the road, blocking traffic flow, which would be an offence that TraffiTech-GH would capture as a violation and punish accordingly, by imposing a fine.
A very sad incident occurred last week resulting in the senseless murder of an uncle and her niece in the Greater Accra Region. The story making the rounds on social media was that, the uncle took a loan from the suspected murderer but failed to honour his obligation to pay back the money.
The suspect accompanied by a lady, went to the residence in the Sakumono area and a heated argument ensued, resulting in the suspect shooting the Uncle and her niece in the process. The first question that came to mind was that “Why did they not allow patience to carry the day?” If it is true that the uncle indeed owed the man, he ought to have maintained a certain demeanor that portrayed a willingness to pay the money and not to enrage the suspect in any way.
Again, if someone owes you, you do not take the law into your hands by going to confront him with a loaded gun in your pocket. The proliferation of small arms must be given serious attention.
The leaders in the educational sector need to sit up to address the misbehaviour of both students and teachers, especially the teachers who have been sexually harassing students. The fallout, in the recent Obuasi Senior High School (SHS) issue, has been an official statement directing teachers not to ask students to work in their bungalows.
This code has been in the books of the Ghana Education Service (GES) all this while. It is nothing new and so like everything else in this country, the issue is not the lack of laws but the enforcement. What I find surprising is that after breaking this code of ethics, the GES has not sacked the notorious Headmaster who evidence has been established beyond reasonable doubt that he had grossly flouted this regulation, repeatedly. This is a gross failure on the part of leadership, from the ministry level down to the school level. This must not be allowed to repeat itself. God bless.
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Implant-based reconstruction recovery
Implant reconstruction is generally less invasive during the initial phase, allowing for a quicker return to baseline daily activities.
Initial healing window: Most patients resume light, non-strenuous daily tasks within 2 to 4 weeks.
Activity Restrictions: Heavy lifting, intense upper-body exercises, and high-impact movements are typically restricted for four to six weeks to allow the chest tissues to secure the implant or expander.
The expansion phase: If a temporary tissue expander is used, recovery includes periodic office visits over several months where the surgeon gradually adds sterile fluid to stretch the skin.
Physical therapy focus: Gentle arm and shoulder stretches begin early to prevent stiffness, frozen shoulder, and tight scar tissue formation around the implant pocket.
Autologous (Tissue-Based) reconstruction recovery
Autologous reconstruction (such as a DIEP flap) is a more complex, major operation because it involves two distinct surgical sites: the reconstructed chest mound and the donor harvest area (usually the lower abdomen).
Initial healing window: Requires a hospital stay of two to five days, with an overall recovery period of six to eight weeks before resuming normal routines.
Donor site management: Because abdominal muscles or tissues are involved, patients must avoid bending, twisting, or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk for at least six weeks to protect the deep facial repairs.
Mobility milestones: Recovery starts with short, gentle indoor walks immediately after surgery to promote circulation and prevent blood clots, gradually building up distance each week.
Physical therapy focus: Postural retraining and cautious core re-engagement once the surgeon gives medical clearance, ensuring the abdominal wall heals securely without strain.
Essential rehabilitation practices
Regardless of the chosen surgical path, effective physical therapy incorporates specialised techniques to restore physical freedom:
Scar mobilisation: Professional massage techniques to soften surgical scars and prevent tight binding of underlying tissues.
Lymphatic drainage: Gentle massage protocols to reduce swelling and encourage fluid movement through the lymphatic pathways.
Let’s pull together everything we have talked about into one simple, easy-to-understand guide.
Here is a summary of the complete journey-from understanding what breast cancer is and busting myths, to managing emotions and navigating surgery and recovery.
1. Is surgery a “cure”?
What it means: A mastectomy (removing the breast) is a powerful tool to take out the local tumor, but it isn’t an automatic, guaranteed cure on its own.
The Example: Think of it like pulling a weed out of a garden. You got the main plant out, but if tiny seeds or roots already spread elsewhere in the soil, you still need extra care (like medication) to make sure they don’t grow back.
2. The cancer’s “personality” (Biomarkers)
What it means: Not all breast cancers are the same. Doctors test the cancer cells for specific “locks and labels” (like hormones or proteins) to figure out how fast they grow and what medicine will stop them.
The Example: It’s like figuring out what kind of fuel a car engine takes (gasoline, diesel, or electricity) so you know exactly how to fix or run it.
3. Busting common myths
The Reality: Many rumors about breast cancer are false.
Men can get breast cancer too (about one per cent of cases) because everyone has a small amount of breast tissue.
Most lumps are harmless (like a harmless pebble in your shoe, not a dangerous nail).
Underwire bras and deodorants do not cause cancer.
Most people diagnosed (about 85 per cent) have no family history of it, which is why regular checks are vital for everyone.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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