On Sunday September 10, 2006, hundreds of well-wishers Muslims and non-Muslims gathered at the Yankasa Mosque and Islamic Center to remember the Ghana soccer great Mamah Musah, the anchor of Accra Hearts of Oaks' "Fearsome Fivesome". It was a somber and spiritual experience, as friends, well wishers and sympathizers eulogized Mamah Acquah.
The service began with a recitation of the holy Qur'an. To better acquaint the non-Muslims with the proceedings, the Chief Imam of Yankasa Association Imam Baba Gambo, explained the burial tradition of Muslims. He noted that Muslims traditionally are buried the same day they pass away. However, practicing the tradition in the United States is extremely difficult because certain issues have to be resolved before the body is released to the family for burial. As a result, Mama's remains was no exception. However, Mamah was a good Muslim and a great human being, as evidenced by presence of the large crowd to honor his memory.
The Executive Secretary General of the National Council of Ghanaian Associations; Alhaji Mohammed Mardah expressed his condolences on behalf of the Council to the family of Mamah. He then reiterated Imam Baba Gambo's statement and noted that Mamah Acquah was a national hero, as such, NCOGA felt honored to be a part of the service honoring him and also proud to sponsor the coverage of the event on Ghanaweb.com through Mr.CNN, Ghanaweb's photojournalist.
Alhaji Mardah introduced His Excellency, the Consul General of Ghana to the United States to the audience. His Excellency, Obeng Gyan Busia, the Consul General, recalled his experiences with 'Bomber'.
According to him, he first met Mama Acquah when he was playing for Islam Stars in Accra New Town before he joined Accra Hearts of Oak.
He, Obeng Busia, was at that time the Secretary to the Executive Board of 'Phobia'. He felt sad when he heard of his passing, but was gratified to have known someone like Mamah Acquah in his lifetime. He asked everyone present to emulate Mamah Acquah's life, and use whatever talent that the Almighty Allah has given us, in the service of mankind. "The glory of the Almighty Allah was manifested through Mamah Acquah and his play on the soccer field", he said.
. His Excellency recalled the leadership skills Mamah Acquah showed during one of the matches Hearts played against Kotoko in Kumasi. He stated that the Phobians were down by two goals within the first fifteen minutes of the game. After the second goal, Mamah Acquah went to the goal, picked up the ball, called all the players for a pep talk and in that huddle Hearts scored three quick goals before half time.
The game ended with Hearts winning three to two, and Ghanaian sports writers called it "The Miracle of Kumasi".
His Excellency concluded by expressing his condolences to the family and some of his friends such as Shaibu etc, adding that Mamah was such a giant on the field, and yet very humble and gentle off the field.
It's a lesson we must all learn from his life ? give our best in the service of mankind. Mamah gave his best with what God gave him, which was soccer.
The next two speakers were the President and Public Relations Officer of NCOGA, Ata Amoyaw and Kwabena 'Pancho' Manu respectively. Ata Amoyaw said Mamah Acquah was his childhood friend in Accra New Town.
Mamah was also a frequent visitor to their house to play table tennis with him and his brothers.
Kwabena Manu also expressed his sadness at the passing of Mamah Acquah and added that as a Kotoko fan, "The Miracle of Kumasi" etched in his memory and years later when he met Mamah Acquah in New York, he reminded him about the incident and Mamah just laughed it off. During one of his meeting with Mamah, he enquired from him how he managed to stay in shape despite his smoking habits, Mamah advised him to stop drinking alcohol and he would see the difference.
The President of Yankasa Association, Alhaji Lukuman Mohammed, also praised the memory of Mamah Acquah, and called for unity among Yankasa members. He recalled the number of brothers and sisters that have passed away over the years within the organization, and the difficulties they encountered in the seventies to bury a Muslim in the United States. Thankfully, the current process is simpler, however, without unity, the process could be cumbersome. He asked the members of Yankasa to continue their support for the organization so that situations can be handled with ease in times of difficulties. He appealed to the members of Yankasa and the other guests to financially assist with the renovation of the mosque, which is in the final phase.
In conclusion, Khalifa Shaikh Kamel Ameen Bin Saad, a special guest of Yankasa Association and one of the eminent Islamic scholars in Ghana, prayed for the soul of Mamah Acquah, and for his family and friends.
He asked the Almighty to bless Mamah's family and said he believed that Mamah would never be forgotten even though he was gone. Khalifa Kamel prayed for our motherland Ghana and asked for peaceful elections in the upcoming Assembly vote and the 2008 Presidential elections. He praised the government of Ghana for acknowledging the contributions made by Mamah Acquah to our beloved country. A special prayer was made for Mamah's best friend Shaibu 'Hearts', who was not present due to poor health since the passing Mamah. Shaibu called and expressed his gratitude to everyone present for honoring the memory of his 'brother'
because Mamah's loss had affected him greatly, because they were more than friends.
It was a great service befitting of Mamah status as a national hero, as people came from across the country to honor his memory. Some of the people present included Chief Abdul Malik Alawo, the Chief of the Yoruba community in Kumasi and a former soccer player for Kumasi Cornerstones, Alhaji Baby Ray Musah, a lifelong friend of Mamah and a former Hearts Executive member, Abdul Malik Mardah, brother of NCOGA Secretary General, who traveled from Canada, Chief Mohammed Dabre of the Busanga Community in Nima, Baba 'Libya' from Chicago, and Alhaji Abdul Kadir Abass of Philadelphia. There were also some old players such as Robert Hammond, a member of the 'fearsome fivesome', Dan Nyanu, Razak Gibrine, George Alhassan, Joe Wassa and Mamah's own cousin Karimu Alhassan, as well as boxing champion Emmanuel Clottey.
Coverage of the Memorial Service by Mr. CNN of Ghanaweb was sponsored by NCOGA in appreciation of Mamah's contribution to the development of soccer in Ghana, and NCOGA would like to thank Mr. CNN for his service to the community.