Nana Ahor Kakabaah Annan I:
Behind a facade of manicured lawns in the tranquil docility of New Jersey suburbia can be found a powerful Ghanaian traditional healing center, the Annan Memorial Herbal and Culture Healing Center at Freehold, NJ. The man at the helm of affairs is a young looking immigrant from Ghana by name, Nana Ahor Kakabaah Annan I. He is the President, Chief Executive Officer of the center, and Herbalist and Divine Priest for the shrines. Nana Ahor is also the International coordinator for the Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association. Those familiar with traditional African religion will admit that it is rare to have highly educated fetish priests. Nana Ahor Kakabaah Annan I is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by profession and worked for several years as financial comptroller in the City of New York. He had to heed the call of the gods to serve as a priest of the shrines and thus renounce his position. He admits that he was an unwilling candidate having resisted the call for a long time. “I must say that it took a long time for me to submit to my calling,” he says.
He also revealed that even though his father and mother were both custodians of similar shrines, his mother particularly, wanted her son to be educated and not join in the family business as it were in his family. “Several of my brothers are priests,” he adds. Some of the diseases successfully treated by Nana includes Piles /Hemorrhoids, Hypertension, Stress & Depression, Menstrual disorder, Arthritis, Skin disorders, Allergies & Asthma, Mental disorders & Alcoholic counseling, impotence, various forms of cancer, barrenness in both males and females. Several other diseases are also treated at the Center. Talking to Nana about competing with modern medical treatment in the United States, he confidently stated that his performance has led to people being referred to him after being unsuccessfully treated in hospitals and clinics. As a healer, Nana Ahor has had positive responses since he started work at the center in 2001. He is being patronized by people of African ancestry and Europeans as well at the New Jersey center; he travels to other states. Nana Ahor has had the privilege through invitations to visit many European countries and Japan to offer his services. He attributes his success to his observance of ethical principles as demanded by the gods. As a priest of the shrines, he finds himself also as a servant of God..
“The gods in the African traditional religion can be compared to the saints in the Christian religion” Nana philosophized. Nana Ahor believes that divine priests must be held to the same standards as any person of divine persuasion and calling to enable the quacks to be rooted out From Carly Ahiable, Gomoa Assin The Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council in the Central Region of Ghana has elevated a US-based herbalist cum traditionalist, Nana Ahor Kakabaah Annan I, Development Chief (Apagyahene) of Gomoa Assin to the status of Foreign Ambassador (Amanadzehene) of the state. Nana Kakabaah who is also the acting Odikro of Gomoa Assin is the first citizen of the traditional area to occupy this position. The chief swore an oath of office to become the Amannadzehene of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area in the central region of Ghana. Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II. The Paramount chief of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area vested authority in him to mobilize all Gomoa residents in the Diaspora to visit home regularly and contribute their quota to the development of the area. Nana Kakabaah, the President and Chief Executive officer of Annan Memorial Herbal and Cultural Centre, Inc, (AMHCC) USA, is a renowned traditional Divine priest and chief with a herbal clinic in the USA. He has deep knowledge in the use of herbs and herbal medicine and spiritual powers in healing various kinds of diseases. His centre also promotes cultural programs dedicated to the spiritual upliftment, cultural awareness, educational and economic development and understanding of African traditional religion as practiced by the ancestors over the ages. Prominent divisional and sub-divisional chiefs from the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area including Nana Atta Kakra VIII, Kyindomhene, Nana Obentsi Kuma VIII Adontenhene, Nana Owuebu Donkorh III, Sumankwaahene , Nana Osafo Ninsisn XVI, Akwasohene, Nana Bondzie Asiako II, Nkosohene of Winneba and queen-mothers from various chiefdoms of the Akyempim state were at the ceremony. The program was held at the palace of Nana Kakabaah at Gomoa Assin. By 11.00 a.m., chiefs dressed in colourful royal apparel sat in state with the Omahene Obirifo as the host, adorned in jewelry made of gold. Standing in the bright and hot African sun with his royal cloth tired around his waist, Nana Kakabaah swore the oath of office before the Omanhene Obirifo, divisional chiefs and the elders of the state.
“ A Spiritual Father worth having, very affable, humble, A good teacher, Inspirer and a mouth piece of the Gods. ”
With the royal state sword raised in his hands, he swore: “I, Nana Ahor Kakabaah Annan I, the Foreign Ambassador (Amanadzehene) of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, today swear before the Omanhene Nana Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II and his subjects that should I be called upon in any matter of the state in the morning, afternoon or evening, I will respond promptly without fail accept sickness, If I fail to heed to the call to duty, then I have breached my oath of office. After administering the oath, the chief together with the elders danced gracefully to the drumbeats of the frontomfrom and atupan drums whiles his subjects sang his praises. The kingmakers took him to the royal stool house at Gomoa Assin where they performed customary rites and sacrifices as his final initiation into office. The elders poured libation and prayed to the gods for long life and prosperity of the state and the people. Addressing the gathering, the Omanhene said that Nana Kakabaah comes from a royal family whose roots they could proudly trace to the ancient kingdom at Bono in Brong Ahafo. He said the Traditional Council chose Nana Kakabaah as the ideal occupant of the stool because of his exceptional capabilities in mobilizing people for development in the area. “Not long ago we made him the Apagyahene (Development Chief) and later Acting Odikro of Gomoa Assin.
His sterling performance has earned him another enviable position of Foreign Ambassador (Amanadzehene),” he said, adding that since he assumed those positions, he worked hard to transform Gomoa Assin into a developing and enlightened community. Obirifo Ankobea II urged the Amanadzehene to implement programs in the Diaspora to attract local and foreign investors and reach out to Gomoa residents abroad to visit home regularly and channel resources to the Gomoa Akyempim state for economic development. He said he was sad that many Ghanaian chiefs left the country to work abroad for their personal gains to the detriment of their communities. The Omanhene, Obirifo said such adventures deny the people traditional leadership, which is the bedrock of leadership at the grass root. On his part, the Adontenhene, of Gomoa akyempimTraditional Area Nana Obentsi Kuma praised the new chief for his quest to develop the traditional area. He said that in view of the good record of accomplishment of Nana Kakabaah, all chiefs at a council meeting unanimously agreed to his nomination as Amanadzehene. He said there were times when Nana Kakabaah would organize homecoming trips for citizens of Gomoa Akyepim resident abroad and when they arrived at the Kotoka International Airport the people would give them an exciting welcome.
The Adontenhene disclosed that in accordance with the Chieftancy Act, the Traditional Council had a register of all chiefs in its jurisdiction, adding that de-stoolment as punitive measure, awaits any chief who travels abroad for more than one year without visiting his people. The ancestors of the Gomoa people according to their tradition belong to the larger Akan group who lived at Bono-Mansu and later migrated to Bono Takyiman. Historical accounts say they were among the people who founded the town of Walata in the Sahara in 1224. The group finally moved southwards from Takyiman into the western forest to found their own state. Some of them (Fantes from Bono-Takyiman) did likewise at the same time ( around 1300) and finally founded Gomoa Assin and Gomoa Adjumako states near the coast. In view of its role as one of the earliest settlement of the Gomoa people, Gomoa Assin has become the traditional capital of the Gomoa State.
