Kwabena Agyeman Britwum completed his Bachelor's Degree in 1960, and his Master's Degree in African History in 1965 - both at the University of Ghana, Legon. He joined the staff of the department of History of the University of Cape Coast in October 1965 as a lecturer. On study leave granted by the University of Cape Coast, he earned a second Master's Degree in European History in 1968; King's College at the University of London.

He was appointed Hall Master (the position at the time was named Senior Hall Tutor) in 1973. The "Khan Walkway", named after his predecessor in office, was constructed during his term in office.

He was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer in 1976. The following year he won a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship, as a foreign Consultant in Africa Area Studies tenable at Georgia University in Albany, USA. He worked to establish for that University the African Studies Department in History, Geography and Political Science.

He returned to the University of Cape Coast in 1978 and worked until 1981 when he took a voluntary retirement to be able to accept a Senior Lectureship at the Ahmadu Bello Unversity in Zaria, Nigeria until 1990. 

On his return to Ghana,  Kwabena Agyeman was a Senior Lecturer at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as first Head and then Vice Dean of the Faculty of General and African Studies until his retirement in 1996.

Kwabena Agyeman Britwum's major research area was early history of the Gyaaman State of the Brong Ahafo Region. His output in the area does get cited, not least by luminaries such as Ivor Wilks. He participated in a number of Seminars, Conferences and Workshops both at home and abroad.

Committees on which he served outside of those of the University included the International Committee on Monuments and Sites under the auspices of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, and the Committee on Oral Traditions, a sub-Committee of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science.

Kwabena Agyeman Britwum was one of the very early Ghanaian academics recruited to develop solid grounding for the University of Cape Coast. The University of Cape Coast expresses her gratitude for his contribution to the work of the University.

The University of Cape Coast mourns with his family his disapperance and is, also proud to pay him homage for his part in the pioneering work of the University.
 

When the day of toil is done, when the race of life is run, Father grant thy wearied one rest in thy bosom.

The New Patriotic Party, with sunken hearts, mourns officially today the disappearance of a devoted colleague, Activist, friend, Kwabena Agyeman Britwum.

Kwabena Agyeman Britwum's attraction to politics and commitment to the ideals of the Danquah/Busia Tradition date way back to the 1950s. These were his student years at Wesley College which saw him join the Youth Wing of the National Liberation Movement. The 1960s found him as a student at the University of Ghana, Legon, still immersed in the activities of the National Liberation Movement.

Throughout the years of the ban on party political activities, Kwabena Agyeman kept his contact with leading members the Danquah/Busia Tradition, including personalities like Professors Kweku Folson, Kofi Agyeman, John Fynn, Messrs S.A. Afreh, Appiah Menka and E.O. Gyamfi. These featured too as members of the Friday Club which worked to heal the cracks in the UP Tradition.

With the coming into being of the 1992 Constitution and the lifting of the ban on Party politics, Kwabena Agyeman was active as a frontline member in the founding of the New Patroitic Party. Between 1995 and 1997, he served as the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the Party, with Dr. Kwame Donkor Fordjour as Chairman. Until his demise, he was a member of the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders chaired by Mr. Appiah Menka.

Kwabena Agyeman carried to thinking within the New Patroitic Party, and to the Party exertions in various domains, his experience as a Teacher, a Historian, a Researcher, an Academic. Results generated therefrom have generally been esteemed invaluable. The Party is much poorer for having lost a thoughtful activist, a couragous defender of ideals, and a personality unbending in his application of principles.

We keep his memory as a source feeding the reslove of all who share the ideals of the New Patroitic Party, fashioned to drive our nation, Africa and indeed the rest of humanity towards a future that does not stop getting better.

Kwabena Agyeman Britwum:

The New Patriotic Party salutes you!

The New Patriotic Party bids you farewell!

The New Patriotic Party wishes your soul a peaceful rest! Amen

Kwabena Agyeman Britwum joined Bethel Methodist Churh in the 1980s when he returned form Nigeria. He was a member of Mr. B.F. Anyan's Class which always met on Thursdays, so the Class used to be called Thursday Class.

In 1987, Rev. B.K. Asare made Kwabena Agyeman a Leader, though not a Class Leader or Organisational Representative, but because of his background and contribution to educational and economic issues.

Kwabena Agyeman was a staunch member of the Men's Fellowship. Due to his love for music, he voluntarily became a patron of the Church Choir and helped the Choir with his substance and ideas. He donated a Hymn Board to the Church.

Socially, Kwabena Agyeman showed a strong and confident personality. He was affable, friendly and easy to talk to. In fact, anyone who came into contact with Kwabena Agyeman benefitted in one way or the other. 

Even when he retired from active work as a Lecturer, he continued to contribute to the growth and development of the Church. In moments of incapacitation, he had, on demand, his fair share of the Holy Communion.

We least expected his demise at this time but we take consolation in the fact that his maker loves him more than we do.

The Church has lost a dedicated member, but we can only conclude by extending our deep condolence to his children, his family, friends and sympathisers.

Kwabena Agyeman, "Da Yie, Nyame mfa wo nsie nkosi se yebehyia biom"

AMEN!! 

Who ever will believe that Kwabena Agyeman Britwum and I were not siblings? Not even his children will believe that. And all others who got to see us together at any point over the past sixty years assumed we were brothers. We could have been twin brothers; such was the closesness, the empathy, the shared likes and dislikes.

And I was close enough to him to know that Kwabena Agyeman lived a good and decent life. He lived in peace with his neighbours; and his associates were men and women of honour and good repute. He lived for his children but his doors stayed open to his cousins, nephews, nieces, members of his extended family and friends.

Throughout my association with Kwabena Agyeman, I found him to be a true and sincere Christian. His faith in god stayed firm even in adversity, while he gave deserving praise for good things happening to him. My last vist to Kwabena Agyeman was the second week June, 2014. 

We talked about family, social and current affairs. On my way back to Accra, I announced to him that I was to travel to the United States of america for a few weeks. He asked me to convey his greetings to my children over there. We parted, having exchanged hearty smiles and the customary "see you soon". What I took from him in the exchange then was to be his parting gift to me, which, needless to say, I shall forever treasure.

My wife and I flew from Accra on the night of 19th June and arrived in New Jersey early the next morning. About an hour after entering our son's home, his nephew, Kwaku Britwum called to break the shocking news of Kwabena's death. "He couldn't wait for my return!" I lamented as I in turn passed on the shocker to my wife and son. The misery that this news set did not leave us throughout our stay in the United States of America.

Ateaa, you have lived your life. You have served your God and, people in diverse ways. May the good Lord give you the peaceful resting place that you deserve. 

The passing of Kwabena Agyeman Britwum has robbed me of a very good friend and one of the long-standing companions of my youth. His death is also a big loss to the people of Ghana and Ashanti. Both country and region have lost an illustrious son and one of their unsung heroes.

Kwabena Agyeman, as he was known to me and many of our mutual friends, was a man of many achievements and great modesty. He and I became friends by chance, long before we realised that we were in fact from the same area of Ashanti. Indeed, according to my mother, she and I were guests of Kwabena’s grandmother in his village of Nyankyerenease where I had been taken, as a child of three years, by my mother to consult a medicine man. I was, of course, unaware of this when I first met Kwabena. The story came out later when I introduced him to my mother. As was her wont, my mother immediately quizzed Kwabena about his origins and family connections, and that was how we came to know that Kwabena’s grand-mother had welcomed us into her home many years earlier.  

Kwabena was, in a real sense, a self-made man. Although he was born into a reasonably well-to-do maternal family, and his father had received a good school education, his own school education was not as uneventful as might have been expected. True, he sat for and passed the examinations for entry into the top secondary schools of his day, but he could not attend any of them; and he eventually had to attend one of the less well-known schools in the country. But Kwabena was not daunted by this handicap. By dint of personal perseverance and assiduous use of his natural talents, he successfully obtained a University degree and became a successful University lecturer. In the end he was to become not just a member of the establishment but also a veritable pillar of his community, both in Asante and in Ghana.

I first met Kwabena in 1952 through our mutual friend, Kwabena Opoku-Achampong of blessed memory. We immediately developed a strong and mutual bond of friendship that has lasted for more than sixty years, although we were separated for part of the time. Throughout this period I have come to see in Kwabena a true companion, a dependable friend and a wise counsellor. He has shown much consideration and concern for me over the years, and he has displayed extreme kindness and care, not just for me but also for my family. When in 1968 I arrived in London to take up appointment with the United Nations Kwabena, who was then in London on sabbatical, was one of the friends who welcomed me to London and helped me to settle down. He was a valued source of help and advice to me in many ways, and I cannot ever forget all the help and support that he gave me at that time. He extended to me willing and unfailing companionship as well as much needed assistance in establishing my family in the new location; and he readily agreed to look after my children whenever I travelled on mission – which I was called upon to do quite frequently. He was, indeed, a true brother and a most willing helper. I shall forever be grateful to him for all that he did for me then, and since.

But Kwabena was a good friend and benefactor not only to me. He was a equally kind and generous to many other people. He was always willing to give them advice and counsel on how to organise their work and their lives. And, whenever necessary, he was ready actually to provide them with material support. Kwabena Agyeman was, literally, at the beck and call of everybody who needed his help or support. These included his many friends, the members of his extended family and, sometimes, people who were complete strangers to him. I am a direct beneficiary of his many acts of kindness, and I also know of many others who have good reason to be grateful to him for outstanding acts of kindness and generosity. All of us will miss him sorely. We shall look for his sound advice in times of doubt, we shall yearn for his encouragement in times of hesitation, we shall need his unwavering support in times of perplexity, and we shall miss his moral and material help in times of need. We are, all of us, grateful and proud to have had the opportunity to know him; and we are very grateful to have been touched by his warmth and kindness.

I was deeply mortified, as I am sure many of his friends were, when I saw him painfully trying to cope with suffering from his ailment. So, in a way, I am thankful that he is at last free from pain and discomfort, although I shall always regret the loss of his presence and his company. I hope that he will now have the peace that he sought to share with all with whom he came into contact, and I wish him the rest that he so richly deserves.                           

Not everyone has the privilege of having a great mentor and a friend in their lifetime. I was very fortunate to have Mr. Agyeman Britwum (affectionately known as Da) in my life. I was named after Da, and as a result came to be known by those closest to me as Mr. Agyeman or Mister.

Da saw great value in education and personally ensured that I got admitted into one of the best schools in the world - Mfantsipim (The School). Da taught me to be calm and to forge ahead through challenges and obstacles in order to achieve my goals in life. He always gave me good advice and mentored me through difficult times, and I am very glad I actively listened because everything worked out, just as he said it would.

Despite a very tight schedule, I had the opportunity to visit and spend time with Da in April and November of 2013. He played a significant role in moulding me into the man I am today and, I am very glad I paid him a visit. I am glad I got a chance to show him once more that I care.

Now, I am comforted by the fact that he has moved on to a better place, but his legacy lives on. He is here with us in the spirit of love, kindness and compassion which is visible in his children and all those he mentored.

Da, meeting you in November 2013 was very encouraging and uplifting. We had a really good conversation. You were the best Godfather one could ever wish for. You were a great father and a valuable friend to me, and you will be forever be missed.

R.I.P. Mr. Agyeman Britwum 

Jack!!,
your clanswomen and men rooted in Aburaso, Bonkrong and Nyankerenease are joined here as one voice to give expression to this final  act of seperation.

Joined: for once without you, and alas! 

Never again with you, the Unifier

And Kwabena Bosompem, Adwoa Nyarko, Yaw Brefo, Kwabena Konadu, Akosua Nyarko, Afu'ofie, Abena Am'aado, Anokyewaa Anokye, Yaayaa, Kwame Assianoah, Afia Atta, Yaw Assianoah, Yaw Bosompem, Yaa Akyiaa, Kodwo Hayford, Cissy, Tommy, Kwabena Appiahene, Ghana, Auntie Jane, Yaa Konadu, Nana Fosu Mensah, Nana Adutwumwaa, Nana Afrifa Achampong - crowding as tearful clouds - are inconsolable; as if 85 is not enough. You could have left at 100; yet they still would have thought it as too early.

Nana Duro wants his voice singled out for amplification;
Hear him

And Nana Akyiaa too; 

And your fathers from Bonkrong, so forcefully present at Yaa Kuma's and your one-week-after.

Kofi 'Wus alias Nana allige, is frozen in standby waiting to hear who takes over from you; thinking Atta will have to name who (your handing over, carried in the codicil, stopped at the detailed instructions very helpful though, for the various  rites, after you are gone:
And Twumasi, a true and faithful, was dead on cue).

something that has to be hushed here: The rehashing of marvels that, just days before you left, kept for a long time on your face, a smile that threatened all the while to break into laughhter, Remember? that was Opoku-Agyeman and Atta teasing.

Akua Badu cannot seprate herself from that image of you drifting into the unknown with that smile, now eternal

Not a few of our number followed the path youbeat into the Academy, adding on.

To many of our number, which is to say, not only to your biological offshoots, you were father, not just in a figurative sense, but in terms real?; Providing care, support, guidance, security, leadership and love.

Love thus with a span beyond emotional commitment.

Bro. Agyeman, Teacher Agyeman, Ateaa, Owura, Da'a, Wofa, Nana, Grand Pa, Powakwa (you recognise that last call, don't you? It's Mesewaa Ako'tiwaa's; and Maame's too):

And Akosua Mansa, fearing no reprimand, once your eyes had closed, dared let out through her numbing tears: Kwabena Agyeman!

Jack, 

Missing you means not letting go any part of this History. 

Daddy, Da'a, at this painful moment, we are cheered by the recall of your conversation with us, your children (and grandchildren), this last Fathers' Day. It really feels like yesterday. Your responses were robust, uplifting, reaasuring and led us all to expect to be with you this December.This was not to be and we do feel deprived.

We are however heartened by the fullness of the eighty five years of life you led here on earth. Your life as a school teacher, an academic, as father, husband, brother; your life as trusted head of family across your maternal and paternal lineages; your life above all as a Christian - was that full.

We remember with fondness the changes you carried into your relations with us as time elapsed. We remember our tender years at No. 34, East Hill Top Road, University of Cape Coast; and your bearing during those years, marked by nurture, guidance, watchfulness and attention to detail in matters related to school-work, homework, household chores; in matters related to friends we made: those that could and those that couldn't come home. In Kumasi, at No. 35 Cedar Crescent, Ridge Residential Area, you saw us as young adults and you relaxed your relations with us. Orders turned into suggestions which often emerged after frank exchanges. Then as matured adults, at home and dispersed around the globe, you turned each one of us into a friend. For each one you had a modus that made the person feel  special. You got close to being on first name terms with you. This is how you shared with us the appellation "Jack" whose use was otherwise restricted among your siblings and other family members of your generation. This is how you shared with us confidences which otherwise, you said, only very special friends could access. This eassed us also into opening out to you unrestrainedby fear of censure or embarrasment.Thus, we could share with you naughty pranks which, in our younger years, we indulged in your blind side, and get you to laugh at them with us. As friends then, we shared and followed counsels, which thus had stopped dropping from father to children. Beyond confidences, were matters of history for either side of your family tree, which you got us to appropriate and to document in our own manner.

As siblings we compare often our experiences derived from the different special ways you related to each one of us. Each one of these fit into a common narrative of our-father-and-us. Every one of these modes bore the same motifs of care, concern, tenderness, wit, good humour, friendliness and a general positive outlook on life. The net effect is that we recognise ourselves as different Agyeman Britwums - Naana, Fosua, Mama, Sammy, Pa'a Kwasi, Nana Kwame, Sister, not forgetting your adopted (our adopted) Samuel Mills of blessed memory-but all resting on a common stay. For indeed, you were that much of a model in a different way for each one of us. Each one of us is deeply grateful for what we have turned into; and hence do feel deeply indebted to you!  

We called him Wofa and got what was due us as nieces and nephews. We could have called him father, for we got too, on occasion, what was due to biological children, it didn't matter the physicaldistance separating us from him. Such was the man from whom we finally separating physically.

And we got more; praise and encouragement to do more of the same when he found us on the right side of things; stern rebuke when he found us on the wrong footing. And we picked up, by watching, precepts he practisedand which time we found elevating for ourselves and for those we associated with.

Next to the pursuit of learning was, among several others, love of humans, paving the way to the love of God, constantly renewed within his unwavering membership of the Methodist Church. These guided his various other endeavours as a teacher, a scholar, a political actiivist and leader of our extended family. Every momemnt spent with Wofa Agyeman was a learning experience.

And we learnt and got socialised into accepting that all things (including humans) grow old, infirm and die off. And we think now, that this should have prepared us for it, knowing that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Especially, since we should have seen it coming, all the way from his last days in London. And it came, this ammodin, and caught us completely off guard, striking as from the blue, finding us wholly unarmed.

Wofa Agyeman, we mourn your absence, now made permanent. We mourn for what we imagine a last word due us, we know not what it would have been, but which is forever out of our reach.

Wofa Agyeman, we love you.

Wofa, Damrifa Due!! Amen 

So, Dad, this is the end of the road that it has been our privilege to travel with you along with our families.

Daddy, you were that important to us and more so to our spouses. We have enjoyed and treasure every moment of the many years of knowing you. And our knowledge of you is marked by your love, counsels, openness, alertness of mind and support, still very present in our last ever conversation with you on Fathers' Day. We respect and admire your courage in the face of adversity and controlled elation with which you welcomed, as you put it, the many moments of joy which you welcomed, as you put it, the many moments of joy that came your way.

We respect the principles that you avowed and especially the steadfastness and clear-mindedness with which you applied them. You made us feel welcome and accepted at all times within your family. You lived out the virtues of "compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience" as expressed in Colossians 3:12.

We bless and honour you for having upheld them at all times. And it is always for us a joy to hear them encored. These include moments when you raise your voice to insist on what is right and must be followed. The rulings thus imposed have turned into values that we as spouses still benefit from.

We do feel honoured and blessed to have had you as part of our lives;
Esnart Agyeman Britwum, Antoinette Sarfo Britwum, Kwadwo Kusi, take pride in having had you for a father-in-law.

REST IN PEACE DADDY!! Amen. 

What we treasure, this moment as we struggle against the pain of your departure, is that each of the precious contacts we had with you brought us better knowledge of you and closer to you. We regret that Time wouldn't last beyond your eighty-five years, and for us to gain the maturity we hoped for in order to get to know you still better.

Grandfather, you are that part of our heart heart that we look for in vain now. The pain of this separation is indeed real.Nicole, Markella, Tamera, Chloe, Samuel Jnr, Iris, Chantel, Francis Jnr, Karen, Brianna, Elissa and Kayla say to you Grandpa, "Damrifa Due".

We trust the judgement of the Lord who has  deemed it fit to call you to rest. We thank you and bless you for the lives of our parents, for our lives.

You are gone but not forgotten

Do Rest In Peace, Grandpa

Amen!!