ForeverMissed
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Tributes
January 28
January 28
Nii-Yartey has left us some time now, but his memory and spirit remains with us. A bright light shines through his greatest legacy, his children and family, Noyam, the National Dance Company, Ghana Dance Ensemble (Legon) and the many individuals who he came into contact with, who continue to share stories of his dynamic and energetic character, and of course the knowledge he has authored or recorded during his life time - sleep on our beloved brother!
January 26
It’s your birthday and I do miss our get together with bro Ami and Sister Grace on these occasions
November 28, 2022
November 28, 2022
Nii, you will never be forgotten. Your intelligence and caring nature that touch so many people will always be held in our hearts. Thank you for care and creativity! Blessings in the ancestral realm!
November 26, 2022
November 26, 2022
Dearest Prof. Nii-Yartey, the years are piling on already, but you will forever be missed. Your sense of humour and dependability to deliver on almost anything was indeed legendary. Getting your replacement will be next to impossible. 'Til we all also die and meet again, do sleep peacefully from your earthly hectic schedule and labours. Thank you for your service. May Our God bless you. Amen.
November 25, 2022
November 25, 2022
Dear Nii and family:
Last week our family went to a concert by the Soweto Gospel Choir. We thought of all of you as we were swept up in the sounds and movement of that choir. In whatever realm you are dancing now, know that we keep memories of our times together close. You are always in our hearts. With love, Sharon and family
November 24, 2022
November 24, 2022
Nii seven years ago, a couple of days ago you sadly left us. It was painful and we knew you'd be sorely missed.
We also knew that the good Lord needed you more and so you had to go to join the ancestors because you had finished playing your part here.
We had to thank the Lord for your life because you left your footprints and we know there are many who will follow your path and also leave indelible marks for posterity.
We gave you a 21 dance salute because you more than deserved it and we were positive that the ancestors would be there to welcome you into their fold.
In six years we believe you are comfortably settled and doing the will of God and the ancestors who left before you.
You have been adequately appreciated and congratulated for the good work you did here and your mentees are carrying on where you left off here.
We don't know what happens there, but we believe perhaps you have been assigned new duties, which I know you'll execute with distinction. If it is just resting in the bosom of the Lord as we are wont to believe, then Rest in Peace. We'll keep your legacy intact and proclaim to the world that you did your part and successfully too.
We therefore, pray that wherever you are, may the Lord continue to look after you and assist you to find the light that would move you towards eternal progress.
We still miss you, your ready smile and the many other things you do that make you Nii Yartey and continue to ask for all the good things you need to make you continue your eternal progress. God bless you. My dear friend.
November 22, 2022
November 22, 2022
Nii Tsale it is already 7 years. You are sorely missed but we know you are in a better place. From time to time just check us out and intercede on our behalf for better times.
February 18, 2022
February 18, 2022
I first met Professor Nii-Yartey when in 1980/81 he was visiting Research Fellow at the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, a division of the Institute of Jamaica. His visit continued the relationship between the University of Ghana and the Institute, which had earlier seen a visit of Professors Nketia and Opoku and Madame Grace Djabatey to Jamaica in 1976. They taught at the ACIJ Summer School in 1977 which I attended while I was a student. When Prof Nii-Yartey came I worked in the ACIJ as a research assistant. He left a lasting impression on me- both through his scholarship and through his humane kindness. Though him African civilization and culture became more than a mere idea for a young and curious post graduate in the Diaspora. I was pleased to  renew the acquaintance when I visited Ghana in 1997 to attend Panafest. I shall always remember hm and his work. Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
January 26, 2022
January 26, 2022
Happy Birthday Nii! Always remembered, never forgotten. We were born in the same year. Much Love, Halifu
November 23, 2021
November 23, 2021
Dear Nii,

Six years have passed. Long time. You are missed, however your legacy lives on through your children, work and the multiple lives that you touched. I am grateful to have crossed paths with you on this great earth.

One Love,
Jeannine Osayande
November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021
Nii. Your kids have grown
You will not believe how well they are doing
I know though that your spirit is with us, even interceding on our behalf from time to time.
It does seem so sometimes. When magic happens in the most unexpected circumstances,
Forever missed and never forgotten
November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021
How can it have been six years, dear Nii? We think of you still as present with us, in our thoughts, hearts, and in conversation. We continue in gratitude for our friendship and for all of the choreography, teaching, and mentorship you offered to so many in your life. Swarthmore College was fortunate that you and your family were able to live among us for a time. The knowledge and bonds built go forward, circling out to new learners and more creativity. Blessed by our times together, we wish you peace.
November 22, 2020
November 22, 2020
Nii Yartey was always kind and supportive of me as an African American dancer-scholar who was born the same year as he. I first met him in 1976 when he was taking over the reigns of the Ghana Dance Ensemble, and one of the last times we talked was in 2008 when I interviewed him for my book Dancing in Blackness. In it, I included how he saw his legacy from Prof. Opoku, and his creation of Contemporary African Dance. He will always be remembered and honored.
July 4, 2020
July 4, 2020
It was 1979 when a very skilled teacher taught me at Edna Manley College of the visual and Performing Arts. He was Prof.Nii Yartey. We became good friends and I learnt somehow that Africa wasn't what I was told she was. He opened my eyes to African meals and textiles. He also taught me how important it was for my feet to be always grounded, not only in dance but in life. He made it possible for me to get assistance from organisations to complete my studies. I spoke to him in 2015 on his trip to USA. It's been years and what he left behind is powerful and I will always reflect on him. I wish his family, school and friends the very best. Sleep in forever peace my friend.
November 22, 2019
November 22, 2019
I first met Nii Yartey in 1976 when he was just appointed as Director of the Ghana Dance Ensemble andI was an wide-eyed African American just visiting Ghana for the first time to learn the dance. He was always gracious and giving. We continued our friendship in the U.S. at dance conferences and in Ghana on my subsequent trip. He always had (has) a giving, creative spirit, and I miss him.
January 26, 2019
January 26, 2019
Nii, my brother and friend, it s that time again. So much to tell you and I don’t even know where to start. I know you are at peace and happy where you are. Over here, I am still trying to find somebody so talented as you are. We all learnt and did so much together because of your humility. Such a giant in the arts and yet never too big to receive suggestions when offered. As such nobody over here has been able to produce anything near what you were able to do here. I love you Nii and yes you will be forever missed. God bless you wherever you are.
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Hummmmm, three years. God Bless you and the family.
...At Ursinus College we are using your book this semester for our studies on Diasporic African Dance traditions. What a gem! Give thanks.
September 7, 2018
September 7, 2018
Hmmmm, I am shocked today. I never knew that Nii Yartey is dead. I was doing research today and was checking out Ghanaian performing arts masters/experts abroad and in one of the photos, I saw a memorial card. OMghosh! 
In the first place, I wish the bereaved family my deepest Yaako. Nii Yartey was the artistic director of the Ghana Dance Ensemble at the African Studies Department, University of Ghana when we were students in Theater Arts ( Dance). My contemporaries are Eric ( now Kwame Ansah -Brew of USA, Poulele Lekuu Amartus, Agnes, Johnson Edu) Together we were called ASSPA. Our dream then was to make sure all the Dance Students travel abroad after graduation. Nii Yartey, Oh Nii Sowah, Kelly Sowah, Dr. Martin Owusu, Sandy Arkust, Prof. Adinku, Mr. Newman, Ms Kwakwa were our mentors. Together, they encouraged us to soar to the ultimate level and now I can boast that all of us are abroad as ambassadors of the Ghanaian culture and arts. May God grant Nii Yartey a perfect rest. Such a pillar lost but we are assured that Nothing Just Happens, His Word Says.    Harold Akyeampong ( LV-Nevada)-0907-18
January 26, 2018
January 26, 2018
Nii, today is your earth day oooo. You are sorely missed and we think and talk about you often. The seeds you sow here on earth have also turned into beautiful trees. God bless you wherever you are and grant you peace.
November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017
Nii Yartey and I were the same age, and I first met him in 1976 at Legon when he first became Director of the Ghana Dance Ensemble. we remained a close friends, and we always had an ease of communication because we were on the same page: bring dance to the masses and show love. I'm adding a new photo of he, Oh! Nii, Terry Ofosu, and myself in 2008 at Legon, the day after Barack Obama was elected. I orchestrated a spontaneous dance and drum celebration, and Nii Yartey was fully present. Miss him much!
November 22, 2016
November 22, 2016
Does a leaf, when it falls from the tree in winter, feel defeated by the cold?
The tree says to the leaf: that's the cycle of life. You may think you are going to die, but you live on in me. It's thanks to you that I am alive. Its also thanks to you that I have felt loved because I was able to give shade to a weary traveler....Paulo Coelo

Nii, this is for you.
May 24, 2016
May 24, 2016
It is with immeasurable shock and grief at the loss of a dear friend, brother, former classmate, colleague, and much admired and respected artist that I express condolences to the family of the great choreographer, dancer, and dance educator Prof. Francis Nii-Yartey. We studied together at Legon (he from Akuafo Hall and I from Volta Hall) and as graduates embarked on careers and, later, families. We brought our spouses and children together on both sides of the Atlantic for celebrations and simple enjoyment. And we toasted the achievements each of us made as we pursued our careers. 

Prof. Francis Nii-Yartey’s career was illustrious and of great service to Ghana and to the international community of scholars and performers. He also left special imprints on New York City. His teachings and consultancies, albeit informal on occasion, with DanceAfrica at the Brooklyn Academy of Music are among them. One summer he led the Ghana Dance Ensemble in performances at The Aaron Davis Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, the experience of which Harlem will always cherish. During his year at Swarthmore College he enriched and inspired the students and larger audiences when he briefly visited the City University of New York and offered a master class and lecture on Ghana’s dances, which will remain forever emblazoned in their memories. My family was happy to receive and to host him on occasion, and for the majesty of his company and keen intellect we were delighted to share a meal of homemade kenkey or banku when he was in New York and in Pennsylvania. 

Wherever he went—and people across the globe wanted a place on his calendar—he took knowledge about the high quality, the profound and broad impact of Ghana’s dances and related arts. And he demonstrated Ghana’s achievements of excellence in every lecture, every master class, and every performance. It will be difficult moving forward without him, but it is even more difficult to imagine what the world of African dance would be today without the wonderful gifts that his magical hands and feet sculpted into it .

My brother, Nii Yartey, we thank you. We honor you. You left us much too soon, but will remain forever in our memories. Ya wo dzogban minyeminuu From your sister, Adukwei, and her son, Kwabena.

Barbara L. Hampton, Ph.D.
Professor of Music
City University of New York
January 29, 2016
January 29, 2016
Gone but still in our hearts , the ball is set rolling and knw we seeig the gab left for us, oooo niii who will fill this gab , oh who will fight for us hmmmmm only god knows best , sleep well , we knw ur spirit still lives with us, forever missed.
January 26, 2016
January 26, 2016
Happy Birthday Nii. So much to tell you. Things that only you would understand. Be in the light bro
January 26, 2016
January 26, 2016
Happy Birthday to Prof. Gone but not forgotten
January 9, 2016
January 9, 2016
Condolences to the Family of Nii.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and looking after me and the group whilst we were in Ghana in July 1983. You opened many doors for us to see the role drumming and dance plays in society, organised dance and music classes with the Institute of African Studies and the dance ensemble in Legon. We were privileged to be taken around your home town to see many festival celebrations in the Ga traditional area and further a field in Anloga, in the Volta region.

You were like my father when I first came to Africa and I was so happy to see you with the dance ensemble when you came to Birmingham, England. I returned to Ghana briefly in 2005 and met you and I was glad we spent some time although very briefly not knowing it would be the last time. I know you touched many hearts here in Birmingham and from all my fellow colleagues.

Rest in peace.

(Nicky Reid) aka Fieshah Amlak
January 8, 2016
January 8, 2016
It"s still very hard to believe that Nii has gone,everyone has gathered to say goodbye and honor you in the best way they can.NII had been a blessing to everyone around him. Someone you would look up to for a role model.Someone you would learn things from, and he is someone you would be inspired by.Nii was a man of emotion.Nii was a man of his opinion, whether you agree or disagree with. .Nii was a man of courage and strength. Those qualities made Nii a person he was. Nii yaa wor dzogbaa. Rest in perfect Peace.`
January 8, 2016
January 8, 2016
Dearest Nii Kwei ,
I was saddened to hear about the demise of your loving father. Please take care of yourself and May his soul rest in perfect peace
January 8, 2016
January 8, 2016
Nii-Kwei and Nii Tettey, I am deeply saddened by the loss we both share. I am assured that we will be comforted by Prof. Nii-Yartey memories. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now and I won't pretend to know the loss that you're experiencing. Please know that you're not alone and I'm just a phone call away.
January 8, 2016
You were a great uncle "the senior brother of my mum Patricia Yarkor Tackie the sister that looks just like" that I never had the chance to meet you when I became of age but all the time saw you in a distance anytime I watch you on tv and at the numerous programs that was displayed at the national theatre. it was my greatest wish to come to the house to meet you but duty called and never the chance to do so. Now I have great joy in me that though you have departed from this physical world that the eyes alone sees you have gone into our hearts where our spirits lives and I say you will forever by us. Uncle Francis as we your nieces and nephews calls you we rest in peace in the bosom of the almighty God till He allows us to see again, uncle "yaa wo Ojogbaaan".
January 7, 2016
January 7, 2016
Nii, you left so sudden without notice. The foot prints you left will forever be cherished and remembered . Nii Tete- Fio will continue to make you proud , we miss you dearly. May you rest in peace.
January 6, 2016
January 6, 2016
Nii, what a sad situation. My friend, rest in peace we will all miss you. I was at the Institute of African Studies upon your return from the University of Illinois. At the time, I was serving as a Teaching Assistant-National Service and helping with the Youth-Wing of School of Performing Arts and mostly working with youth from the University Primary School on Campus. I engaged you in helping create a viable dance tradition throughout schools in Accra. Rest in Peace till we meet again. Thanks for your contribution to enhancing traditions started by Emeritus Professor Mawere-Opoku.
January 6, 2016
My Most Eximious Honourable Professor,

So, who will continue to choreograph all these pioneering musical works that I have been quietly transcribing and programming 24/7 over the past 15 years for Professor Nketia and the Field, most of which you and I presented together to coveted acclaim at the National Theatre in 2003 and 2004?

Your courage and boldness, coupled with your consistent ability to get the job done, come hell or high water, shall always be my undying principle!

Your solemn maxim still rings in my ears: "Never chase the skunk into the Korle Lagoon, nor wrestle with a pig, because you will all smell the same!"

Now a little English:

Mantse-Onukpa-Nuumo Yartey,

Although you were an incorrigibly nonconformous firebrand, (because you placed imagination and innovation above mere education and certification), your underlying unorthodoxy never entirely bordered on the antidisestablishmentarianistical! You humbly upheld, defended, transcended, as well as nimbly defeated entire systems!

Your philoprogenitive postures, as juxtaposed to the anthropomorphical characteristics of the Almighty God are indubitably theomorphic!

Mathematically speaking, Sir, your achievement quotient has not only been statistically stimulating, therefore demanding further calculation and analysis, but also that your subjective lack of polarisation and no-nonsense demeanour, enabled a whole generation of dance students and professionals to emulate your epochal example, and to trust you implicitly, thereby lending incontrovertible credence to the universal assertion, that, anokwale, you are a man of inexpugnable record, inexpungible craft and inextirpable passion!

In your current apotheosis, as you proceed forth into the pantheon of the Greats, to join Amu and Mawere Opoku and all our ancestors before them, we bid thee Goodnight, Goodbye, Godspeed!

Until we meet again,

Yawor diiinnnnn!!!

Ayekooooooo!!!!!!!
January 6, 2016
January 6, 2016
Nii to me was a gift, a great man and a star fallen from heaven right into my arms. The first test for a great man is his humility and no doubt Nii possessed all these qualities – a good listener, an advisor, a good communicator, a teacher, and of course a good friend. You were very respectful, patient, tolerant, hardworking, selfless, compassionate, sweet, calm, trustworthy, dependable, disciplined and content. Rest in Peace
January 6, 2016
January 6, 2016
TRIBUTE BY THE NATIONAL DANCE COMPANY
Prof. permit us to call you Nii, because that is how we have known and called you all these years, It is difficult to change now. Nii you were as solid as a rock and taught us to be disciplined and focused in all we did.

You drilled us like soldiers and ensured that we adapted to your techniques because you made us understand that it was necessary for us as dancers. You were our father, brother and friend.

We did not only dance and learned from you, interpret your ideas, which eventually turned or transformed into the pieces, which all have come to enjoy, but shared our thoughts and problems with you as well.

By the time you retired as our Artistic Director/Choreographer, we knew you had left so much for us to continue from where you had left. Even then you still involved us in all your programmes both here and abroad.

You made Ghanaian dance very popular and we took our bows around the world with great pride because we knew you had turned us into stars that shone around the globe under your leadership.

Nii you virtually plucked some of us from our towns and villages raw and turned us into stars. Your training regime was tough and it took some of us time to realize that it was all part of shaping us into what we have become today.

But how sad! Today we are here to mourn, because you have left this life suddenly without saying goodbye. Nii travelling is part of our job because we need to showcase what we have here to others around the world.

So your trip to India was one of the many that you often took to lift high the flag of Ghana. But this time we heard you had fallen ill and then gone into a coma and eventually dead.

It was unbelievable. Nii has moved on to join the ancestors. We cannot complain because we know that at the appointed time, each one of us will go to meet our maker and all we can say now is, “Thank you Lord for the life of our father, big brother and friend.

Nii lived life to the full and has left so much for us to work with. Even though our grief is deep and our sorrow profound we are comforted because we know Nii sewed seeds that are already germinating across the world and particularly in Ghana and Africa and so his name will live on for as long as his works are propagated by us.

We say our final farewell to you today with tears in our eyes, but we know your spirit lives on and we will be guided by what you have taught us all these years. We will not disappoint you but continue to lift the flag of Ghana high wherever we find ourselves.

Fare Thee Well Nii
Yaa Wor Dzogbann
Rest In Perfect Peace
January 6, 2016
A TESTIMONY BY YOUR SISTER ESI SUTHERLAND-ADDY

Nii Yartey and I were privileged to have spent decades at the feet of a group of visionary, passionate and creative personalities who were leading the creation of a new national culture. Ephraim Amu, Kwabena Nketia, Efua Sutherland, Jawa Apronti, Joe DeGraft and of course your primary mentor Mawere Opoku. You often spoke of how the unique experience offered by the Institute of African Studies expanded your mind, released your creative energies  and set you on a path which you could hardly have dreamed of as a child.

Nii Yartey, you never forgot your origins neither did you fail to acknowledge those who had helped you to grow along the way. But the exciting thing was that you when you were ready to soar off on your own creative journey, you were not afraid to depart from the revered patterns established by your mentors. For many years afterwards, you spoke like a seer. You warned of the death of our culture without change and growth.

Sometimes you and I would argue over the need for the Ghana Dance Ensemble to act also as a living archive in order to preserve and propagate the classical dance forms of our people. We always ended up respecting each other’s views because we both knew in our heart of hearts that there was room for both preservation and change.

You often called me ‘Seestah’ in acknowledgement of your position as one of my mother’s sons. You were one of those who gave her the quiet satisfaction that she and those artists of her generation had been blessed to meet talented persons to whom they could pass on the insights and passion for establishing African arts firmly into the future. To you she was a precious source of pride and admiration and sound advice. After her death in 1996 and up to a few months ago, you would repeat to me that one of your greatest regrets was that you had not taken the time off to heed a call she had sent out to you, to come and see her for an urgent discussion.

But you indeed took excellent care of the knowledge, passion and insight passed on to you. You exuded the positive energy and confidence of an African artiste who knew his worth and the sheer value of his artistic heritage.
Often I listened to you as you shared your vision for dance in Ghana and its place in Africa and the world. You were impatient with all those who did not seem to understand that dance, if handled professionally, had a great potential to put the imprint of the University of Ghana and the country at large on the global consciousness. I look back at the strategic plans and curricula that you helped to develop. I recall meetings we attended together in the University, in the Ministries responsible for Culture and among artists and cultural activists. I remember us fighting on the same side for the recognition of the power of the arts to transform. 
The fact is that we have lost a consummate artiste and visionary champion of the arts at a time when we could least afford it. I must hope that actors in the world of dance and the arts in general will honour him by rising above parochial interests and picking up his far-reaching ideas, his discipline and his passion.

As for me, strange as it may seem, I console myself with the personal eclectic memories that dance before my eyes of our mutual respect and concern for each other and glimpses into the past: Now I am showing his daughter to the rising sun. There is Nii solicitously helping me down the stairs,walking me to my car and admonishing me to stop working so hard . Now he is insisting that I edit his writing… But we always had too much to talk and dream about : And so much to Do! So Nii, as you always said with a smile on your face when we had to suspend our discussions: - TO BE CONTINUED!
Esi.
January 5, 2016
January 5, 2016
TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR F. NII-YARTEY BY THE INSTITUE OF AFRICAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON

The late Prof. Francis Nii-Yartey joined the staff of the University of Ghana on October 1, 1971 as a Production Assistant/Stage Manager. He was attached to the Ghana Dance Ensemble (GDE) and while there, proved himself an adept performer. He was identified as having the potential to understudy Emeritus Prof. Albert Mawere Opoku of blessed memory, the founding Artistic Director of the Ensemble. He was awarded a scholarship to study for an MA in Dance in the University of Illinois, USA. He returned in 1975 and was appointed Lecturer in Dance in the School of Music and Drama (Now School of Performing Arts).

In 1977, on the advice of the then Director, School of Music and Drama and Institute of African Studies, Prof. J. H. Kwabena Nketia, he accepted a teaching appointment in the Institute of African Studies (IAS) as Lecturer-in-Charge of teaching Dance in IAS and Artistic Director, succeeding Prof. Mawere Opoku. In 1980, he was designated Research Fellow and promoted Senior Research Fellow in November, 1987. He ended his academic career at the rank of Associate Professor with a significant number of publications and numerous productions to his credit. He was a visiting scholar to a number of academic institutions including Swarthmore College, and Keene State University in the United States of America. 

In recognition of his work, the National Commission on Culture engaged him in 1992 to help establish a Resident National Dance at the National Theatre where he was on secondment from the University until his retirement in 2006. He returned to IAS in 2008 on post-retirement contract and later served as Head of Department in the Dance Department of the School of Performing Arts.

Prof. Nii-Yartey in the course of his career led the GDE to tour many the USA, Canada, USSR, India and many countries in Europe and Africa, He also attended various workshops and conferences, serving as a Speaker or Resource Person. As part of his professional development, he was also attached to the National Dance and Theatre Company of Jamaica in 1979 at the Institute of Jamaica and the African Caribbean Institute in Kingston, Jamaica. Professor F. Nii-Yartey over the years became highly sought after as a choreographer and collaborated with several world-class colleagues including Nana Nilsen (Denmark), Monty Thompson (Virgin Islands), H. Patten/Harley Matthews (United Kingdom) and Meno Preto (Cape Verde), Reginald Yates/Jeanine Osayande (USA) and Jacque Van Meel (The Netherlands), Germaine Acogny (Senegal/France) and United Cultures for Development Network (South Africa). 

Examples of his outreach work abound. He led the Swedru Brass Band and Masquerades and Stilt-Walkers to participate in Street Music Festival in London and Glasgow in 1988 for example, and was called upon on numerous occasions to choreograph national and international pageants, spectacles and events including the 2011 African Union Day Celebrations. His contribution and impact on the Arts Industry at home and abroad cannot be quantified and his career is truly a study in how new areas of knowledge can be opened up in African universities and the ways in which academia can interface fruitfully with development. Even though he had a busy schedule, he accepted a request from the IAS to act as Artistic Director of the Ghana Dance Ensemble for the brief period between September, 2015 and July 2016 in the absence of the substantive Artistic Director, who was on Fulbright Scholarship abroad. This was to have been a special opportunity for the Ensemble to benefit from the accumulated professional experience of its world-famous alumnus  

On assumption of office, he received an invitation from agents of the Indian government to select and lead a group of drummers to represent Ghana at the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit which was scheduled for October 24-29, 2015 in Delhi, India. For him, this was the opportunity to give the Ghana Dance Ensemble a boost and he thus did not hesitate in recommending the GDE to take up the challenge. It was while he was on the trip to India that he fell ill, and unfortunately passed on November 22, 2015.

Prof. Nii-Yartey will be remembered for his high sense of humor. He always referred to himself as the “Bukom Boy” of Accra. He was passionate about his work and contributed genuinely to the various committees to which he was appointed over the years. Professor Nii-Yartey was a disciplinarian to the core, and showed tough love in training the large number of dancers and performers from all over the world with whom he worked. He will also be remembered for the many lives he touched both at home and abroad and for show-casing the principles of African Studies as a field.

We at the Institute of African Studies are painfully aware of the loss of a standard bearer and a colleague on whom we were counting for knowledge and inspiration. In spite of this, we must thank The Creator for lending him to us for a while and pray that he rests peacefully for he has indeed played his part.

Prof. Nii-Yartey! DAMIRIFA! DAMIRIFA! DAMIRIFA!

YA WO DZOGBANG!
January 4, 2016
January 4, 2016
Only a polite man like Nii Yartey can make an artistic commentary on the squalor of Bukum and keep it inoffensive and aesthetically pleasing. My memories of one of Bukum's rehearsals in 1988 at the Dance Hall of the School of Performing Arts, Legon, still remains most memorable of all the creations of this dance iconoclast I respect. Ghana and Africa will forever be thankful for your legacy.
                                        Agyeman Ossei
December 31, 2015
December 31, 2015
Yes we lost the greatest of all, in the art field, Nii ur legacy still remains in our heart , rest in peace proff
December 31, 2015
December 31, 2015
TRIBUTE BY NII ADDOKWEI MOFFATT
THE 21 DANCE SALUTE
From humble beginnings
You rose to become a
dance colossus. 
Developing and promoting dance.
And
to many you gave a chance
to shine and glitter as stars,
to take bows if even on Mars.
Nii, you reached the pinnacle
Of
your trade and sold articles
of your creativity across the world
that put Ghana on the map.
You crafted dance to the joy
Of
many in Ghana, Africa and beyond.
Your distinct footprints would
enable others to walk in paths
you had trodden for posterity’s
Benefit.
Go on as others before you did,
to tell the ancestors what you achieved.
Tell them you passed with distinction
and left legacies that would root
Generations
in our culture, show them the way
to what is right and proper.
Now you can drink and dine with them
that left before you.
Your
work is done, good worker.
The path has been cleared for your passage,
to the great beyond and guides wait
to lead you to them who would keep you
Company.
Quicken your steps, divine dancer
for the drums beat the message of your arrival
as the atentenben begin to whine in solemn harmony.
We salute you! For you have played your part.
Welldone,
welldone, welldone, welldone, welldone
The fontonfrom proclaims 21 times
Receive your 21 dance salute
Take your place brother… Take your place
For you have earned a place among them that are GREAT.
  
MY journey into the fold of the arts family was influenced by a number of people as a young man. The first on the list was the late Saka Acquaye whom I watched most evenings rehearse “Obadjen” a musical with his group, the late Evans Hunter and Emary Brown who held my hand on the drama trail and Edward Ameyibor who pointed the road for me in the area of journalism.
  Then came Nii Yartey who out of the blue with tact and cunning got me to work with him for over a decade. Even when I managed to slip out of his hands, he still managed to get me to work with him on many of his dance projects.
  I owe some of the sharp skills in administration, the discipline and sound work ethics I possess to this gem of a man who decided that I had something to offer the Ghana Dance Ensemble and the University of Ghana.
  In 1986, while working as the Public Relations Manager of the Arts Council of Ghana, I was approached by F. Nii Yartey (The F remains that even though it is Francis) to join the Ghana Dance Ensemble, based at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ghana. He explained why he needed me.
  According to him, he wanted to have a National Dance Company like the Guinea Ballet, which travels around the world and has made Guinea very popular while raking in so much money for that country.
“Moff, we have more dances from our many ethnic groups than they have and yet we are not making it as we should. Please, join me to push Ghana on the map of the world,” he said to me.
I told him I would think about it.
However, I did not even have that luxury of thinking about it and within a month, I was a staff of the Ghana Dance Ensemble. The rest is history. We researched dances, ran workshops and participated in dance festivals and engagements at theatres across the world.
  Nii was a genius in every sense of the word and managed to spot talents as soon as he came into contact with them. He moulded them to suit his purpose, which was dance and included them in his team. Dance was his life and just editing his articles and papers on dance and its development was enough tutorial for me to understand that performing art.
  He was the epitome of strength and never seemed to tire and worked the group like a military set–up, drilling dancers and drummers into sharp disciplined performers who were not allowed to bleach, grow unnecessarily fat or belong to other groups apart from the Ghana Dance Ensemble.
  Many who complained about the drill, after exiting the company, eventually praised his strict training regime especially on joining other professional dance companies.
  The production and administrative staff, closed only after he called it a day. Not many people who joined the company lasted long but thankfully, his executive team of Grace Djabaki Djabatey, Production Manager, myself, Theatre and PR Manager, David Amoo, Stage Manager and our Secretary Juliana Hanson stuck together through thick and thin. We ate together and watched each other’s backs, so to speak.
It was, however, not always rosy. There were times when tempers rose purely in the area of work. This happened mostly when there was an upcoming production.
  Nii was a perfectionist and wanted everything done to the last detail. That was not always possible and the frustrations and anguish turned into shouts and threats, which became normal after the production. He could not stand to see anyone moody or out of sorts especially if he thought he was the cause.
  We often took advantage of this soft nature of his to keep him in line and sober during rehearsals for major productions. His ready smile and affable nature was extremely infectious and I am yet to find anyone who does not like Nii.
  A believer in our culture and a true patriot who recognised the need to have a sound foundation of our dance, music and dramatic traditions, he fought and employed Prof. Emeritus Mawere Opoku and Saka Acquaye who were both retired as resource persons to impart their vast knowledge to the group.
He did everything to ensure that the National Dance Company was the best in Ghanaian dance. I don’t know if the University of Ghana has forgiven us for moving out with the company to become the resident company of the National Theatre.
  He, together with Dr Mohammed Ibn Abdallah, fought for the autonomy of the National Dance and Drama companies to enable them blossom to the fullest. One of his major concerns as Chairman of the National Theatre of Ghana Board, was the plan by the National Theatre to integrate the national companies, which he believed would lead to the curtailment of their independence, something we know was not won on a silver platter.
  The formation of the Noyam Dance Institute was another of his dreams that came into fruition and has successfully trained a number of young people who have become professional dancers holding their own in Ghana and abroad.
  Nii’s creative pieces, which can be classified as classics, were and are still a joy to watch and they would be around for generations to come. Moreover, he trained so many people who would follow his footsteps as his footprints are imprinted at several places across the world.
  Prof. F. Nii Yartey, our plans remain on hold until we meet again because you have taken the lead too early without even a goodbye. What more can I say, except to thank the good Lord for your life, which you lived to the fullest.
  My brother, colleague and friend, farewell! May you be guided to the right path to the great beyond by the light, which will lead you to the ancestors and into the bosom of your maker, where you will enjoy eternal peace.

Nii Yartey Yaa Wo Odjogban
Rest In Perfect Peace
God Be With You
December 29, 2015
December 29, 2015
Francis Nii Yartey

In Memory of……..


I cannot recall the exact year or date

Over three decades ago, on the Legon campus I arrived late

My purpose was, Prof. Nketia to meet

But he had since left Ghana yet it turned out a treat…


A young man was striding with confidence and vim

The receptionist told me, I should call out to him

I did and was greeted, a smile wide and broad

Nii Yartey the young man, and I’ve since thanked the Lord


His car keys he gave me and with me a dancer he sent

To collect my suitcase at the airport, so off we went

Twas my 1st day in Ghana and what a welcome

I was driving and chatting, I had arrived home



The start of that journey has grown ever since then

On dance projects we worked, without any end

A year’s sabbatical in England I brought him to teach

From the art centre I ran, Nii did lot’s of dance outreach


We’ve travelled together and ideas we shared

In Europe, in Ghana, over decades we’ve compared

Our families, our dance notes our dreams and our visions

And many, we’ve realized, with or without opposition



Nii Yartey, my dear friend, he’ll always be

Creative, resourceful and full of energy

His vision was complex, his world without end

I’m truly blessed, to still call him a friend


We’ve joked, we’ve laughed and had a few verbal fights too

But we’ve remained brothers, over thirty years through

His last app to me, 90 year-old Regina Brett wrote,

So I remember him fondly, as from his last message I quote

I am so blessed to have lived enough to have my hair turning grey, 
and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and too many have died before their hair could turn silver.

I like the person I have become.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy clothes. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special
December 27, 2015
December 27, 2015
Professor F. Nii-Yartey – Tribute to a Father, a Brother a Dear Friend – ‘H’ Patten

Nii was a father, a brother, a dear friend,
A strong rock, but a most sensitive and caring example,
Of what a man could and should be.
He touched so many through his artistry,
He knew how to motivate and bring out your best,
Sometimes he had to crush, push and almost break you before,
Moulding, guiding and fixing you,
Assisting you to be whole once again,
An artist much better and greater,
Than you could have ever imagined to be.

Nii was like a chameleon,
Travelling so many countries all over the world,
He adapted and changed, being both friendly and stern,
Humorous and shrewd, he could charm.
But always Nii showed, all the way to his core,
He was a strong Ghanaian man,
A true national treasure!

Nii came to the UK many times,
From the very first time we met back in 1982,
I was told, I was meeting a rare and special man,
As part of the Danse De L’Afrique dance company,
In Birmingham, England we could see,
Nii would change our lives and personally,
Nii said, “Give me one year and I will make you,
The top African male dancer in the UK”,
I gave him six months and with modesty,
I can say I became a top artist.

As a family man, Nii was powerful and gentle,
Not always easy, but open, fair and caring,
He was the pillar that held all together.
A truly wonderful husband, father, brother and son,
Nii balanced the traditional Ga family,
Alongside government ministries,
And his dance families – Ghana Dance Ensemble, Legon;
The National Dance Company; and Noyam
Nii was the channel through which,
Many artists now live all across the globe.

But above all things,
Nii recognised and loved people,
That is why the Almighty has called him home,
So that when it’s our turn and we make that final journey,
Nii will have choreographed the most epic production,
Starring you and me!
Sleep on my beloved brother – Sleep well!




'H' Patten - Artistic Director of Koromanti Arts and 'H' Patten Dance Theatre, Lecturer in Popular Culture and Theology at Canterbury Christ Church University, currently pursuing a PhD in 'Dancehall: a Genealogy of Spiritual Practices in Jamaican Dance'.
December 24, 2015
December 24, 2015
Nii, would you remember the many great projects we did together
Would you remember our trials and tribulations
would you remember our kenkey sessions with sista Grace and bro Amu
would you, would you
would you remember us when you cross the river
But perhaps there is no memory when you cross over
Go into the light bro. You go.
December 24, 2015
December 24, 2015
Owuo yi Owuo yia
Meda a menda oo
Owuo di na apakan ebesi ma efikyire
Owuo yi Owuo yia Meda mendaooo
Ewisia ee gyae su..

Dad, why would you not wait a while for me?
Why would did you not tell me?
You will leave us so suddenly?

You have filled our eyes with bitter tears
Our heads are bowed with woe
Because we mourn
I miss you
Yet i shall not forget your last words to me

You said,
KAFUI I KNOW YOU CAN AND WILL MAKE ME PROUD.

I miss those long talks and the encouragement
And the jollof rice you personally cooked and brought to me at the Legon hospital while I felt sick during a performance.

You gave me the opportunity to become who I am and what i aspire to be.

You became the Father who understood me

Thank you
NA D3 NYUIEE L3 NUTI FAFA M3
YOU SHALL FOREVER ME CHERISH AND MISSED

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