Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2018 shows the Memory Table created for the condolence book in honor of late former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC) in Accra, capital of Ghana. Annan died on Aug. 18 in Switzerland, at the age of 80. (Xinhua/Francis Kokoroko)
ACCRA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaians from all walks of life trooped to the Accra International Conference Center to pay their last respect to the late former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The traditional flutes played in the background while the military band in and a church choir in attendance played solemn funeral tunes to depict the moment of grief and mourning that has engulfed the nation.
"The mood is rather somber. We are very sad that a global icon like Kofi Annan has to go. There are some people who live life and you wish they will live forever. He represents peace, he represents humility," said Patience Folley from the communications department of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Ghana.
"He was such a great icon. He represented Ghana well out there and Africa at large and we are here to commiserate with the family and the rest of the nation," she stated.
The entrance of the conference center is flanked by enlarged portraits of the late UN Chief while traditional drummers played traditional music from typical Ghanaian funeral genre.
Cynthia Prah, National Information Officer of UN Systems in Ghana, eulogized the man who also won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to build peace globally.
"We have received quite a lot of outpouring messages, condolences since the demise of Kofi Annan. And one thing that runs through all the messages that we have received is that the name Kofi Annan is synonymous with peace. He was a peacemaker," she stressed.
The black and red traditional colors of mourning in Ghana were visible all around the conference center while the foyer itself had similar colors laced with the red, yellow and green colors of Ghana with the black star in the middle.
In the background were large portraits of the late Nobel peace laureate waving, as if saying good bye to the world.
David Tettevi, a Ghanaian working with the World Bank, described the late international statesman as a very humble, and humane personality.
Tettevi said he wished Ghana had celebrated him enough when he was alive, urging Africans to uphold peace around the continent in honor of Annan who is revered globally for his stance for peace.
The state funeral service is scheduled to take place in the main hall of the Accra International Conference Center on Thursday before his burial at the new Military Cemetery in Burma Camp.
