By Samuel Akumatey
Ho, Oct. 31, GNA – It was a long weekend of fond memories as several thousands of surviving past students of the Mawuli SHS, one of Ghana’s elite high schools, descended on Ho, the Volta regional capital for the 2024 homecoming.
It was the 67th Congress and Homecoming of the Old Mawuli Students Union (OMSU), and many drove from parts of the country to the Region, causing traffic to soar while businesses including famed tourist attractions got heavy patronage.
Annual homecoming events remain the most popular tradition for high school leavers, keeping undying memories alive and serving as a physical roll call for past students.
Bonds are mended and strengthened amidst extensive networking on a professional scale.
Four-year groups; 1992, 1994, 2004, and 2014, played host this year, and as a tradition, old students spent the time on, and off campus dressed in uniforms and house wears as they channel past school lives.
Many were coming back for the first time after decades of leaving school, and nostalgia was thick in the air.
Mates that passed away were not left out of the conversations; their various places within the glorious school tales were reserved and memories honoured.
The amount of effort invested in organising these events remained significant, and hotel accommodation was in top demand and never enough, while pubs and nightclubs recorded massive overflows.
Greg, a member of the 2004-year group and who owns a pub, told the Ghana News Agency of what he called the spiritual essence of the gatherings.
“Family is spiritualism. We begin in spirit, and we have been keeping each other together even after school in spirit. And we cannot wait to bind with each other, have fun and impact other people’s lives, especially the students because once upon a time we were students as well,” he said.
A candlelight procession, Friday night, marked the beginning of the three-day event, and the rains could not dampen spirits at the borborbor music night that followed.
Mawuli School will be 75 next year, and the anniversary celebration was launched on Saturday.
There was an inter-house cooking competition, and a health screening event for non- communicable diseases in collaboration with the Executive Prostate Center.
Church service on Sunday, and the famous all white ceremony were all overwhelmed with attendance, and Mr. Richard Nyarko, the OMSU President, spoke to the GNA of the union’s present outlook.
“OMSU is going through that period of revival and renewal,” he stated while acknowledging investments in publicity for the event and which boosted patronage.
Sharing some highlights on memories made, the President said, “some year groups came back in their school uniforms; the 2006-year group, all the girls sewed their school uniforms and wore them to the congress.
“People went back to visit their old houses, people went back to visit iconic places of the school, and it was fun. Everyone who came had a fun time connecting with old students and connecting back with the school, so it was great.”
Mr. Nyarko spoke also of the impact on the local economy.
“I know the economy would have been impacted because there were a lot of people in town, and what we did was we brought in local food joints to our food bazaar. So, they got the opportunity to sell to students and visitors and we had an impact on the local economy.”
The President expressed high expectation for the anniversary celebration next year, and said the hospitality industry should prepare for the invasion.
“We are expecting people from all over the world, and we believe that all the facilities in Ho would be booked, and people would be looking for more, and so we would be needing a lot of preparations.
“We are going to shut down the whole town next year,” he said.
For the celebration this year, OMSU handed over an expanded school clinic, which has been stocked with beds and critical equipment to facilitate admissions and advanced care.
The Union also handed over a project that linked all facilities on the campus to water supply.
Collaborating with OMSU North America, 300,000 cedis worth of furniture was donated to the school, while the 2000-year group donated and installed 100 streetlights.
“So, we did not just come to fill the clubs. We came to help the school,” Mr. Nyarko heartily remarked.
Mawuli School’s 75th Anniversary celebrations would be held from October 20 to the 26, 2025, and a four unit-two-bedroom apartment for staff is presently under construction as the legacy project.
GNA