Cape Coast “reddens” as burial rites of the late President Mills begin

The Cape Coast township was on Wednesday flooded with a sea of red and black attires together with head and hand bands and other funeral paraphernalia.

Most people had resorted to funeral attire since the demise of President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday, July 24, and whose price had gone up due to his three-day funeral ceremony that began on Wednesday morning in Accra, to be completed on Friday August, 10.

Aside human beings, electricity poles, entrances to stores, vehicles and even dummies in front of some boutiques and fashion outlets were clad in red with music shops and other stores playing dirges and hymns.

Some people interviewed by the GNA expressed dismay that even though the Central Region is the home Region of the late President, there was nothing much to attest to that, as the main highway leading to the town have nothing to display that the President was from there.

Yaw Atta, a petty trader indicated that he would have wished that some officials stayed behind to organize some activity to enable those in the Region who could not attend the funeral in Accra participate and have a feel of the late President’s funeral.

Mrs Elizabeth Dzane, a teacher was unhappy that the whole town was not decorated in mourning colours, stressing that the departed President should have been accorded that honour by the Region.

Another resident, Mr. Ziggy Ntow, shared the same sentiments and wondered why officials were waiting for tomorrow, Thursday, before a giant Television would be mounted at the Jubilee Park for the public to view the proceedings from Accra, “why not today”, he queried.

However, most offices were virtually empty on Wednesday as workers who did not have TV sets in their offices stayed back home to watch the ceremony, whilst others gathered in banking halls, offices, stores, homes and wherever a television was available, to watch the live telecast.**