Akwasi Afrifa

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Okatakyie Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa (1936 - 1979) was a Ghanaian general and political figure. He was the head of state of Ghana between 1969 and 1970. General Afrifa, together with the former Head of State General Acheamphong and the current Head of State General Akuffo and five other Generals (Utuka, Felli, Boakye, Kotei, Amedume), was executed by firing squad in June 1979 in the heat of the June 4 revolution.

General Afrifa was born in Asante Mampong. He attended the local Presbyterian School and moved on to The Adisadel Secondary School in Cape Coast where he excelled and was ironically presented scholarlistic prizes by Dr. Nkrumah, whom he later overthrew. The title "Okatakyie" was bestowed on Afrifa by the late Asantehene Opoku Ware as a recognition of his bravery in the fight against Nkrumah.

In his time, Okatakyie Afrifa was instrumental in raising funds to rebuild the entire village of Krobo, which is a few miles from Asante Mampong. Krobo was the birthplace of both his parents, Opanin Kwaku Amankwaa and Madam Ayewa. At the time of his untimely political murder, Okatakyie was an elected member of Parliament in the 1979 General Elections for the Mampong constituency. Okatakyie Afrifa had a premonition of his death when in 1976 or thereabouts, he wrote a prophetic letter to the then Head of State General Acheampong advising him to stop corruption and indiscipline in the army otherwise "We will all be lined up and shot".

His reward was a few months in jail and long house arrests and then sure enough, Acheampong and Okatakyie together with Akuffo and others were all lined up and shot by Flt. Lt. Rawlings in 1979. At the time of their execution, Ghanaians were made to understand that they had been punished for overthrowing constitutionally elected Governments of Ghana but, it has now become clear as a result of the National Reconciliation Committee set up by the Kuffour Administration that Okatakyie and the other 9 Army Officers were NOT TRIED legally and thus considered murdered to satisfy junior officers and the other ranks of the Ghana Army who were baying for blood to flow. Ironically enough, Flt. Lt. Rawlings who orchestrated the executions of Afrifa for reasons that he overthrew a constitutionally elected government, himself overthrew a constitutionally elected government about 2 years later.

Okatakyie was married at the time of his execution to Mrs. Christie Afrifa and had about 7 children including those he had before his marriage.

Afrifa once famously said "A coup is like having sex: The first time, you're nervous. After that, it's easy and fun." ^{[citation needed]}