Kwame Ofosu-Asare laid to rest

Hundreds of mourners at the weekend joined the family of the late Kwame Ofosu-Asare to bid him farewell at the Grove Park Cemetery, Marvels Lane, London after a burial service held in his honour.

Kwame, 17, son of a well known Ghanaian Sports Presenter, Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, was stabbed and killed in London on March 2.

About 30 relatives and close friends paid their respects at the Moorlands Estate in Brixton where he was killed before the funeral service.

The coffin was covered with the traditional Ghanaian kente cloth with a single rose laid on top, while the Ghanaian flag and the Union Jack were hoisted to mark the universal nature of the service at Brownhill Road Baptist Church in Hither Green, where Kwame worshipped.

The congregation included his family, school friends, teachers, football coaches, Ghanaian Commissioner to the UK; Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, Lady Janet Boateng; wife of Labour peer Lord Paul Boateng, Lewisham Mayor Sir Steve Bullock and local Member of Parliament, Heidi Alexander.

His mother; Nana Konto, dropped to her knees in grief as she visited the spot where the budding footballer was slain.

She said she was overwhelmed with grief when she heard the news about the death of her beloved son.

“Your passing has not left us (family) in disarray but has left a vacuum, which cannot be filled. In times like these, the best I could do is to go down on my knees and offer a prayer to God, because he knows why such an awful death as this could happen.”

Paying tributes to Kwame, Dr Asare said Kwame was a son, a brother and a friend, stressing: “You were a joy and pride to me as a son. Rest in peace.”

His elder siblings wrote: “Our vision is blurred, the pain so deep, you showed so much respect beyond what the world could expect from a younger brother.

“Throughout your relatively short life of 17 years, you touched so many lives,” His Sister Afua said in a tribute to him.

“It feels like I’m in a deep, long-lasting dream, waiting for you to wake me up to ask whether to wear my jacket or something...” His brother Kofi said.

“He stood with his back to the goal, the ball came to him in the air, he cushioned it with his chest, then before it fell to the ground he pivoted on his left foot, turned and volleyed with his right scoring a goal” says Kwame's Football Coach.

Reverend Michael Kendall, the Pastor of Brownhill Road Baptist Church said: “Over the three years I knew Kwame, he grew into a fine young man.”

Bishop Kwaku Frimpong-Manson of the Reconciliation Church International said: “Knife and gun crime in London has to come to an end. It is destroying our communities.”

Kwame was born on December 24, 1994 in Accra to Nana Adwebi-Konto and Dr Ofosu-Asare. He started schooling at the Achimota and Jack and Jill Primary Schools and later at Rathfern Primary School and Forest Hill School.

Kwame, a sixth-form student who died through multiple stab wounds, was a victim of a spate of knife attacks in Brixton.

The victim who lived in Hither Green, died on the way to the hospital after he was attacked at the Moorlands Estate, Brixton, at about 17:50 GMT.

According to the British Metropolitan Police, Kwame was an innocent person at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He and his friend had gone to a studio in Brixton to record a track. It was his maiden visit to the place.

After the recording, he accompanied his friend who was visiting his relative when they were chased by two young men and stabbed.

Kwame's friend however escaped unhurt.

He was described as a boy with multifaceted talents. He was the kind of person who was well focused and worked very hard. He was ambitious and wanted to achieve many things at a time. The world was his oyster.**