About 16 months ago, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur lost her husband, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. The death of the former Vice President, saw his family receive much sympathy from many in the political and public circles. Much of this sympathy was described as hypocritical and dishonest in a tribute by the widow, that was widely discussed, following the funeral.
In an interview with David Ampofo, on Time With David Mrs. Amissah-Arthur is taken back to the moment she quizzed, “Is this Ghana?”, at her husband’s funeral. She explained that she veered off the initial tribute and was “led by the spirit” to deliver the message she gave. During the discussion, the veteran Broadcaster asked Mrs. Amissah-Arthur about the nature of the relationship she had with her husband and sought details of his final moments. She disclosed that they were married for 40 years and 5months and enjoyed a very close relationship. Speaking about the fateful day Mr. Amissah-Arthur passed on, the widow recalled arriving at the gym in the early hours of the morning and finishing their workout, before he passed out and was resuscitated, prior to finally giving up the ghost.
Chatting with David Ampofo, Mrs. Amissah Arthur opens up about dealing with the grief and authoring a book from her experiences. In the book titled “Strength in the storm”, she discusses the silent culture around death and the subconscious victimization of the bereaved.
Characterising her husband, she describes him as a technocrat who was always a part of the National Democratic Congress. She recounted the early days when their flat at Legon, was a hub for party big guns like J..J. Rawlings and Kojo Tsikata.
Commenting on the conduct of politics in Ghana she states that “Hypocrisy and Dishonesty will not take this country anywhere”.