A new flag for Mfantsipim School, has been unveiled, with a call on current and former students to energize the Mfantsipim enthusiasm for contemporary challenges.
The flag has eight black and red stripes on the left section, to represent the “faithful eight,” the eight students who, according to the history of the school, had no teachers and headmaster, but came together to help train themselves until they had a headmaster.
It also has the school crest with “Mfantsipim” above it, on the right, to highlight the enormous responsibility of fulfilling the dreams, prophecies and aspirations of the founding fathers of Ghana, Africa and Humanity.
The colour black represents the African, while the Red, his blood and sacrifices, with the white borders depicting a new limitless future, opportunities, uncharted destiny for the school and its graduates.
It replaces the first flag which had a red background, the name of the school inscribed with the union jack hidden at an upper corner, designed by an anonymous student and unfurled on June 3, 1910, by John Mensah Sarbah, the Ghanaian nationalist.
The unveiling ceremony, held in the school on Thursday under the theme “Energizing Mfantsipim’s Esprit De Corps for Contemporary Challenges, ” brought together, former headmasters, school board and administration, staff, present and past students, as well as Mfantsipim enthusiasts.
In attendance were members of the energetic cadet corps who displayed splendid parade drills with melodious music from the Regimental Band.
Vice Admiral Matthew Quarshie, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Ghana Armed Forces, in an address, prior to the unveiling, noted that the age- old purpose of carrying a flag was not only to identify a leader, a group or unit to which one is associated or is loyal to, but also its history, future, spirit and the symbol of the unit.
Vice Admiral Quarshie, who is an old boy with the 1970 year group, said that the origin of parading flags dated back to the days of the early man who fixed his symbol on a tree to show his identity.
He noted that Mfantsipim had a unique history and that the spirit of Mfantsipim was not about tribes or political parties, but about people in unity, offering equal opportunities, sharing thoughts, visions and energies to enhance the quality of human life.
He said, for some time past, as part of shaping the characters of Mfantsipim students, they were asked to salute the flag thrice in military fashion when they got to the flag post, with a call to always remember the flag and never tarnish or stain it through dishonour or by any means of dishonorable act .
“Saluting the flag represented pride for their heritage, belief in the ideals of the institution and respect for the authority, and this is the tradition that helped us to build ‘esprit de corps’.” he said.
Vice Admiral Quarshie observed that the country was gradually deviating so much from the old cultural norms that had held its people together for years, and that people had now become so much individualistic , an attitude which was gradually transforming into selfishness, giving vent to greed in all facets of national life.
There was the need for a tightly knit group working well to achieve objectives loyal to each other, he indicated, adding that this had become more relevant in contemporary times than ever before.
He said the principle of esprit de corps implies a high sense of cohesion, team work and loyalty, as the key determinants of success in any endeavour we venture into as a group.
“We need to generate a new and positive energy in ourselves, and direct such energies for the benefit of our group, We need to identify broad objectives and contribution meaningfully to achieve them”
The Chief of Defence Staff said spirit de corps would not come easy and therefore urged all to be innovate and always think outside the box where their desires were lacking and press on regardless of the difficulties.
“I urge you to go forth from here as leaders of this nation with your thoughtfulness and foresight in every human endeavor, in character and thought, energy, initiative and resourcefulness and let the spirit of Mfantsipim elude you.”
The Headmaster of the school, Mr. John Simpson, underscored the importance of hoisting the new flag which he stressed embodied the virtues, heritage and tradition of the school called for the revival of lost values that endeared the School to the world.
He said the story of the “Faithful Eight”, should be imbibed and exploited to push the nation forward, and announced that the School would launch an Annual lecture on its motto “Dwen Hwe Kan”.
He indicated that the lecture would provide a platform for renowned “old boys” to discuss topical national and global issues within the context of Mfantsipim values, as defined by the founding fathers.
Nana Kobina NKetsia the fifth, Omanhen of the Essikado Traditional Area and old boy of the 1969 year group , who presided, described the flag hoisting as a serious activity done to register allegiance and power, and therefore urged old boys to uphold the values of the school.
Certificates of appreciation were presented to Mr. Gilbert Ben Cudjoe, Mr. Ekow Aggrey Mensah, Mr. David Kwantwi Mensah, Mr. Edem Kwame Yankah and Mr. Yaw Kuffour Sabin, the five old boys who jointly designed the new flag.
