Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan was seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations for exactly ten years, from January 1997 until December 2006. He was born in 1938 in what is now Ghana. Kofi in Akan means Friday, the day on which he was born. Atta means twin: he had a twin sister. And Annan in Fante means fourth-born child.

In 2001, he received the Nobel Peace Prize because of his commitment to the struggle to contain the spread of HIV in Africa and his opposition to international terrorism. Soon afterwards, he was given a chieftaincy title by the Asantehene of Asanteman. The honour was conferred upon him for his “selfless contributions to humanity and promotion of peace throughout the world. He died twelve years after leaving the U.N., in 2018 in Bern, Switzerland.

Incidentally, based on Kofi Anan’s culture’s naming system, my name should be Kofi Mensa since I was born on a Friday and was the third child of my mother. I like that. What’s also interesting to me is how generic is this name – and that of U-Thant – for someone so significant in the world during his life time. It’s kind of Zen like: the most significant people are often those who are most humble.

Note

The stamps on the album pages in this section of my collection of United Nations stamps were issued while Kofi Anan was the Secretary General. There may be some stamps that were issued before and after his departure because that’s how the stamps on the album pages are layed out by Leuchtturm. I don’t want to create my own printed album pages for that overlapping period. As they are now is close enough for me.