While we still mourn the loss of one of Ghana’s greatest assets, I don’t think it will be out of place to make a passionate appeal to the government and the National Theatre Board to name the National Theatre after its son, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe. The award-winning playwright died Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he was being treated for prostate cancer and paralysis. He was laid to rest at the Osu Cemetery in Accra, Friday after a funeral ceremony at the forecourt of the State House. I don’t know how it will be called – either the Efo Kodjo Mawugbe Theatre or Efo Mawugbe Theatre – but I think this will be more than enough to honour a man who dedicated his entire life to the arts and theatre of Ghana. He made a strong case for the development of Ghanaian theatre and casting light on those efforts and his visionary leadership, the government in consultation with the National Theatre Board deemed it fit to appoint him the Director of the National Theatre. Efo until his death had a long-standing association with the National Theatre where he served in different capacities including a Consultant, Playwright and Artistic Director. In 2000, he wrote and directed a sketch on the Education Reform Programme for the Mock Parliament of Kiddafest. In a bid to repackage programmes at the National Theatre, Efo introduced several innovative programmes including the Inter-College Drama Festival of Ghana dubbed Dramadotcom, the Africanised version of the festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Gospel Glory and the legendary Cinderella written in the African vein and dubbed Cinderama. He is also credited for organising and hosting for the very first time, the universally acknowledged International Theatre Day. He always put the National Theatre first in all his dealings. In 2008, former President John Agyekum Kufuor conferred on him, a Grand Medal for his dedicated and meritorious service to mother Ghana. It was also in recognition for his sterling qualities as a playwright, Arts Administrator, Artistic Director and an ace Theatre practitioner who was relentless in helping restore the pride of the arts in Ghana.