Dr Susan Herlin, 18 years as Tamale's Chief of Friendship

Dr Herlin sitting in state in 1995

ON July 25, 1995, an American scholar of History, Dr Susan J. Herlin was installed as a chief in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.

She was given the title 'Zo-Simli Naa', meaning 'Chief of Friendship'. It was a gesture by the people of Tamale to acknowledge the role she and others played in promoting the sister city relationship that was forged between Tamale and Louisville in the United States (US) in 1979.

By so doing, she became a symbol of this friendship, which has been growing ever since the parties shook hands.

It has been 18 years since this significant ceremony and for Dr Susan, life as a chief has been a humbling and learning experience.

"It has been an important part of my life," she told the Daily Graphic in an interview at her palace.

According to her, at the time the idea was put to her, she felt a bit awkward because she knew very little about how to act in that position.

"As you know there are no chiefs in America," she said jokingly.

However, Dr Herlin has become well-accustomed to her role as Zo-Simli Naa over the years and attributes this to the support of the people around her, including her palace elders and members of the Sister-Cities of Tamale.

She particularly acknowledged the support of the late King of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani, the late Choggu-Naa, the late Gukpe-Naa Abdulai and the late Dakpema Richard Alhassan.

These chiefs, she noted, accepted her into their fold in spite of the fact that her position was already non-existent in Dagbon custom and she was also a foreigner.

At the time of her installation, however, she had no permanent abode in Tamale.

Consequently in 2001, Dr Herlin took up the challenge and championed the construction of a palace at Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale.

The building, an improved version of the traditional architectural round houses, serves not only as her home in Tamale, but also as the office of the Sister Cities of Tamale, the organisation that coordinates the relationship between Tamale and Louisville.

Her room is decorated with various African cultural relics, including paintings and art works.

The idea of being an embodiment of friendship is a tag that Dr Susan fills very comfortable wearing and she has spent the last 18 years promoting friendship between Tamale and Louisville.

But beyond the friendship and aside the pride and royalty that comes with being a chief, the one thing that brings greater joy to Dr Susan is the opportunity she has had to touch the lives of the people of Tamale.

She has worked hand in hand with the Sister-Cities of Tamale and Louisville to implement a number of development initiatives and by so doing have left her footprints in the sand of the savannah.

But beyond the friendship and aside the pride and royalty that comes with being a chief, the one thing that brings greater joy to Dr Susan is the opportunity she has had to touch the lives of the people of Tamale.

Notable among these is a scholarship programme which was instituted in 1999 to support brilliant but needy children in Tamale.

Zo-Simli Naa Palace

Since then, more than 270 students, half of whom are girls, have benefited from this scheme. Many of them enjoyed the scholarship from primary to the tertiary level and are now graduates gainfully employed.

This scheme, Dr Herlin intimated, is very dear to her heart because she gets inner satisfaction each time she thinks of the number of young people that this scheme has helped to provide a good future to.

"When some of our first beneficiaries completed their secondary school education, I was asked what do we do and I said we have to find money to let them continue their education," she said.

"Many of them have become successful college and university graduates holding responsible positions around Ghana,"she stated, with a wan smile.

The Daily Graphic learnt that since the inception of the scholarship programme, an amount of $35,000 has been pumped into this programme each year.

At the moment, the Zo-Simli Naa is working towards expanding this scholarship programme to cover more needy girls and is planning a fundraising event in Louisville to raise $750,000 to support the expanded programme.

Aside the scholarship programme, the flourishing relationship between Tamale and Loiusville has  yielded dividends in many other areas.

Each year, through the sister cities link, a total grant of $35,000 is disbursed to civil society groups in Tamale implementing various development interventions, including girl child empowerment. These grants are funded by the Trull Foundation of Texas.

Through the same sister cities link, the University for Development Studies (UDS) has established a fruitful partnership with the University of Louisville in the area of medical and allied fields.

A similar exchange programme has been forged between the Tamale Islamic Senior High School and the Kentucky Country Day School.

Dr Susan Herlin was born on May 26 1939. She has three children.

Dr Herlin, children and grandchildren

She is currently married to an anthropologist, Prof Wyatt MacGaffey, who recently authored a book on Northern Ghana, entitled: "Chiefs, Priests and Praise Singers - History, Politics and Land Ownership in Northern Ghana.

They met and got married after her enskinment as they were both interested in researching and appreciating the culture, traditions and history of the north.

Prof MacGaffey has also been given a chieftan title - Saba Naa - of a village called Fooshegu.

Dr Herlin first came to Tamale in 1960 as part of a volunteer work with Crossroads Africa, a US organisation, little did she know she would one day become a chief in this northern city.

She said since then she fell in love with the hospitality and warmth of the people of Tamale and has been hoping that the people preserve this unique trait.

(Also published in the Daily Graphic of June 14, 2013, p. 13)