The Ashanti Kingdom, one of Akan tribes in Ghana is among the most prominent monarchies in Africa, and the Asantehene (Asante’s ruler), born Nana Barima Kweku Duah, succeeded Otumfuo Opoku Ware II in 1999.

He is said to have successfully carried along sustained efforts by his predecessors in keeping the Kingdom within both national and international repute, and the anniversary celebration lasted several weeks with an iridescent display of African culture and the wealth of Ashanti that sent thousands to Kumasi, the capital.

The gold-rich Ashanti Kingdom was established in the 1670s as an empire, and its present position within the Republic of Ghana, although not a national monarchy, remains one of great influence. The Kingdom is most popular for its military prowess and the role in a slave trade that helped extend the African race to several American and Caribbean lands.

Heads of State and prominent figures connected to the West African Kingdom honoured the celebrations, and among top attractions were the display of royal articles of gold looted by the British during colonial wars.

It is the first time such royal objects, held in British and American museums, had been brought back to Africa, and the over 30 artefacts included a 300-year-old state sword and other objets of both physical and spiritual value. They are on display at the Palace museum, and the Otumfuo said the returned items held the “soul of the Asantes”.

“The spirit is back here and today is a day for Asantes, a day for the black African continent,” he said.

The then Ashanti Empire was a dominant power in West Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the political administration and military organisation that kept it intact continues to receive scholarly interest. They fought the British in fierce, well-documented battles that helped set the tone for Ghana’s independence struggle.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s silver jubilee was climaxed with a grand durbar on Saturday May 11. Gifts and offerings of honour were made to the Ruler, including, a presentation of camels from the Maghreb, land of origin of the Akan peoples.

The Prime Minister of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowly, was special guest of honour at the durbar. Set prominently beside the Otumfuo was the highly sacred “golden stool” - object of supernatural origin that united the people into a kingdom.

The Asantehene until his installation was a senior administrative consultant who owned a mortgage finance firm in London where he had received post-graduate education.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s reign further elevates the Ashanti Kingdom within the modern world dispensation, and he has been active in Ghana’s fight against illegal gold mining which continues to threaten the nation’s environmental sustainability.

Source: Gh Tribune

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