Historic! Solemn! Remarkable! all at once and it would nearly drive one to tears, except to recall the parting words of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘Morte D’Arthur’ where Sir Bedivere laments: ‘Ah, my Lord Arthur, whither shall I go … for now I see the true old times are dead… and I, the last, go forth companionless…
Among new men, strange faces, other minds…. King Arthur (responds) “The old order changeth, yielding place to new, and God fulfils Himself in many ways, lest one good custom should corrupt the world. Comfort thyself; what comfort is in me … pray for my soul. For what are men better than sheep or goats… If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer both to themselves and those who call them friend”.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, like Otumfuo Osei Tutu I, builder of the Asante nation (1701) has not allowed any opportunity to pass without doing an act that would instill the Asante spirit in his people. Thus, making all Asantes proud, and making us love our King! Well, is it said that “aboa biara repe kese aye a, osua osono” (any animal which desires to be fat mimics the elephant). And “elephantine” is synonymous with “fat”.
The Silver Jubilee Planning Committee, chaired by Daasebre Otuo Siriboe II, Juabenhene, had planned a 3-day programme to crown three major activities, the 150 years of the Sagrenti (Sir Garnet Wolseley) War of 1874 leading to the signing of the harsh Treaty of Fomena; the Silver (50 years) Jubilee of the Coronation of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the return to Kumasi of Prempeh I from his exile in Seychelles, a remote Island in the Indian Ocean.
The theatrical performance (by the Theatre Group of the Centre for National Culture, Kumasi) was an apt rehash of what really happened in the funereal period of 1896 and the propitious one of 1924.
The scenes confirmed stories our parents told us that the Asante had always challenged the authority of the “white” man to rule us; that we Asante had always fought off the British and that it was the wisdom of Prempeh I to go into exile that curtailed the anticipating pogrom that the British had intended to visit Asante with.
Prempeh I had to swallow his pride and balance his dignity against that of saving his nation, Asante, as was being urged by some of the chiefs. Upon deep thought, he sacrificed his ego to go into exile, first to Sierra Leone, before being whisked to Seychelles (with his mother, father and some notable chiefs).
As history would have it, Ejisuhemaa Yaa Asantewaa who challenged the Governor for seeking the Golden Stool and despised the men and waged the Yaa Asantewaa War of 1900 also succumbed and was arrested and sent to Seychelles.
The British sought to diminish the influence of the Asante Kingdom believing that by removing our King, they could break our unity.
One would ask, why were the king and other royals exiled in the first place? What authority did the British have to suppress the might of Asante? Did anyone in Asante have an idea where their King was being taken to? How was their King going to be treated? Where was the yell “Asante Kotoko …. Oyaa …Oyaaei… Yenim Ko ooo, yennim dwane oo…Ayee”. Where was the dictum: “Kum apem a, apem beba.”
But, as history has shown, the British miscalculated. Asante unity deepened; our culture grew by leaps and bounds, and the spirit of the Asante people became unshakable. The welcome message penned by Nana Otuo Siriboe says it all.
In the Seychelles, Prempeh I (at age 26) seized the opportunity to coach himself in English and history leading to his authorship of “The History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself and Other Writings”.
He got baptized into the Anglican Church. On his return to the Gold Coast, and to Kumasi, the British authorities declared him Kumasihene (no longer Asantehene) until 1935 when his glory as Asantehene was restored – Prempeh I’s dignity came back; he had saved himself, protected his people and the Asante nation, by the simple wise decision of allowing himself to be exiled to the Seychelles.
On Friday 22nd November, 2024 the programme continued with a symposium at the Jubilee Hall, Manhyia Palace with speeches delivered by Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, Prof. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, the “powerful” speaker from the KNUST, Dr Prenda Choppa, Director of Creole Language and Culture Research Institute, University of Seychelles and Edmond Monkala N’ Gouermoof UNESCO. The moderator was Eugenia Anderson of KNUST.
On Saturday, there was a picturesque durbar of chiefs, well-attended by the Amanhene of Asante, the delegation from Seychelles led by the His Excellency President Wavel Ramkalawan as well as the delegation from Eswatini in Southern Africa, led by the Prime Minister Russell Dlamini.
The dressing of the Eswatini was very much like that of the Asante except that their cloth called “Emahiya“ was lighter compared with our heavy kente and it was worn to the left not right. Sunday dawned and it was a day of special thanksgiving to mark the centenary return of Otumfuo Agyemang Prempeh I to Asante.
The venue, as usual, was St Cyprian’s Anglican Church. All the priests who mattered in Anglicanism were there. Of course, we could hardly miss our brother, Most Rev. Prof Daniel Yinkah, Archbishop Emeritus, CPWA. IPG and retired Anglican Bishop of Kumasi.
So was most Rev. Dr Cyril Ben Smith, Primate, CPWA, Archbishop IpG; Anglican Bishop of Asante Mampong; Rt. Rev. Oscar Christian Amoah, Anglican Bishop of Kumasi; Most Rev. Dr. Justice Offei Akrofi, Retired Archbishop CPWA and Anglican Bishop of Accra; Rt. Rev. Dr George Dawson-Ahmoah, Bishop of Nkoranza. On the altar were the Chancellor Lawyer Canon Kwame Asiedu-Basoah and the Registrar His Lordship Francis Koffie, a Justice of the Court of Appeal
The service was attended by many dignitaries. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II wore an immaculately white cloth. His address was delivered by Nana Otuo Siriboe, Juabenhene, The President, Nana Akufo-Addo was around for a jiffy and departed. Evergreen (as Nana Otuo Siriboe calls her) Naana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings spent the whole time of service with us.
The sermon was delivered by the President of Seychelles, who doubles as a Reverend Minister of the Anglican Church. The sermon was centred on the bond between Ghana and the Seychelles politically and culturally. It was Prempeh I who had made it possible to have that link.
The day was crowned with a lunch with the King at Manhyia Palace and it was culture at its best, and a day to remember.
One could not help heaping praises on the Planning Committee, chaired by the Juabenhene Nana Otuo Siriboe II. The committee did a yeoman’s job with James Osman Adjei in the background remembering to put every detail in place. It was Nana Osei Tutu II nkwa so … daa. We could hardly forget the passing of Dr. Albert Prempeh (Kwasi as he is affectionately called).
He should have been around to see the honour bestowed on his grandfather, Prempeh I. That notwithstanding, we the in-laws were around to savour all the goodies and the song that kept resonating in our ear was “Rejoice the Lord is King Your Lord and King adore, Mortals give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore; lift up your heart lift up your voice, Rejoice, again I say, rejoice”.
