On January 19, 2017, Asanteman celebrated the burial ceremony of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, the Asantehemaa, who died on November 15, 2016 at age, 109. She was Asantehemaa for thirty-nine years.
On that day all businesses including stores and shops were closed and curfew was imposed in Kumasi. Someone, on social media, wrote on his page. “Asantehene is so powerful, that with his decree that all stores must close, I went to the Play Store on my phone and it was closed.”
There was orderliness in Kumasi, with no one defying the orders of the Asantehene.
On February 6, 2017, Nana Ama Konadu, daughter of the late Asantehemaa was enthroned the Queenmother of the Asante State. She took the stool name, Nana Konadu Yiadom III. She reigned for only eight years and passed on, on August 7, 2025, aged 98 years.
The same traditions and culture were enacted during her burial ceremony. On Thursday, September 18, 2025Kumasi went quiet again after eight years. While every living soul, not involved with the burial of the queenmother, respected the Asantehene’s orders and obeyed the curfew, one guy thought he was above the royal decree and walked ona quiet street of Kumasi while taking a video shot of himself to be posted online.In the video, he dared the royal executioners to come out and face him. And not only that he used unprintable words to insults the Asantehene and all Asantes.
He was later identified as Mustapha. It came to light that the following day he went to a shop in Alaba, to buy a motorbike. He was identified by his kinsmen, who were not Asantes and was beaten to pulp. He was on social media again, this time pleading for forgiveness. The transformation of his face made a netizen to state, “first a Ghanaian, now a Chinese.”
Another video came out from an Asante man in Kumasi, said to be one of area-sheriffs in town. He calmly assured Mustapha that the Asante guys had not gotten hold of him yet and for all the insults he hurled at the king and the kingdom, they would surely come after him.
Shortly after that a pair of dzimakpla boys who claimed they were in Takoradi, were also on social media, insulting the Asantehene and Asantes for what happened to Mustapha and dared them to come to Takoradi to repeat that “nonsense,” there.
And another, sick-in-the-head young man, came out to claim that Mustapha’s constitutional rights had been violated by the physical attacks on him, for only expressing his opinion.
In order to have gender balance in these irrational attacks on the Otumfuo and Asantes, ayoung Ewe woman, also spewed out some nonsense, believing she was making sense. She was against the treatment meted on Mustapha after he insulted the Otumfuo and Asantes. She went on to dare Asantes to try that on an Ewe.
Before I proceed, I will appeal to her family to caution her, for her behaviour qualifies her to be called dzimakpla, but I do not think her parents did not raise her up well. She may just be the black sheep in a descent family.
Now is this lady saying that if anybody, whether full blooded Ewe or of a different ethnic group comes out to insult an Ewe chief, Ewes would not react?
In 2018, before the NPP National Delegates Conference to elect national officers, Hon Freddy Blay, contesting for national chairman, promised to supply each constituency with a mini van. He only made a promise. But Togbe Afede of the Asogli state, came on air, recommending EOCO to quickly investigate Hon. Blay for possible fraudulent acts.
In granting an interview, in response to Togbe Afede’s statement, the Nkrumaist politician said, everyone has ways of generating money and if he would sweep the streets to make money and Togbe Afede would sell palm wine to make money, why should that generate problems.
Look at it this way. Togbe Afede was suggesting Hon. Blay was stealing from the public purse. And Hon. Blay went on to imply that everyone has means of making money. He, Blay could sweep streets while Togbe could sell palm wine.
The Ewes in Asogli, took offense and came out strongly attacking Hon Blay for branding Togbe Afede, a palm wine drinker, which actually were not his words. They on went to ban the politician from entering the Volta region.
Can this Ewe lady come out to explain why it is not okay to suggest that an Ewe chief sells palm wine but it is okay for some one to use unprintable insulting words on the Asantehene Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, who is king over chiefs?
In the first place, it was not Asantes who beat up Mustapha, it was his own kinsmen from the North who did. Why did they do so? All other ethnic groups residing in Ashanti, especially Kumasi, enjoy living with and among the Asantes. They respect Asantes for what they are and are very willing to die for the Asante course.
In Kumasi, tribalism cannot be found. The Asantes respect other tribes and that shows in the composition of the Kumasi Traditional Council, which is presided over by the Asantehene, himself. On the Council, sit heads of other ethnic groups residing in Kumasi and they have the same voting rights as Asante chiefs.
Not to talk about some suburbs named after the ethnic groups that reside there. For example, we have Anloga in Kumasi and as the story goes, the spot where the visiting TobguiTamaklo first set foot on when he went to pay visit to the Asantehene came to be called Anloga, and in this community, Ewes are dominant.
That Ewe woman should know that Asantes and Ewes had very strong links with exchange of princesses one from the Prempeh royal family and the other from the Tamaklo royal family. There was a well established good relationship, between Asantes and Ewes until politics stepped in.
In October 1957, two powerful Ewe political parties, The Togoland Congress and the Anlo Youth Association joined the Asante-based National Liberation Movement to form the United Party, which became a strong opposition party. Knowing the danger that the UP could pose to his CPP, Nkrumah started using the power of incumbency to split it. Gradually some members of the UP, including Mumuni Bawumia, were enticed with promises of top positions and other goodies and they left to join the CPP.
During the Second Republic, Dr Agama of NAL, then opposition leader, on the floorof Parliament, attacked Prime Minister Busia for tribally favouring only Akans. In response Victor Owusu of the ruling Progress Party reminded him that even though the PP lost in the Volta region, the Prime Minister appointed lots of Ewes into top positions, like CEOs and ambassadors. He went on to expose the fact that once an Ewe took over an office as the head, soon only Ewes got employed there and this he termed, inward-looking. Unfortunately, this word further broke the bond between Asantes and Ewes.
It is rather sad to say that to this day, it is always okay when Asantes are attacked and insulted, but should it be the other way round, then Asantes are blamed for breaking laws. Yes, it is okay for the Asantehene, one of the greatest and most respected monarchs in the world today, to be bastardised and his subjects insulted, but when the perpetrator is disciplined, even by his own kinsmen, Asantes are insulted for this.
I again ask this Ewe lady, what would be her reaction if it was an Asante who is on social media insulting an Ewe chief and Ewes? Asantes are not what people are made to believe they are. If you are not an Asante and you want to know about them, just find out from your tribesmen and women who are residing in Kumasi.
To Mustapha, he should know that he has paid for his reckless behaviour, and for the fact he was punished by his own, should tell him how his tribesmen and women respect Asantes.
To those two Takoradi boys, they should know that they have damaged their future for this unprovoked conduct. To that guy talking about constitutional rights, he should tell Ghanaians which article in the Constitution allows unprovoked insults.
To that Ewe lady who thinks it is okay to insult the Asantehene and Asantes, she should know that her comments are a disgrace to all the right-minded, disciplined and principled Ewes. She should not wait for an Ewe to go about insulting the Asantehene and Asantes and get beaten for that. She should step in Asanteman and say the things she said on social media and go on to insult the Asantehene and Asantes and see how many Ewes would support her.
Why are Asantes always being attacked? All Ghanaians must know that the soul of this republic is Asanteman. It gained independence from the British in 1935, and twenty-two years later the Gold Coast gained its independence. Let us respect Asantes and respect all others.
By Hon. Daniel Dugan
