Asanteman history: Otumfuo clashes with Dormaahene?

Asantehene has chastised Dormaahene

Dormaahene made some pronouncements about a distortion in history

Asantehene said it is an honour to be a subject to the Golden Stool

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has taken a swipe at Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, over the latter’s comments about a distortion in history.

The Asantehene at the first Council Meeting in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, did not mince words but stated emphatically that the Asante Kingdom has not forced any of its subjects to serve the Golden Stool but it is a rare privilege and honour for anyone to be considered a subject to the Golden Stool.

He stated that, if others are willing to submit in order to gain the needed development and progress in their respective areas, “I don’t think you have any impact, those who want to be lifted to a dignified status would be accorded that and helped.”

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted, “If you cannot fight for Asanteman, please vacate the seat for those who can. If you cannot sacrifice like our forefathers, then you don’t deserve the seat.

“The reason why the government created the new regions especially, Ahafo and Bono East is to expand development, it doesn’t mean if you are under the Asante Kingdom you have become autonomous, you still serve the Golden Stool (Sikadwa),” he said.

“Bono East too, anybody trying to raise his or her shoulders must be careful, not under my watch. If you claim you are a man, I am also a man, but I love peace. And with Drobohene my uncle lifted you up in 1948.

“If you say today, no one can make the other a subject, who is making the other a servant here. No one has made the neighbour a servant,” he emphasized.

“I want to remind those who have probably forgotten history and speaking out of ignorance, we haven’t forced anyone to serve us, it is even an honour to serve the Golden Stool. Agyeman Badu was a teacher, he swore before me before ascending the throne as the chief of Dormaa,” Otumfuo said, adding, “It was my orchestration when Dormaa Kusi was defeated.”

Background

Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, in a viral Facebook video sighted by GhanaWeb, stated that history has been distorted by the Asante’s to suit their interest.

He said, some chiefs in Ghana talk as if they are greater than the Almighty God but “nobody is greater than God.” Going into history, Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II said, in the year 1640, the then chief of Akwamu, Ansa Sasraku, was going about saying when he dies, none of the twins of his sister can succeed him; this continued for a while till he died and it happened that there was confusion among the citizenry.

Dormaahene said, amid the confusion, the people of Kumawu took over some territories across the country and even extended to Côte d’Ivoire but “when they got to present-day Asante, that territory was under the Denkyirahene. Today they have an appellation as ‘asante kotoko kum apem a apem beba’ [if you kill thousand, thousand will come] but do you know that of the people of Bono, theirs is ‘abono kyen apem’ [Bonos are more than thousand]”

Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II explained, “this means that, when we got to Denkyira, Dormaahene had his territory; so the two were not fighting each other, our brothers from Asante – they were a group of people who had come together – but they broke away from Ntim Gyakari…and decided to fight the people of Dormaa because they were defeated six times…

“…We beheaded their chief and his head is still with the people of Dormaa…it took the people of Dormaa 250 years before they came to settle at Dormaahenkro but no chief was able to defeat the chief of Dormaa, because you don’t read your history you don’t know.

“You have fallen for the history that Okomfo Anokye planted a tree both in Asante and Kumawu and because the tree died that is why the place is called Kumawu; that is a lie. When we talk about Kumasi, it means that they were labourers. When we got to the place known as Asante today, the people of Kumasi were under Denkyira and they were responsible for getting Denkyirahene firewood that is ‘akuma ase’ but today, because of their population, they have changed it. It means ‘akuma ase hene’ and not Kum. If you are a chief and you are brilliant and you know the law, people are afraid of you…,” Dormaahene stressed.