Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana greets the Asantehene

The 25th anniversary of the ascension of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to the Golden Stool as the Asantehene, has taken off smoothly with a plethora of events.

It started with the success­ful commemoration of the 150th Sagrenti war with a durbar of chiefs who witnessed the presentation of regalia to the Asantehene by the University of California, of the first batch of seven objects looted in the third Anglo-Asante War of 1874.

It was dubbed the ‘Kuntunkuni’ durbar, as all and sundry wore black, to mark the commemoration of the 150 years of the Sagrenti War.

The seven returning objects go back to the period before As­antehene Kofi Karkari in the 1840s and include an ornamental chair of wood, brass, leather and iron, 10 large beads worn as bracelet or anklet; strand of seed or bug-shaped beads; gold of an elephant hair, glass and silver; a royal stool orna­ment; a royal necklace and a royal stool ornament.

At the Dwaberem of Manhyia Palace, the atmosphere was charged with the beating of Fontomfrom and other cultural drums and displays and the arrivals of Paramount Chiefs carried in palanquins.

Again, there has been the com­missioning of a multi-purpose audi­torium constructed by the King at the Manhyia Palace in March.

A non-denominational thanksgiv­ing service was also held to cele­brate the anniversary at Dwabrem where the Otumfuo praised religious bodies stressing that their spiritual guidance has been the source of his successful 25-year reign on the Golden Stool.

A commemorative postage stamp of the Asantehene was also un­veiled by Ghana Post at a cere­mony attended by the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

The Mamponghene, Dasebre Osei Bonsu, thanked Ghana Post for the honour and announced that the Manhyia Palace Museum, under the auspices of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has also been re-opened to the public.

Also on display are seven sec­tions of sheet-gold ornament, one silver spoon, one pair of silver an­klets and one section of sheet-gold ornament.

Speaking at the homecoming of the looted artefacts, Otumfuo Osei Tutu indicated that the return of the items was a restoration of the Asante spirit.

“The items that came back are virtually the soul of the people of Asante. Not all of them have re­turned.

But, what we have here embod­ies the soul of Asante. Today is a day for Asantes and for the Black African continent. The spirit that we bore and share is back with us,” he said.

The celebration also witnessed a grand event of Asanteman queen mother’s day that highlighted the rich culinary heritage of the Asante Kingdom.

The event, graced by esteemed guests including the Asantehene, the Asantehemaa, Nana Konadu Yiadom III, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, Frema Osei Opare, among others, witnessed a blend of tradi­tion, culture, and gastronomy.

On April 26, 1999, the Asante­hene was enstooled as the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool.

The event would be climaxed tomorrow with a grand durbar of chiefs and people at the Dwabrem of the Manhyia Palace.

From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi

• Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana greets the Asantehene.