Otekokosou – Perhaps you’ve heard this a number of times. Indeed, it’s an accolade for the Asantehene, the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, one that has stayed on from time immemorial. It literally means – ‘He who sits on gold’ and you may wonder why? And although many kings and chiefs in the various ethnic groups use golden jewelry to adorn their clothing among others, the Ashanti Kingdom over time has been known for its rich culture and pageantry. Also because the symbolic seat the Asantehene sits on is called the ‘golden stool’. Although the original golden stool is kept sacred and not sat on by anybody, the Asantehene sits on a gold-plated replica of the golden stool. It is believed the stool is what holds and symbolizes the Ashanti power and authority. One would notice gold on the King’s attire and jewelry any time he steps out in public. It’s either in his crown, or rings, or footwear, even his cloth and we are talking pure gold. Each of them has meaning and each gold jewelry or item is used uniquely depending on the occasion or event. Explaining how this works in a BBC interview on the Ashanti Kingdom titled; The Golden Stool – History of Africa’, a local heritage expert, Osei Bonsu noted that gold is a very significant item in the Ashanti culture. According to him, everything around the king and other chiefs are made of gold – in some cases, are gold-plated. “All the decorations are of gold. They are not just gold; the things that have been coated with gold have been carved in such a way that they also have meanings. They know when to wear them, and which days to wear them. It is not every day that you wear the regalia that you wish to wear. It depends on which situation. When it is celebrating somebody’s death, it’s all black and red with gold,” he said. “When it is celebrating somebody’s death, it is all black and red with gold. When it is about the Akwasidae or a very colourful occasion, that is when everything the king wears is dipped in gold,” he added. WA