Chieftaincy Affairs and theway Forward

It really beats my gumption to realise how an uncultured libidinal relationship can powerfully militate against not only the wishes of a people but also, be an obstruction to the development of their area. A sexual relationship that pursues a selfish agenda, and is biased against the interest of the majority of the people, and is inclined to thwart their proud aspiration must be dealt a confrontational knock-out blow without hesitation. An adage goes, "a stump that threatens to harm is uprooted but not sharpened". What else can better explain the wantonly instituted structures to resolving the Kumawuman chieftaincy affairs than concupiscence or lustfulness of power?

For the past century and over, the Ankaase royals by default have been occupying the Kumawuman paramount throne. They first ascended to the throne at a time that the true royals, the Ananangyas and the Odumases, especially the Ananangyas, had run out of men of age to occupy the throne when the reigning chief passed. Nana Yaw Dabo, from whose lineage was later to originate the name Ankaase was allowed to ascend to the throne only as a caretaker. His ascendency to the throne was greatly influenced by the unpropitious marriage of his sister, Okomfo Yaa Mansah, to Nana Osei Yaw Akoto, the then reigning Asantehene. Did Nana Osei Yaw Akoto have any issue with Yaa Mansah? Does the name Konadu ring any bell? Oh Kumawuman citizens, you had better know your history. Yaw Dabo and Yaa Mansah were the immediate bloodline of AYO, a Fulani slave girl purchased from Ejisu market and taken to the Kumawu palace as a slave-maid. Nana Yaw Dabo as though by design of catastrophic fate, became a wicked chief who introduced and implemented what was later to become the systematic elimination of the Ananangya royals through spiritual curses. Yaw Dabo though was removed from the throne; he had paved the wicked path for the subsequent Ankaase royals to follow. It was an ultimate plan designed by the slave to usurp the throne from the master, thus, the Ananangyas and the Odumases for good. It has successfully worked in their favour until today that God Himself has stepped in saying, enough is enough with the Ankaase nonsense.

Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II ascended to the throne after the demise of Barimah Otuo Acheampong in 1973. They were both Ankaase royals. Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II became the most ruinous chief ever to ascend to the throne. He was not only alleged to have spiritually eliminated all those that rose up against him and sought his overthrow but also, he is on record to have squandered any pesewa that came to the Kumawuman traditional area's coffers. During his entire period of thirty four years as a chief, not a single infrastructural development was realised under his watch. Despite his close association with the then President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency J.J. Rawlings, he could achieve nothing for Kumawuman but a lot for his libidos.

The sitting queen was, and is still an accomplice to the calamitous reign of his brother, Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II. She is not only insolent but clueless, callous, and malevolent towards any good intentions for Kumawuman. She is selfishly greedy. She has no plans for Kumawuman but herself. She went to Canada and insulted the people of Kumawuman in front of a group of Kumawuman citizens. Though eyebrows were raised, no word was uttered to counter her insolence let alone a hand rose to slap her across the face. The people that had gathered to render their condolences to her on the death of his brother the chief gave her the benefit of the doubt. The fact that she was mourning her brother's passing explains why nobody dared take a note of her nonsensical attitude and pronouncements.

Within days of the death of her brother, she had lied to some paramount chiefs with probably the Asantehene inclusive that there was nobody of the Barimah Tweneboa Kodua's descent still alive. She had acknowledged that Barimah Tweneboa Kodua and his descent were the true royals but they are extinct, she said. This fabricated lie empowered the Asantehene to issue a stern warning in support of the evil machinations of the queen. The Asantehene said to the queen's entourage that had accompanied her to officially announce the death of Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II to the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and I quote, "I give you forty days to present your replacement paramount chief to me here at my Manhyia Palace. You should all throw your weight behind the queen to assist her install a new chief. You should all support anyone that the queen from her wisdom nominates and installs as the chief. If she chooses anyone and you refuse the person on the grounds of the person not understanding the twi language, I shall drive all of you away if you come to my palace to lodge any complaint. I shall only accept your complaints against her candidate on the grounds of the person being a murderer, a thief, or the person having slept with someone's wife". This was the very moment that the partiality of the Asantehene was established. He did actually ruffle feathers and nerves that day.

The queen had intended to enthrone her own son residing in Canada who understands not a word of Twi as the next paramount chief. The Asantehene's statement above goes to confirm that they had held some discussions in camera to that effect. A day or two after the death of the chief, a concerned Kumawuman citizen had emerged from the woods to fire off an article in which he took stance in support of the other royal families other than the Ankaases. He did not only see the Ankaase royals as destructive but also illegitimate and not far-sighted.

The queen dubiously had arranged with the Krontihene to withdraw hundreds of millions of Cedis from the Kumawu traditional Council's coffers. The fraudulency of the disbursement of the money resulted in a court case. The Krontihene has since accepted that his involvement with the money was a mistake and has duly apologised, but not until he had earned the derisive nickname "Tikenenkenen".

The queen had decided to install a new chief the next day after the burial of Barima Asumadu Sakyi II. She had decided to by-pass the traditional protocol of declaring the seat vacant and inviting interested royals to present their drinks. This evil intent of hers was rebuffed by the Adunahene who tirelessly ensured a court injunction restraining her from any such undertaking was served on her. She had wished to enthrone one Dr. Sarfo, also an Ankaase royal, after sensing that Kumawuman and her own Ankaase relatives would oppose in no small measure the choice of her son.

The Ananangya royal family head, Nana Nti Kwakye, accompanied by his coterie went to the queen. They had sought to plead with her to allow an Ananangya royal to ascend to the throne this time around. They said they have been sidelined for far too long and that this time should be their turn. Guess what? The queen tersely replied, "Look at the type of people standing before me asking to be offered the paramount seat. Are you fit for the seat? If after eating your salted tilapia and "Nkontomire" soup and you have nothing else to do, you come to me asking to be given the paramount seat. Slaves like you, get out of my face". Nana Nti Kwakye was said to be so incensed at the fact that a pot was bold enough to call the kettle you are black. He spontaneously refuted the demeaning slavery tag she had placed on them with an invocation of both Kumawuman and Asantehene's Great Oaths on her. He said it was she, the queen, who is rather the slave.

He was fined a number of sheep and bottles of schnapps for invoking the oaths. He was accused by one of the palace linguists of incapability to invoking the oaths for the fact of not being a sitting chief but an ordinary person or a mere family head. He was compelled to slaughter a sheep. The case was brought to the attention of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. On an appointed day in Manhyia palace, the queen sought to pacify the Anananagyas by saying, "I am sisters with the Ananangyas. We are all brothers and sisters. We are the same family". At the mention of this, Nana Nti Kwakye stood up and slapped her with a second-time invocation of the Asantehene's Great Oath in the presence of Otumfuo saying, "You are not our sister. You are not our family member. You (the Ankaase family) were co-opted into the ruling family and that I stand in the presence of Otumfuo to declare that you are the slave(s)". The queen for over eighteen months since the oath was invoked on her has said nothing about it. She has neither counteracted nor accepted it. The Asantehene being the overseer does not give a hoot about the inviolable sanctity of the oath. Does this lukewarm and biased attitude of his towards the Kumawuman chieftaincy affairs not go to conclude his much hyped libidinal relationship with the queen? What else can explain away this bizarre feet dragging of his? He should take note that, "if you do badly, it will come back to haunt you".

I had intended to publish some explosive revelations but as the lady-authority on Kumawuman history advised, "Do not give all your weapons to your enemies; they will use them on you if you do". Some people in their comments on my articles think I am either related to the Ananangyas or employed by them. I am sorry; you have got it all wrong. I am moved to do what I am doing out of sheer love for the people of Kumawumam. I feel hurt by their suffering hence allowing myself to be used as a vessel of God to achieve His purpose for Kumawuman. I understand they bury in Kumawu alone ten to twelve corpses every month. How many bodies do they bury in the entire Kumawuman in a month? Only God knows. Increase in population cannot be the singular factor for the increase in the number of deaths. I am told many years back, one would not even hear of a single death in Kumawu for months. Why now? People are dying from drinking contaminated water. People are dying from poor personal hygiene partly blameable on unhygienic surroundings made possible by unfeeling traditional leaders. The leaders instead of using the public funds to realise projects like public toilets would rather prefer to embezzle them as it was flagrant under the reign of Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II and the sitting queen.

My personal observation is that Otumfuo has much to gain the longer the case lasts. He can continue with his frivolous libidinal relationship with the queen. She has confided in some people that though the case between the Ananangyas and the Odumases on one hand and Wurukye on the other has been given a hearing, Otumfuo can never pronounce a ruling. Why? He is in a dilemma. A verdict in favour of the Ananangyas will end in the rupture of the free sex he is enjoying from the queen. A ruling in favour of Wurukye upon all the reasons adduced to the contrary will incur the wrath of God and result in uproar by the people. He had been given hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile Kumawuman farmlands for free by Barimah Asumadu Sakyi II to cultivate his cashew crops. He pays nothing in return to Kumawuman. It is alleged the queen was secretly conniving with him to cede miles upon miles of Kumawuman farmlands to Zimbabwean White expatriate farmers without proper consultations with the elders of Kumawuman. How outrageous that is? It is now time to return the favours accorded him by the queen. What else can explain away his foot dragging at such a snail's pace? Let them continue to play God as the consequences to them will be dire in the end.

The disgusting attitude of those playing on the intelligence of the inhabitants of Kumawuman as well as taxing their patience has resulted in casualties. Yaw Sarpong, a royal contestant for the seat has been divorced by his wife of many years for overstaying his welcome in Ghana when he is needed back in the USA. He has also been reprimanded by the queen for allowing people to sprinkle him with powder after presenting his traditional acceptance drinks to the queen. The Asantehene for his indecision is to be blamed for this sad new chapter opened in the life of Yaw Sarpong. Wurukye has also earned the nickname, "Nkokohwede mmienu nk3 ko obi afuo ase"

The Asantehene should come out clean on the ongoing Kumawuman chieftaincy dispute. I cannot understand why at all he chose to give priority to Wurukye's case which though comes second to the queen's. What is his ulterior motive behind that? Why has he allowed the lying Wurukye to fool Kumawuman if it was not in his interest? Until when will he allow the queen to go scot free on the oath so invoked on her? Does he know why the Asantehene's oath was instituted at all? Does he understand the essence of the invocation of the oath? I am afraid not. Does he want to go down in history as the Asantehene who never valued the customs of the oath? I hope so. He had better advise himself sensibly. And it had better be. The queen must be obliged to respond to the oath, period! I yearn to witness the public narration of the various contesting royal families' royalty history.

Don't worry, the sleeping dogs will be allowed to sleep once the dust has settled. Until then, the war rages on unabated. Who will deliver the last straw that breaks the camel's back? God will do, I am very much persuaded. Or, maybe the lady in Maryland who once decided to proceed to Ghana to invoke the Asanteman's oath on Otumfuo himself.

John Fosu