ABAKƆSƐM BRƐ: Asante Nation Under OTUMFOƆ OSEI TUTU KWAME ASIBE BONSU "Whale"(7th Occupant of the Golden Stool)

ABAKƆSƐM BRƐ: Asante Nation Under OTUMFOƆ OSEI TUTU KWAME ASIBE BONSU "Whale"

(7th Occupant of the Golden Stool)

Nana Opoku Fofie was succeeded by Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu. It was during his reign that the Asante Nation first clashed with the white man. 

This was in 1805 when war broke out between the Asante Nation and the Coastal States, specially the Fantes.

The cause of this war was the offence committed against Asantehene by two Assin Chiefs, Otibo and Aputae. In a bid to punish them, the chiefs bolted away to Fanteland and ask the Fante Chiefs to protect them.

The Fantes had then not come into open confrontation with the Asante Nation (before). Therefore they decided not to give the Chiefs up, and if war should break up, they would fight the Asante Nation to halt their superiority. 

Mpanimfoɔ se "Sɛ abɔfra se ɔpɛ ade kɔkɔɔ ahu a, yɛte demire ahaban kyerɛ no".

Therefore war broke out!

Soldiers were sent from the Cape Coast Castle to help the Coastal force. Though the battle was fierce, the Asantes defeated the Fantes and the coastal forces state by state. The defeat of the coastal forces earned the Asante Nation the papers of the other forts at the Coast.

This was was commanded by Otumfoɔ Osei Asibe himself. After defeating the Fante forces he swam in the sea at Winneba. It was a battle of anger and a battle to punish them. 

That earned him the name "Bonsu". Bonsu is the Akan word for a whale. Therefore, if Osei Asibe had defeated the forces at the coast and stepped into the sea without a challenger, then he could boast of power on the sea like a whale. 

NB: That is how come we got the name "Bonsu". If you are called Bonsu, that is how your name originated. You are powerful like the whale. 😊

The defeat of the coastal states extended the Asante Empire into the sea. The then governor at Cape Coast, Colonel Torren, recognized the Asante Nation as far as to the sea but the coastal states, especially the Fantes, did not recognized this.

For this reason the Asante Nation under Nana Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu waged two wars on them in 1811 and 1814, to exert their superiority on them. In these wars the people of Akyem and Akwapim went to help the Fantes but again they were defeated by Asante Nation.

A lot of people, especially the 21st Century children may think that Asantes were just a warlike people, using their Superiority to abuse the other states, ...but that was not the case in the olden days.

If you don't understand the real life in the past centuries, especially, when traditional authorities were the one's ruling the Nation, you won't be able to shape your future and understand this modern system.

The objectives of the Asante Nation for waging wars were many. However, the most important among them were;

1. To free themselves from bondage (War with Denkyira)

2. To punish people for wrong doing against the Asante Nation, e.g. the first Asante war with Fantes.

3. Other wars were waged to extend the Asante Nation, e.g. wars with Gyaman and Banda.

4. They waged wars to get slaves to sell. They recognised the fact that before a nation could be strong and famous, she had to be rich. A nation needed ammunition for wars or for defence. 

Again the glory of a nation was sometimes seen from the appearance of their king in public or at festival.

To get enough property for the king, the state should have money, therefore they waged wars to get slaves to sell to enhance the prestige of the Nation.

5. The Asante Nation had one disadvantage which was lack of direct access to the sea. They needed to trade with the Europeans at the coast but they had to sell their wares to middlemen from the coast. 

They therefore waged wars on the coastal states to get direct access to the forts and trade with the white men. 

Their dream was therefore fulfilled when in 1806 they defeated the Fantes, and their king, Otumfuo Osei Asibey, swam in the sea.

6. Another motive for waging wars was to unite all the nations around, especially the Akans, to form a vast kingdom under the Asantehene.

Though they waged many wars with the view of getting a united Akan nation, this could not materialise but instead sowed the seed of disunity, because:

(a) They left the conquered nations on their own without appointing somebody to govern them.

They allowed the ruler of the state to rule his subjects and gave him a friend who was a chief in Kumasi on whom he fell for information and who also led him to Asantehene whenever he wanted audience at the King's palace.

This was known as the Adamfo system. Their main interest was payment of tribute to the Asante Nation for defense.

The proper annexation of the states to the Asante Nation which started during Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu's time, was replaced by later kings. 

All this gave the states the chance to organise themselves and rebel against the Asante Nation.

(b) Secondly, wars were associated with deaths, therefore conquered states lost many of their men. As such, the subjects of such states always blamed Asante Nation for the lost of their dear ones and therefore hated the Asante Nation.

This too prevented them from embracing the unity idea.

(c) Thirdly, some unscrupulous Asante people made it their hobby to cheat people from those new states and this act brought mistrust. They therefore prayed and looked for chances to withdraw from the cheats.

(d) There were other Asante nationals who treated the newcomers with contempt, sometimes regarding them as second class citizens. This also sowed the seed of discontent among the new states.

Therefore the new states always looked for any smaller opportunity, especially when civil war broke out withing the Asante Nation itself, to break away from the kingdom.

Piawwwww

Now that Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu Kwame Asibe Bonsu has hit the tail and nail of "Obroni"

What is going to be his clap back from the white man?

Let's keep the suspense till Wednesday as we continue to unfold the history.

All your questions are welcome.

Goodnight Anuanom 🙏

Piawwwww