The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has said the throne he occupies puts him miles above partisan politics. He said he would continue to contribute his quota to the peace, unity and growth of the country.
Addressing a durbar during an Akwasidae festival in the United States of America (US) on Wednesday, he said he doesn’t have special preference for any political party in the country, adding that his only interest is to see Ghana become prosperous.
He also promised to continue to act as a father figure for the state as he had done during his two-decade reign on the Golden Stool. He pledged to continue to settle political disputes and protect Ghana’s peace.
“The New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and all the other political parties in Ghana belong to me and that is an undeniable fact that you are all aware of,” he said.
“I have my grandchildren virtually in all the political parties in the country, including the NPP and the NDC and so they are all my people,” Otumfuo added.
According to him, it is the duty of traditional leaders to use wisdom and dialogue to resolve any misunderstanding and tension between political parties to ensure peace. The Asantehene stated that nothing would compel him to relinquish his special role as a peacemaker for Ghana.
Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.
The Ashanti readily heard and understood the phrases produced by these “talking drums”. Standard phrases called for meetings of the chiefs or to arms, warned of danger, and broadcast announcements of the death of important figures. Some drums were used for proverbs and ceremonial presentations. The population history of the Ashanti Kingdom was one of slow centralization. In the early h century the Asantehene used the annual tribute to set up a permanent standing army armed with rifles, which allowed much closer control of the Ashanti Kingdom. The Ashanti Kingdom was one of the most centralised states in sub-Saharan Africa. Osei Tutu and his successors oversaw a policy of political and cultural unification and the union had reached its full extent by 1750. It remained an alliance of several large city-states which acknowledged the sovereignty of the ruler of Kumasi and the Ashanti Kingdom, known as the Asantehene. The Ashanti Kingdom had dense populations, allowing the creation of substantial urban centres .