16.12.2018
The party had been going on long last night – I only noticed peripherally when I turned the TV off. But I slept well and went down for breakfast at 08:00. The restaurant was busy and the line up at the buffet long. They did have enough food – tuna sandwich buns, some sort of pastries, boiled eggs, omelette … The longest I had to wait was to get tea – there was only one boy preparing tea, nescafe and milo.
At the table I did not even dare ask the others how the night was – I could already see the sour faces of Natasha and Oliver. Better ignore them … They complained already enough because of the breakfast – no butter – only 2 eggs per person – no omelette plus boiled egg! It is either or! … How many eggs did they want to eat anyway?
We would stay another night in this hotel and therefore did not have to pack and check out today. 09:00 was departure for our day tour. Our first stop was the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum at the National Cultural Center. It only opened at 10:00, though, on a Sunday and so we went to stroll around the market first.
The Kumasi Central Market – also known as Kejetia Market – is an open-air market in the city. The Kejetia market is apparently with over 45,000 stores and stalls the largest single market in West Africa. But it seemed the actual market building was under construction and it being Sunday, maybe there were not that many sellers around. We did walk to every corner. They sold really everything you could imagine – we did not find the food sections, however.
I did buy a big bag for my souvenir table I bought in Ouidah. It is after all too big for my backpack. And I found a very cool number padlock. I am sure I can use it for another geocache box …
Reaching the National Cultural Center gain, we picked up Natasha and Rock at the gate – it was too hot for her again and she had scored a chair from the guard at the gate. The museum was open as well when we arrived the second time.
Situated within the National Cultural Center, the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum showcases the history of the Ashanti Kingdom, one of the most powerful and wealthiest kingdoms on the continent during its reign in the 18th century. The small museum displays a collection of artifacts and memorabilia of Ashanti people and royalty. The notable items it encompasses include Ashanti King Prempeh II’s war attire and ceremonial dresses, palace furnishings, jewelry and royal insignia. There is also the replica of the Golden Stool, the literal seat of power of the Ashanti Kingdom and an item that influenced the final war between the British Imperial government and the Ashanti Empire. Also, there is a display of a 300 year-old leather treasure bag, which was once given to the king by a fetish priest, though no one is aware of what it contains, as some people says that opening the bag would cause the Ashanti Nation to fall.
There was a lady guiding us through the small museum. She was very good and explained very well in English. The museum was small and I just sat in the center on the stair and listened from there.
In front of the museum there stood a Calabash Tree – I had never seen one before – at least not consciously. The Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) is a flowering tree that is native to Central and South America, West Indies and southern Florida. It is cultivated in many countries with tropical climate, however. The fruit is used to make small vessels for serving or drinking. In Western and Southern Africa it is also used for decoration and musical instruments.
Next we drove across town to the Manhyia Palace Museum. The palace was built by the British in 1925 to receive Prempeh I when he returned from a quarter of a century of exile in the Seychelles to resume residence in Kumasi. It was used by the Ashanti kings until 1974 – the current King lives in a modern compound behind the museum.
The Museum was officially opened in 1995 by Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, the 15th King of Ashanti, as part of the activities marking the Silver Jubilee of his accession to Asikadwa – the Gold Stool. The Museum is a two-storey building with open verandas as a yard. A small outhouse was added in 1995 for use as the Museum Shop.
No photos were allowed inside. We got around watching the introductory video as well – the “cinemas” was occupied by local ladies in traditional attire waiting to attend the Akwasidae Festival later on.
The local guide was very good and explained very well in English. I did follow along the entire time for once. It was indeed a nice museum, well maintained and air-conditioned. The ground floor contained an old office desk and old telephone at the entrance. Entering the main sitting room was an old television known as Ashantiland’s first TV – and according to our guide still working! – and an old ceiling fan which still worked as well. There was a dining room with dining table and chairs, where the royal family used to eat. And the old refrigerator from the 1920’s in the corner was as well still working – the guide opened the door and showed us the ice encrusted inside as prove.
2 kings lived in the palace – Otumfuo Prempeh I and Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II – the 13th and 14th Kings of the Ashanti Nation. On the 2nd floor of the museum were life-size wax figures of the 2 kings and their mothers and of the most prominent queen mother, Yaa Asantewaa, who led the 1900 revolt against the British during the time Otumfuo Prempeh I was exiled in Seychelles. Yaa Asantewaa was captured, exiled and later died in the Seychelles.
Of course the story of the “Golden Stool” of the Ashanti Kingdom was explained in detail. The throne is regarded as a supernatural element and supreme authority.
Our main objective today, however, was the visit at the Akwasidae Festival which is celebrated by the Ashanti people and chiefs on a Sunday once every 6 weeks. The Akwasidae Festival is next only in importance to the National Day celebrations.
Akwasidae is when the traditional rulers or chiefs of the Akan people throughout Ghana and especially Ashantis perform rites for the invocation of the ancestral spirits and to meet their people in Public Assembly to greet them and to receive their homage.
The Akan annual calendar is divided into 9 parts, each lasting approximately 6 weeks but varying between 40-42 days in a period – the celebration of this period is called the Adae Festival. The Adae Festival has 2 celebration days – the Akwasidae Festival is celebrated on the final Sunday of the period, while the Awukudae Festival is celebrated on a Wednesday within the period. The Friday preceding 10 days to the Akwasidae is called the Fofie – meaning a ritual Friday.
As the festival is always held on Sundays – in Twi language Kwasidae – its recurrence could be after 40 or 42 days in accordance with the official Calendar of Ashanti. During the last Akwasidae of the year which coincides with the Adae Kese Festival, special attention is given to make food offerings and donations for helping people. The festivals of Adae are not interchangeable as they were fixed from ancient times. We were lucky enough that today was the last Akwasidae of 2018 – a big affair.
We walked around the palace grounds to the other side, where already many chairs and canopies were set up. Nobody knew when exactly the king would make his appearance, but usually it happened between 11:30 and 13:00, they said. Not much was going on when we got there, so we first found seats in the shade under a tree together with other foreigners. It was not very obvious where anything was going to happen, either. The square was big and there was not really a stage or so noticeable. So we just waited … and watched people trickle in taking their seats.
In the morning of the Akwasidae the Asantehene – the King of the Ashanti – would visit the stool house and ancestral shrines near the palace to pray for prosperity. During these early hours of the day about 20 sheep would be slaughtered to mark the symbolic significance of the occasion. The King would then sit in state to receive guests, the Amanhene – paramount chiefs – and other divisional chiefs together with important personalities who had come to the capital to pay their homage. He would offer them drinks as custom demands and then would later disperse for the afternoon’s durbar – the kings’ noble court where he holds all discussions regarding the state. Maybe today, they lost time during this morning get-together …
Oliver and me went to check out the surroundings. A canopy for drummers was set up and under a tree women were getting ready to sing. There were some snack stalls as well. I was totally fascinated by a woman who was grilling little round beef sausages. She was just preparing a portion for a lady – she cut the sausages and it looked like innards. It smelled delicious and she put spicy chili powder on top as well. I will have to try it later!
A little further away from the festival and palace grounds behind a parking lot, I found the bar. It is always good to know, where the cold beer is. And I always find the watering hole. Here was a well stocked beer garden. But since we did not know when the King was coming, we did not want to sit there and I sure would not walk to the festival grounds with a beer in hand. So this was postponed. But I did buy some schnapps in little plastic portion bags to take home as souvenir.
We went back to our seats and finally around 12:45 something started to happen. The drummers got to it and also the women were singing now. Slowly the chiefs arrived with their entourages. All were wearing their colourful traditional costumes.
Their culture and their ancient heritage influence the folk clothing very much. The designs, fabrics, and patterns are not random. They are used for centuries and carry the old knowledge and tradition. At the same time, the national outfit of Ghana looks so bright and festive that it brightens the mood of everyone around.
Kente cloth is a traditional garment of Ghana. It is a hand-woven piece of fabric with very colorful and symbolic patterns. This outfit is mostly worn for special occasions, ceremonies and celebrations. The garment is very important for Ghanaian culture. First kente appeared about 400 years ago. It was woven from raffia palm fibers and the tissue structure looked like a basket. At first, kente cloth was used only by royalty but later it became an item for ordinary people. Nowadays, kente cloth is made from cotton, and this clothing fits African climate perfectly.
Kente is a unisex outfit, but men and women drape it in a different way. Men use it as an ancient Greek toga – across one shoulder and around the body. Women wear a two-piece kente – one forms a wrap-around skirt and another one is used as a shawl. A plain-colored blouse is sometimes worn to complete the attire.
The most important feature of a kente cloth is its pattern. There are more than 300 various patterns, and each and every one of them has its name and a unique deeply symbolic meaning. Each pattern has a background – social or political events, achievements of a certain person, wise sayings and so on.
Oliver and I left our seats to get closer to the action and played press photographer. There were a couple more foreigners with big cameras and the security personnel did not bother us when we were weaving in and out of the steady stream of people arriving. There were also men in warrior attire decked out with traditional weapons, chains and animal skins.
In between I went over to the parking lot and got a couple of those salty eggs for Natasha. We had seen a woman walking around selling those and Natasha wanted one, but we could not get the sellers attention. When I saw her stall, I got the eggs and brought them to Natasha. I am a good person. She was thankful enough. It was very hot today. I already had pulled my sun hat out, because the sun was scorching.
The women were also wearing interesting headdresses. Some of the hats were similar to the one I bought in Lomé market a few days ago.
In no time I was however back in the midst of the action. The chiefs all had a valet holding an umbrella for them against the sun. They were all happy enough to have their photo taken.
The colours of their traditional costumes were beautiful and apparently they do have special meanings as well. So stands red for blood and strong political and spiritual feelings. Yellow in all its variations is associated with the yoke of the egg, ripe and edible fruits and vegetables and also with the mineral gold. It symbolizes sanctity, preciousness, royalty, wealth, spirituality, vitality and fertility. Pink is associated with the female essence of life. It is viewed as red rendered mild and gentle and therefore associated with tenderness, calmness, pleasantness and sweetness.
Blue symbolizes spiritual sanctity, good fortune, peacefulness, harmony and love related ideas. Green is the color of vegetation, planting, harvesting and herbal medicine. It symbolizes growth, vitality, fertility, prosperity, fruitfulness, abundant health and spiritual rejuvenation.
Maroon has a close resemblance to red-brown which is the color of Mother Earth. Red-brown is usually obtained from clay and is therefore stands for healing and the power to repel malevolent spirits. Purple is viewed in the same way as maroon. It is also associated with feminine aspects of life. Purple cloths are mostly worn by females. White derives its symbolism from the white part of the egg and from white clay used in spiritual purification, healing, sanctification rites and festive occasions. In some situations it symbolizes contact with ancestral spirits, deities and other unknown spiritual entities such as ghosts. It is used in combination with black, green or yellow to express notion, spirituality, vitality and balance.
Grey derives its symbolism from ash which is used for healing and spiritual cleansing rituals to re-create spiritual balance when spiritual blemish has occurred.Silver is associated with the moon and symbolizes serenity, purity and joy. Silver ornaments are usually worn by women and are used in the context of spiritual purification, naming ceremonies, marriage ceremonies and other community festivals.
All of a sudden – around 14:00 – things began to move quickly – several black SUV arrived in the middle of the square, security personnel surrounded them. Everybody – well, at least all foreigners – though that the King was arriving. Later we learnt, it was not him.
First an elegant lady emerged from one SUV – it was Samira Bawumia, the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, who graced the last Akwasidae Festival of the year. She is married to the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia. Mrs. Bawumia was recently made an Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and joined former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Academy Award-winning actor Julia Roberts, and Grammy-nominated musician Rocky Dawuni to work with the Alliance and its partners to raise awareness of household air pollution and encourage broader adoption of clean cooking solutions in developing countries in a bid to create cleaner environments and eradicate deaths caused by pollution from the burning of solid fuels for cooking.
The Second Lady was accompanied by other elegant ladies, her entourage, and all got seated on a stand under a canopy. We followed the crowd around her like proper press photographers … but only noticed the man who had emerged from s second SUV, when he got seated next to the lady.
No, he was not her husband. It was Togbe Sri III, the Awomefia of Anlo State, who visited the Manhyia Palace with 60 chiefs and 49 queen mothers. The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approx 6 mio people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana. The elected king – the Awoamefia – holds a position of divinity living in seclusion, only dealing with the 3 senior chiefs in charge of the geographical regions. He is assisted by 2 councils in the appeals decisions and general matters.
Torgbui Sri III honoured Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s – the King of the Ashanti – invitation to be the Special Guest of Honour at the final Akwasidae for the year 2018 held at Manhyia Palace today.
The grounds were now covered by a sea of people clad in traditional costumes, some tourists and many chiefs resplendent in their colourful kente. There were also the Regional Minister, the Mayor of Kumasi and the Minister of Agriculture present. The place went agog with traditional Ewe music and dance. The higher the voices of the Ashanti traditional kete and adowa singers, the higher the pitch of the Anlo singers. The greater the energy exerted by the Ashanti dancers, the more vim the Ewe dancers displayed.
I could not really say who was what. But apparently, the Ewes and Ashanti can be told apart – the difference is in the wearing of the kente. The Ewes are wearing underclothes – call them shirts or jumpers. All their chiefs carried beautiful sceptres.
It seemed the Ewes where sitting to the left of the stands and the Ashanti on the right. The Ashantis have to show their broad chests. The feet of their highest chiefs are not allowed to touch the ground, so they had little footstools to use. There costumes were however equally magnificent and colourful.
There was little security and we could get really close to take photos. But after a few minutes we all got shooed away. Now, it seemed all the main chiefs arrived in a procession – I think, there were first the Ewes followed by the Ashantis.
They marched in with their entourages and then got seated along the first row of chairs around the square. Only the highest chief had seats under the canopies next to the stand of the king.
Eventually, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II – King of the Ashanti – arrived on the grounds in a palanquins, bedecked with gold ornaments and jewelry. We almost missed him at first, the procession in front of us got thicker and thicker and all of a sudden – there he was! He had been lifted on his palanquins steps away from us.
Tradition at its best! A long retinue of subjects, palace servers and an entourage of subordinate chiefs followed him around the grounds. I stood very close and had a good view. The crowd cheered on and the king greeted everybody.
He got carried in a circle around the square. Somebody handed him an old weapon and the crowd and especially the warriors cheered even more, when he presented it. And now I did see the difference in the costumes! – Otumfuo Osei Tutu II – King of the Asante – had a blue kente and no shirt underneath.
While Togbe Sri III – the Awomefia of Anlo State of the Ewe – wore a yellow-orange kente with a white shirt underneath.
In the center of the square was some sort of audience area set up. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II sat under a canopy on a stand surrounded by the main chiefs and elders and held court. Slowly every chief was stepping in front of the king to attend and pay respect. That took a long time – there were many many chiefs and elders … Some even held a short speech to the king.
Actually, we were supposed to leave at 13:30 … but today’s happenings were delayed and when Vero arrived around 15:30 we were still in the midst of taking photos. I guess, I stick out of the crowd a bit in any case and she saw me first, so I pointed her to the rest of our little group sitting in the shade.
We did not really want to leave yet, there was still so much going on. But we decided to take a walk. Natasha wanted more of those salty eggs I had brought her, I needed a cold beer and Vero was close behind me. Flo and Oliver decided to hang at the festival grounds, while we walked across the parking lot first to the woman with the eggs, where Natasha bought 2 more and happily told the woman how good they were.
The local bar was just a few steps further and we got a cold beer each and found a table in the shade under the big tree in the center of the beergarden. We were the only foreigners there and almost immediately got chatted up – 4 white women sitting at a table. We were not the only women here, but the only white-noses anyway. Maha had come with us, but him being Muslim he did not drink, so he sat under the tree a meter away from our table and looked not too enthusiastic. When I asked, why he had come with us when he could have stayed with the others, he said – They are save over there, but here it is more dangerous, so I am here watching over you!
Some guy came chatting – he actually spoke some German – and he already had told Oliver and me this morning he had seen us in Togo before … Vero said, he is always hanging here, so we are not sure, if the Togo story is true. But well, he was friendly, but we did not buy him a beer, so he walked off again.
A women came by selling beef on skewers. I needed some food! After the midday in the scorching sun at the festival grounds, that beer when straight to my head. So food was in order and I was adventurous and tried a skewer. It came with shit-o sauce and one skewer was Cedi 2. And it was very good, actually.
In the meantime another guy came chatting with the foreigners. He was drinking a funny looking liqueur out of a plastic cup and I ask him about it. He said it was Kpookeke – remember the K before the p is silent in Ghana – … and if he can offer us one. No thank you. – But then you can buy me a beer instead! – No, unfortunately not possible! – Why? You have no money? – No, sorry, no money! – But you drink beer! You have money! – Sorry but he (I was pointing vehemently at Maha!) bought it for us! – Oh! Then, good bye!
That food was so good, that I called the woman over again to buy another one of the skewers. She could not change my Cedi 5, though, and therefore gave me 3 skewers for Cedi 5. Fine with me! This time I even got a plate … Maha just shook his head in disbelieve at me …
Of course, I would not be me, if I did not try the Kpookeke as well. I went to get another small beer to wash down the food and while I was at the bar, I checked out the Kpookeke Atadwe & Ginger Liquor, which is apparently Ghana’s Favorite Liquor. Atadwe – also called tiger nuts in Ghana – brings smiles to many men who know the power the name holds, they say. This and ginger are 2 special natural ingredients used for their powerful medicinal properties … Medicine! I tell you! In fact, it was very ginger spicy, but it did not seem to have much alcohol.
Well, I enjoyed my skewers and beer and the occasional sip of Kpookeke. Maha looked at me amazed – I do not understand you! – Why? – You eat everything, your drink everything, you try everything! But you are never sick! If anybody else of my guests would do like that, they would be sick for days. – Of course, I try almost everything! I have an iron stomach! Travellers’ sickness is mainly a psychological thing combined with unfamiliar spices. And I drink … Alcohol disinfects! Believe it! – Looking at you, I do believe it …
Once we all finished our beers, I took the Kpookeke with me and we went back to where we left Flo and Oliver. I brought them the Kpookeke and they finished it up together. Obviously they liked it. It was gone in no time.
We looked around some more. The audiences with the king were still going on. People now brought gifts as well. Boxes of champagne and live goats and such changed the owner.
We watched as Samira Bawumia, the Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, as well as Togbe Sri III, the Awomefia of Anlo State, paid their respects to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II – King of the Ashanti. They had to walk through the alley of dignitaries, warriors, visitors and guards to where the king was seated in the shade.
We also saw Miss Golden Stool. Yes, there actually is a beauty contest in honor of the King’s throne – the Golden Stool!
I walked around the grounds some more taking photos of the chiefs who were now a touch more relaxed in the shade. Most stunning were the golden jewellery and the huge golden rings they wore on their hands. There were a lot of different shapes, but they were all huge. Gold derives its significance from the commercial value and social prestige associated with the precious mineral. It symbolizes royalty, wealth, elegance, high status, supreme quality, glory and spiritual purity.
Just after 16:00 everybody else had enough and we made our way back to find our van. Again we had to laugh about the special signs put up at strategic points around the city, wondering if they actually helped. The smell told otherwise …
On the way to where the van was parked, we also passed a woman grilling those beef innards sausages. I really needed to try one! So I bought one for Cedi 3. The woman cut it open and seasoned it with red chilli powder. She put it on a napkin and I ran after the others.
They were not at all surprised that I had bought it, but I had to eat it before getting on the van. So I did. And actually – it was rather delicious! Very flavorful. I finished it all up.
We were back at the hotel by 16:30 and Flo, Oliver and I met at the balcony at 17:00 for a sunset beer. We got it in the pool bar and went up. There was no party by the pool today, but still they had loud music blaring. Sunset was nice and we had our mandatory photo …
Dinner was at 19:00 today and we decided to sit outside by the pool. Somebody said, we would have to be thoughtful of Natasha, who would not like the loud music – I just said, that maybe she should be thoughtful of us instead … In the end, Maha went to ask if they could turn the music down while we were having dinner since we were the only guests. And they did.
I had ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce today. I was still full from the food tasting at the festival. But the food was excellent. The tomato sauce was made with shit-o and tasted very good. After dinner we said good-bye to Vero who would be leaving us here. Rock, the trainee, had already left this afternoon.
It was an early night – more or less.
