The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and Asanteman last Sunday celebrated the seventh Akwasidae with a colourful display of Ashanti culture and tradition.
The event was another opportunity for the Asantes to highlight the rich cultural heritage of the Asante Kingdom.
Akwasidae, which occupies a significant place on the Asante traditional calendar, is a festival of propitiation and worship of ancestral spirits.
It is celebrated once every six weeks on a Sunday.
Asantehene's entry
While the Asantehene majestically walked to his throne, the Asantehemaa, Nana Yaa Akyaa II, arrived in a palanquin amid pomp and circumstance, which also added grandeur to the occasion.
The colourful ceremony, held at the Dwabirem within the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, attracted several dignitaries, including the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, and the Municipal Chief Executives of Asokwa and Oforikrom, respectively, Amoh Kamel and Anwel Sadat Ahmed.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Richard Ofori-Agyemang Boadi, popularly known as King Zuba, and members of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) were also present.
Others included the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Christian Agyare, who led a delegation from the university to observe the celebration.
The delegation included the Registrar of KNUST, Benjamin Boampong Owusu, and the acting Director of the university’s Office of Grants and Research, Professor Jerry John Kponyo.
Gifts
In keeping with tradition, several celebrants presented assorted drinks and undisclosed sums of money in support of the festival.
The occasion was not marked by formal speeches but rather provided an opportunity for dignitaries and other celebrants to exchange pleasantries with the Asantehene and the Asantehemaa.
It also served as an occasion to welcome the Asantehene following his return from a 10-day working visit to the United States.
The warm reception and colourful traditional displays underscored the respect and affection the Asante people hold for their monarch, as Asanteman once again celebrated its rich cultural heritage.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, seized the opportunity to inform Asantehene and Asanteman of some of the developmental works of the current government, and also extended President John Dramani Mahama’s felicitations to him on the occasion of the Akwasidae.
President’s visit
According to him, the President would soon visit the Ashanti Region as part of the Resetting Ghana Tour to inspect some ongoing projects.
Renowned Ghanaian boxer Seth Gyimah, popularly known as Freezy Macbones, was also at the ceremony to pay homage to the King of the Ashanti Kingdom following his victory over Nigerian boxer Godday “Zodsolo” Appah to win the WBO Africa Light Heavyweight title.
Similarly, the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association also visited the Manhyia Palace to commend the Asantehene for responding favourably to their request for land to enable retired members to settle after their years of public service.
