Asantehene@26: Born a Royal, Raised as a Commoner for the Golden Stool

Barima Kwaku Duah is the third son and youngest of five children of Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, a late Queen of the Asante Kingdom who through destiny would later become the 16th Monarch of the Asante Kingdom.

Born to a throne, one would assume he was entitled to a silver spoon — but that was not the case.

That wasn’t the portion of this infant whose birth was not even anticipated but for his uncle, the 14th Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Agyemang Prempeh II.

Otumfuo Prempeh II, who through insight, knew his sister would womb a great occupant of the stool, fiercely opposed her idea to divorce her husband after separating on many occasions due to his infidelity.

“According to him {Prempeh II}, he had not yet gotten the child he wanted from their union… My mother reunited with my father after a while and gave birth to me. After that, she decided to get a divorce and got the backing of my uncle,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu II recounted at the Thanksgiving Service of his 74th birthday.

Right after Barima Kwaku Duah’s birth on May 6, 1950, the Asante King then supported her sister’s decision to divorce. His Majesty was appeased that the great successor and occupant of the Golden Stool in future who would nationally and globally project the Kingdom had arrived.

That appears to be just the beginning of his life story.

The infant was not allowed to enjoy royalty. In fact, he was not informed about his royal status. The King schemed to have him grow away from royalty and acting on that, had him sent to one uncle, Oheneba Mensah Bonsu, who at the time was the Hiahene.

Barima Kwaku Duah was only four years old at the time — too young and oblivious to the scheme.

He, therefore, grew up away from royalty and the Manhyia Palace and had no clue the man he called “daddy” was not his biological father.

“This was a plot between my mother and my uncle (Prempeh II) because they didn’t want me to grow up in the Palace and royalty. He (Hiahene) catered for me in the Division School. I was not allowed to go to the Manhyia Palace.

“My biological mother would come for a visit to our house at Ash-town under the guise of visiting my uncle (the Hiahene). My uncle the King would sometimes pass by and I would be asked to serve him, much to my ignorance that I was related to him,” he said in a speech last year.

It remained this way even after graduating from Division school when he gained admission into Prempeh College, his dream second-cycle school and the first choice of every young person at the time.

However, the covert training he was undergoing in preparation for his future ascension to the Golden Stool demanded that he be deprived.

Instead, his uncle bundled him and bused him to Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region to continue his education at Sefwi Wiawso Secondary School (SEWASS).

From here, he furthered to the IPS now the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) to read Accountancy and continued from there to the UK to climb the academic ladder with the assistance of his presupposed siblings.

It was later in his life that his mother, the Queen, divulged the secret about his true royal heritage.

Swearing-In
Clad in black cloth on April 26, 1999, traditional rulers crowded the Manhyia Palace to administer his swearing-in.

A video from the event showed Otumfuo Osei Tutu II elevated amid the crowd and handed a sword to make an oath.

“I, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, am here to continue the good works of my predecessors which have brought the Asante Kingdom into great reputation. If I fail to rule the Kingdom in truth and honesty, I have violated the great oath,” he said and then handed back the sword.

Reign
In the past 26 years, the 16th Monarch has exhibited strong empathy towards the underprivileged, discerning such at a glance.

He had relentlessly pursued a prosperous Asanteman and a Ghana that would rise in dignity, resilience and opportunity for all.

The globally acclaimed and celebrated Majesty has raised the bar for traditional leadership, consecrating it and making the position eminent.

Otumfuo has also guarded and elevated the image of the Kingdom through distinguished and unparalleled leadership.

He has preserved culture amid threats of modernity, impacted millions of lives both directly and indirectly around the globe, spearheaded developmental projects, driven life-saving solutions and more.

Though he did not receive the ideal life anyone would boast of, the King today stands immensely grateful to the brains that orchestrated the scheme.

This grooming sponsored the greatness the world sees in him and his kingdom.

“When I look back, he brought me up in a proper manner which I cherish now,” Otumfuo said in his first interview upon the ascension of the Golden Stool on Good Evening Ghana Show on Metro TV and repeated the same in 2024.

Indeed, he was born a royal but bred a commoner for the revered Golden Stool.

Today is exactly 26 years on Sika Dwa. Long Live the King!

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini