(It is another amazing moonlit evening, and the turn out today is even greater than it was last weekend. I guess it is because the people heard rumors that tonight's tale will be about a very powerful African queen mother)
(" You are so opinionated for a woman". " Who knew you had a soft side underneath your tough exterior". These are comments people make about me, but is it crime for women to have opinions? who said women can not be mothers and fighters at the same time? The woman I was named after Yaa Asantewa was never afraid to speak her opinions in any situation. She was also a devouted ruler, and a wonderful mother.)
CALL: This is a story about Yaa Asantewa, the great queen mother of the Ashanti Empire. A Story, a story
RESPONSE: Let it go, let it come.
A long time ago probably in the 1800s, European armies led by the British invaded the African region called the Gold Coast. The British army invaded this region that is today known as the West African country of Ghana for the sole purpose of extracting gold, and destroying the culture of the people. The British succeeded in conquering all the regions in the southern part of the country but they were unable to conquer the northern territories because this was where the Ashanti (or Asante) people lived. The Ashanti were a powerful people that conquered most of the Gold Coast, and formed the great Ashanti Empire before the British Invasion. The Ashanti united against the European invaders so the British feared them. Other African tribes because of their military strength, and distinct cultural practices also repected them. One of the cultural attributes of the Ashanti was how they held their women in high esteem, and gave special titles such as "Queen Mother" to women who had gained the respect of the people, the king, and the elders. This was the title that was given to Yaa Asantewa because of her bravery, humility, and poise.
Throughout the 1800's the British army continued to rule over the regions of Ghana that they had already conquered, but the Ashanti in the Northern region refused to succumb to colonialism. The British got fed up with the Ashanti resistance, and they decided that they had to find a way to make the Ashanti people surrender. The British through secret sources found out that the Ashanti owned a religious sacred object, a Golden Stool, which to them was like the equivalent of the Ark of the Covenant in Judaism. Even great Ashanti kings were not permitted to sit upon it. According to Ashanti legend, the stool fell from the skies as a present from the gods to make the Ashanti people powerful, wealthy, and courageous. When the British found about this, they concluded that if they could gain possession of the Golden Stool, it would break the resistance of the Ashanti people. So, the British demanded this stool from the Ashanti.
The Ashanti Asantehene-king Kwasi Prempeh saw the demands of the British as an insult to the Ashanti people so; he firmly refused their demands. The British concluded that King Prempeh was at the center of the Ashanti resistance so the forcefully deported him, and thirty Ashanti warriors including a young boy named Afrane Kuma, the son of Queen mother Yaa Asantewa to the Seychelles Island. After they had done this, the British demanded that the elders surrender the Golden Stool to them or face the same fate like their precious king. The elders were astonished at what the British had done to their king so, they decided to call all the chiefs and queen mothers to a secret meeting to discuss their next course of action.
At the secret meeting, the elders could not come up with a common solution to this problem because very few men were prepared to fight. In fact, many of them even suggested that they give the British the Golden Stool, and beg for the safe return of their king. Finally, when it seemed as if surrender was going to be the final solution Queen Mother Yaa Asantewa quickly stood up without permission from the elders and said,
" Now I have seen that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our king. If it were in the brave days of Ashanti warriors Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye, and Opolu Ware, chiefs would not sit down to see their king taken away without firing a shot. No white man could have dared to speak to the chief of the Ashanti in the way the Governor spoke to you chiefs this morning. Is it true that the bravery of the Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this, if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. We the women will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields."
Yaa Asentawa's speech stirred up the courageous spirits of the men, and elders. The Ashanti warriors took an oath to fight the white man until they released their king. Yaa Asantewa also swore the great oath of the Ashanti. She promised to fight the British for deporting her son, and for also demanding the sacred Ashanti Golden Stool. The elders noticed this woman passion for her people, and for the very first time in Ashanti history the elders chose a woman- Yaa Asentawa to lead the Ashanti army into battle against the British.
The war was a very bloody one but the Ashanti army led by Yaa Asantewa kept the British away from their territory. The British army finally outnumbered, and outgunned the Ashanti people, and in 1901 the brave Ashanti were defeated, and Yaa Asantewa was captured and deported to the Seychelles Island to be with her son. Yaa Asentawa's war was the last major war in Africa led by a woman.
(If this great woman was able to convince her people to fight for their dignity in one of the most heroic African wars ever recorded just by giving her opinions, why should I be afraid of being opinionated? I will continue to live by her brave, and humble example. So instead of feeling confused when I am approached about my outspoken character, I have chosen to embrace and study my talent so that I can live behind a memorable legacy just like the great Queen Mother- Yaa Asantewa.)
(The young woman received a standing ovation from the audience. The story had such a great impact on the people, especially on the young girls who were always shy of speaking out. The people could not stop clapping because they were truly convinced that the rumors about tonight's story being special were absolutely true. Well until next weekend remember, "never wait for tomorrow to say what you have to say today, because if tomorrow never comes you will surely regret today". I bid you wonderful dreams about Yaa Asantewa- The Great Queen Mother of the Ashanti Empire.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yaa Asantewa of the Ashanti Empire
Website: The Afro-Centric Experience
Weblink:http://www.swagga.com/queen.htm#yaa
Yah Asantewa (1863-1923)
Website: The Pride and Journey
Weblink: http://www.websn.com/Pride/Pride/yah.htm
Yaa Asantewa and the Asante Wars
Website: Black History pages
Weblink:http://www.5x5media.com/bhp/pages/asantewa.shtml
Yaa Asantewaa's War
Website: KAMMAASI Black Politics page
Weblink:http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Classroom/9912/asantewa.html
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was amazed at how much information I found online about Yaa Asantewa. All the sources I found online were fairly the same apart from the different spellings of Ashanti and Yaa Asantewa's name. I told the story from the point of view of a young woman who admires the outspoken and courageous character of this great woman she is named after. Please visit the links in the story for additional information about the Golden Stool, the Ashanti, and a wonderful description of Ghana. As you may have already noticed, I still used the African call and response storytelling technique in this story.
IMAGE INFORMATION: Yaa Asantewa Queen Mother of Ghana by Higgins Bond Weblink: http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/aafri/queen.html#yaa