Kumawuhemaa Defies Asantehene and Retards the Progress ofKumawuman

"If we play the game of a club, we have to play it by the rules of the club" - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. The above quotation directed at Britain which has one foot across the river on the other side of the river bank and the other conservatively mired in the original place, thus, Britishness, (archaic notion of British superiority) has a lesson for Kumawuman.

The Kumawu chieftaincy disputation arose as a consequence of the glaring disrespect for laid down procedural traditional rules regarding enthronement of paramount chiefs in the event of the demise of the sitting chief. When Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, the paramount chief of Kumawu, from the supposed Ankaase royal family kicked the bucket in June 2007, the sitting and current Kumawuhemaa acted contrary to norms and regulations as pertained. She had desired to bypass stipulated and practiced known procedures which are but obligatory when installing a new chief. She simply wanted to impose her own son resident in Toronto, Canada, on Kumawuman as the succeeding Kumawuhene. Normally, when a paramount chief passes, an official declaration is made inviting all eligible royal family members who consider themselves as able to serve the people to present their customary drinks for candidature selection to be made. For reasons best known to Kumawuhemaa (queen), she had decided against such a safely entrenched and laudable formality. She had rather sought the help and backing of "Ote kokoo so" Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, alias "King Solomon", the Asantehene, to impose her son on Kumawuman as the paramount chief without adhering to applicable tradition.

Little did Asantehene know or perceive that there was going to be a formidable challenge when he issued what amounted to authoritarian order? He had said to the entourage of Kumawuhemaa when they called on him at his Manhyia Palace to officially inform him of the death of Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, "Go and assist Nana Hemaa to select the next paramount chief. You have to support any candidate she selects. If ever you opposed the person she selects, I will drive you away if you came before me here at my Manhyia Palace. I will only accept your opposition and rejection of the person she selects on any of these three conditions - 1) that the person is a thief, 2) that the person has ever committed murder or is a murderer and 3) that the person has raped or slept with a neighbour's (someone's) wife". In the absence of these charges, I will not tolerate you here if you came to say that, "the person she has selected does not understand Twi or does not live in Ghana" Go and ensure you bring before me your paramount chief in forty days" The majority of the entourage with the exception of Kumawuhemaa and her confidants were so incensed at Asantehene's arrogance.

A new Kumawuhene by Asantehene's anticipation as viewed in his issued orders was to be taken to show him in forty days counting from the day and date they announced Barima's death to him. How long overdue is it now, as neither a chief has not been enthroned nor one presented before him as instructed? What is he saying or doing about it? What hypocrisy in magnitude!

Knowingly or unknowingly, Asantehene was by the issuance of his stringent instructions also flouted laid down traditional rules for nominating and selecting a succeeding paramount chief in Kumawuman in particular, and in Asanteman in general. Kumawuhemaa armed with the supportive words or statements by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the later to be discovered boyfriend of hers according as declared by her to many, decided to do as she had desired all along; to impose the person of her choice on Kumawuman without resort to, or regard for, customs and traditions. In the end, her sordid attempt has backfired on her. She is now being challenged on her eligibility as a royal of Kumawuman, seeing that she is a descendant of "Ayo". Who is Ayo, you may wish to know? You had better please do a little research work yourself by revisiting my previous articles on Kumawuman chieftaincy.

As curiosity kills the cat, so is Greediness bringing down Kumawuhemaa and her purported Ankaase royals. Assuming the Ankaases were equally genuine royals as the Ananangyas and the Odumases, would they not normally rotate the ascendancy to, or the occupation of, the throne among the three royal houses as tradition demands? Why would they want to selfishly keep the throne as theirs and theirs only, even though, history has it that they are fake royals?

She has shamelessly been playing that card of sexual relationship between Otumfuo and her, hoping that it will tilt the balance in her favour. She has told many about how effective that sexual weapon is to delaying the case until the Ananangyas/Odumases surrender to her wishes. May I tell her that since there is nothing truer than the truth, she can delay the case so far but cannot go beyond the elasticity point, the point after which anything that is stretched further snaps? Kumawuman history is stronger than mere transitory sexual relationship as it presently exists between the Overlord of Asanteman and the "Sikadicious" Iron Lady of Kumawu. The Kumawu chieftaincy case has reached its elasticity point, the rope well extended with some strands starting to crack and the rope slightly fissured. Asantehene should please take note of this.

Anyway, there is still one "me ntee se odobo bi rehono abe" (pigheaded) in the person of Nana Ahenenananomhene, who upon all the revelations to the contrary, still believes that it is incumbent upon Kumawuhemaa by tradition to have the choice of selecting the next chief and also, that it has to go to the Ankaase as they are the sole paramount royals of Kumawuman. It may be a useless act of hitting below the belt should I waste time discussing how ignorant and self-seeking this so-called dysfunctional sub-chief is. He is going about in his London, Liverpool or Manchester abode, whichever are applicable, telling people that I, John Fosu, have been writing falsehoods and trash about Kumawuhemaa and that my write-ups should be treated with maximum scorn they deserve. It must be noted that he paid the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II for that worthless stool to be created for him. A very difficult to pronounce stool name was also conferred on him. By the way, was his father or any family member of his a son of any of the Kumawu chiefs? Was he not the one who Barima Asumadu Sakyi II helped to acquire a licence to deal in gold? Does he go to the gold mining centres or the Gold House or whatever it is to cut his deals or he operates by extracting his own gold from a hidden "Ahenfie" gold mine? These questions are more than enough to cause him insomnia for the time being. No wonder that birds of the same feathers flock together. "Qualis pater talis filius", as is the father, so is the son. As is the Kumawuhema, so is the Ahenenanannomhene"

There is no substitute for experience. Drawing from my overflowing fountain of wisdom and experience, I may advise as follows. Kumawuhemaa should not be seen to continue to be objectionably greedy and selfish. Not being a descendant of the originator of the Kumawu Kodua paramount stool, she should relinquish her strangle-hold on the throne now. Any further delay will not only incur upon her the wrath of the people but also of God's. Asantehene should not allow his special intimacy with Kumawuhemaa to take precedence over proving himself a wise King when arbitrating disputes. Although there is no absolute justice in the world, he should excel in living above reproach at all times. Bear in mind, "Respect is earned but not commanded". He should desist from pampering Kumawuhemaa by way of immediate cessation to dancing to her tunes as often does a tethered macaque, moppet or Muppet. The biblical King Solomon was swift and discerning in the delivery of justice to aggrieved parties because he did neither allow himself to be influenced by sexual fantasies, nor by nepotism. He allowed the wisdom bestowed on him in response to his supplication to God, guide him when arbitrating disputes or dealing with his subjects. By his wisdom as inferred from his fair dealings with his people, he became not only respectful but also, respectable.

Asantehene should not hesitate to compel his Sweet-heart, Nana Kumawuhemaa, to respond to the "Ntamkese" so invoked on her. That singular requirement is the key to solving the pending chieftaincy dispute. He is advised to cease beating about the bush. He should hit the nail right in the head even if that was where it hurts most provided it is the effective solution to the case.

I have always said Asantehene has a conflict of interest in the case. He is not only after the Ohemaa's "toto" as a Nigerian will say, excuse my French, he has his eyes on exploiting Kumawuman to his personal benefit. Now the truth has started to unfold about how Asantehene stands to gain with the Kumawuhemaa selecting a person of her own choice that both can manipulate. The Kumawuhemaa and her brother, the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, signed out a tract of land between Kumawu and Afram Plains to him to cultivate cashew and oil palm plantation. Did he pay for it? No. Did they negotiate for any future payment of royalty to Kumawuman? Your guess is as good as mine. It was to gag him from expressing any bad feelings about their wacky administration even though he has no authority over Kumawuman and what their traditional chiefs do.

Good name is said to be better than riches. Many Kumawuman citizens are suffering from lack of basic necessities of life. Could Otumfuo at least build a public toilet anywhere in Kumawuman to show appreciation for all the good things his girlfriend is doing for him to ease the pressure off her back? Kumawuman wish them prosperous "Aware soooooo!"

On a more serious note, Otumfuo should act now without giving people more room to tease him for being controlled by a woman just for that little enjoyment of the fruits of that cocoa farm situated in-between her legs. Don't get me wrong. I am never against Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as a person but hate how he has continually allowed himself to be exploited by the obnoxious Kumawuhemaa in pursuit of her callous and selfish agenda. I will be the first and same person to write to applaud him when he does justice to himself and Kumawuman on their chieftaincy dispute. No one is obliging him to decide the case in favour of the Ananangyas/Odumases as that very aspect has already been taken care of by God Almighty. God Himself has appointed his own Chosen One to serve the citizens of Kumawuman in a way that will not only glorify God but bring about prosperity, peace and comfort onto the people. One thing that annoys me most is that deliberate intention by Asantehene to prevent Kumawuman from benefitting from the toil and sweat of their son who is in government through his indecision and intentional slow tactics as employed. Could it not be the way he intends paying his girlfriend back in kind as "one good turn deserves another?" It is the "Ohemaa" who goes about announcing how her friendship with Otumfuo will obstructively give the defiant Ananangyas/Odumases a run for their money. Anyway, it must be noted that "beauty is only skin deep but ugliness cut across the bones" but beauty as I see it is ones good character but not outward looks. One may ask why Otumfuo ever got associated with this woman at all as she lacks both. Have I forgotten that "One man's meat is another man's poison?" One can also be superb in bed, who knows.

It must be noted that in Ghana where the practice of "Kokofu "ball" bo wo nua ni mu a yen "pass" ma wo", it is now the turn of Kumawuman especially, Kumawu, to have a share of the national pie. But as the myopic queen is not clever enough but consumed with greediness and selfishness, Kumawuman may never benefit from this one off opportunity.

As the adage goes "Friends today enemies tomorrow", I will say Asantehene will become my best friend one day if and only if, he will not allow himself to taken undue advantage of by whomever. Ours will be "Enemies today friends tomorrow" for that much I can promise my readers. I am correcting him but only that I am always harsh. Could that not be a derivation from one of my numerous professional training courses undertaken in the Whiteman's land? I will in future explain the secret behind this particular course which most often achieves its target if the principles are practised as taught. "It does not belong to he who is leading to redirect their steps" and lastly, be it known to all that it said, "Our critics are our friends, they show us our faults"

Finally, Kumawuhemaa should stop behaving like a Secondary School or a First year University student who is in love for the first time. They are always amorously discussing their boyfriends and could be seen to be head and heels over them. How annoying it is when an experienced old woman is seen to be doing exactly as does these youngsters. Leave Otumfuo alone. Respond to that "Ntamkese" as tradition requires if truly, you are a genuine Kumawuman royal.

John Fosu