Havard's Dubois Centre honours Asantehene

From: George Osei-Antwi, GNA Correspondent, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Boston, USA, Nov 3, GNA - Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene has been decorated with the William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Dubois medal of Honour by the Dubois Institute at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jnr, Director of the Dubois Institute, explained that the Dubois Institute has recognized the immense contributions of the Asantehene both at home and abroad, which have had a lot of impact on humanity.

He said Otumfuo's dynamic personality, succeeded in refocusing the attention of the Asante nation and Ghana on the development of the country's most valuable resource - its people and culture. "His vision encompasses education, health, and industry," said the citation accompanying the honour.

Recipients of this award include the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu had earlier toured the historic Dubois Institute and seen some academic works of African and African-American researchers.

Prof Gates disclosed that to improve the image of Africans, the Institute has 26,000 books on Africa at its library and that efforts were being made to complete the 'Encyclopaedia Africana' project, which was started by the late W.E.B Dubois before he died in Ghana. He said that the Institute had initiated plans to mobilize funds to help the sister institute, The W. E. B Dubois centre in Ghana. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, since he ascended the Golden Stool six years ago has been a recipient of honorary degrees, including those from the University of Glasgow, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, both in the U.S., University of Ghana, Legon and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.