Barima Tweneboa Kodua I Speaks To Kumawuman From His Grave

In sorrow and in tears,
Do I ask you today,
Oh my sons, daughters and grandchildren,
The following honest questions,
I expect you to be truthful to me,
Answering me without hesitations and lies,
But sincerely factually,
For I know all that is happening.

For how long, oh my offspring,
Will you conspire with outsiders,
To rob you of the heritage I bequeathed to you?
For how long, will you condone and connive,
With a supposedly most powerful traditional overlord,
An avaricious individual ever given birth to,
Yes, of course, a shameless autocrat,
To pluck off my wealth?

Do you not know, oh my descendants,
In whom I trusted, and toiled for,
That by your ignorance and naivety,
You have exposed yourselves to outside exploitation and influence?
Do you not know that by your selfish desire for wealth,
At the expense of your collective interests,
You have intentionally or otherwise,
Succumbed to undue manipulations by an insatiably greedy overlord?

Did I offer my life to save you and others,
Wen the going got tough,
With imminent defeat and extermination,
Staring my lot at the time in the face,
For nothing?
Is it what you want to tell me,
Concluding from your lackadaisical or collusive actions,
Or your tacit support for the ones stripping me naked in public?

Are you not ashamed of the state of your townships,
How excessively degradable they have become,
Although you are sitting on greater wealth,
That I fought for, and left for your wellbeing,
Only to unwisely sit down with your arms folded around your chest,
Or to secretly plot with outsiders,
To avail themselves of the wealth,
While you, the should-be beneficiaries, linger in penury?  

Why are the highly educated and rich ones among you,
So nonchalant about the mistreatment of the poor masses,
Through coordinated efforts by suppressors in high positions,
Lawyers, judges, politicians and traditional leaders inclusive?
Wherefore is the very essence of your education and wealth,
If you cannot stand up to defend your lot and my integrity,
For me to be proud of you?

Why am I regretting offering my life at the sacrificial altar for your sake?
Is it not because you have not been able to preserve,
The lands and the other precious things I left for you?
Is it not because you have aided an outsider to lord himself over you,
Contrary to the agreed terms upon which I died prematurely?
Do you know the terms of the agreement?
I hope not, or else, you would not allow a greedy outsider,
To come and usurp your heritage, lording himself over you, princes and princesses.  

I am turning in my grave,
Denied of the peaceful rest I had expected,
All because of you, my sons, daughters and grandchildren.
My warlord prowess, conquests and primus inter pares status,
Have all dissipated with the advent of your greedy overlord,
Who does not sow, yet harvests from where he has not sown,
Killing you fast and wickedly,
But not softly, because he is backed by collusive politicians, judges and some of you.

Woe betide you, those who collude to shame my offspring,
Depriving them of their heritage and enjoyment,
Exploiting them to the hilt,
Harassing them with the police and the military,
To cow them to kill softly,
Making people ask,
Is this BarimaTweneboa Kodua I's Kumawuman of old?
No, I can't wait any longer, but to inflict mother of all punishments on the perpetrators.

I have spoken, as God has surely spoken,
I am warning my offspring plotting with outsiders against me,
That very regrettable punishment is about to be their portion,
When it does happen, they should not blame me but themselves.
I cannot continue to see my name soiled,
And my efforts rendered useless,
All because of a greedy "ampe bre" traditional overlord,
Exploitatively imposing himself on my offspring and tacitly supported by crooks.

Rockson Adofo
Sunday, 29 November 2020

Author: Rockson Adofo

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