Nana Yaa Asantewaa I ~ Warrior Queen

After the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, European  nations made moves to control the whole of Afrika. They saw her  resources as the building blocks of the European economy and growth.  During the Berlin Conference, 1884 – 1885, European countries negotiated  how they were going to divide Afrika into equitable portions among  themselves. England was able to manipulate possession of Ghana, along  with other territories. Families, clans and cultures were divided, no  matter the consequences, as witnessed in Rwanda. In many cases,  resistance naturally developed to fight off this unwarranted control.
One  figure emerges as a source of inspiration and strength against British  colonialism, Nana Yaa Asantewaa I, Queen Mother of Ejisu. A secret  meeting was called in Kumasi, Ghana among the chiefs to discuss how to  fight the British, and recapture control on their land. During the  meeting, some of the chiefs were expressing a lack of enthusiasm for the  idea. They were concerned about the British superior weaponry, while  others wanted to see if they could negotiate the return of their  Asantehene, Prempeh, paramount king of the Ashanti nation, who was  captured. They felt there should be no war. Instead, they wanted to  convincingly request the British governor for his release. Sensing this  reluctance, Yaa Asantewaa gave one of her most forceful speeches.
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, the days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye,  and Opoku 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 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.
The speech inspired the chiefs to take an  oath and declare war on the British, led by Yaa Asantewaa. During their  attack, they could not penetrate the British fort. They decided to cut  off their supplies. Within weeks, the British were without food, water  and basic provisions. Some were dying of small pox and malaria. They  could not bury the dead, so they threw them over the wall. The smell was  horrendous. It managed to seep back into the fort. Over 3500 soldiers,  women and children were imprisoned in their own environment. Somehow,  after several attempts, they were able to sneak out a message to other  British authorities, seeking help.
They responded. Some 1400 British  troops came to their rescue. After a fierce battle, the British  prevailed. Yaa Asantewaa heard that her daughter was captured. She  surrendered to try to save her. One of the demands of the British  commander, Captain Wilcox, was that he be given the Golden Stool, which  symbolized the soul of the Ashanti nation. Yaa Asantewaa spit in his  face.
Instead, he was given a fake stool, which he took to England.  When discovered it was an imitation, he returned and demanded the real  one. The Ashanti were determined that the stool would never land in  British hands, and it never did. The Golden Stool of Ashanti is  displayed in public once every five years.
Nana Yaa Asantewaa I died  in the Seychelles on 17 October 1921, just two years before King Prempeh  and the remaining prisoners returned to Ghana, in 1923. Ghana obtained  its independence on 6 March 1957.
– Dr. Kwakus class, Afrikan World  Civilizations (Part II), is conducted on Friday evenings, 7-9 p.m. at  Kaos Studios in Leimert Park. For details go to: www.drkwaku.com.