11-Year-Old American Boy Enstooled Chief

AN 11-YEAR-OLD African-American philanthropist has written his name in the history books of Aferie, a village near Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region, where he has been enstooled the youngest chief ever in the area.

Young Devin N. Grandison was enstooled the Nkosuohene of Aferie at a mammoth traditional ceremony attended by chiefs and people of the area and a group of 15 Americans that travelled from the US to participate in the event last Wednesday.

The African-American boy, who answers to the stool name Nana Obongu Agyeman II, was given the honour of the Nkosuohene (development chief) of the area by the Aferiehene, Nana Kwaku Asante and his elders.

The chiefs and people of Aferie, led by Nana Kwaku Asante, decided to bestow the honour on Nana Obongu Agyeman II following his vital contributions to the development of the area.

The 11-year-old boy, who has the development of Aferie at heart, has donated items such as school supplies and library books to students that reside in the twin villages of Aferie and Bosomoiso.

The Aferie Nkosuohene has also donated assorted clothing, shoes and other items which were distributed to the poor natives of the town and their children.

The newly-enstooled chief was paraded through the principal streets of Aferie, majestically dressed in ‘kente’ cloth and dancing to traditional tunes in a palanquin, amid cheers from the townsfolk.

Later in his address, Nana Obongu Agyeman II disclosed that he had set up a scholarship scheme under the name ‘Devin N. Grandison’ to help brilliant but needy students in the areas to climb to the top of the academic ladder, stressing he had passion for the development of education in the town.

Nana Obongu Agyeman II, a poet, drummer, swimmer, honor student and pianist, first visited the village in April 2010 with a group of US students at the invitation of Dr. Beryl Dorsett, also known as Nana Ama Serwah-Nyarko, the Nkosuohemaa of Apatrapa in the Ashanti Region, on humanitarian service in some villages in Ghana.

Young Devin, during the visit, showed some students in the Aferie village how musical notes were translated into music on a piano. This marveled the Aferie chief and his elders who therefore decided to honour him as Nkosuohene.

Since that time, the young Africa-American had been donating generously to the community to help better the lives of the people.

He was presented an International Youth Award at the United Nations by the National Association of Negro and Professional Women’s Club, INC. Nana Obungu Agyeman II lives with his grandparents, Louis and Maxine Grandison, and his aunt Rebecca in Mount Vernon, New York, USA.