Asantehemaa to be buried with gold ornaments

A historian Dr Wilhemina Donkor has envisaged that the thirteenth queen mother of Asante Kingdom Nana Afia Serwaa Kobi Ampem II will be buried with gold ornaments as well as other precious jewellery depicting a royal status.

She explained that her royal attire will make her recognisable when she reaches the other world where she is unknown.

Speaking with host of Ultimate Breakfast Show Lantam Papanko, she indicated that the necessary rituals which will prepare the queen mother ahead of her journey to the next world is ongoing.

According to her, the queen mother cannot be dressed like an ordinary person taking into consideration her credibility in the Asante Kingdom and the Ghanaian society as a whole.

‘Oh yes, remember she is a royal and also remember her office right, so she will be dressed to depict the status that befits her during the final burial rites, remember she is going on a journey and she has to be welcomed properly in the other world and so she must appear in a way that will commensurate with her status so that those people on the other side will recognise her and accord her the same dignity,’ she stated.

The Former Lecturer with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)indicated that the body of the queen mother will go through series of rituals.

‘Traditionally, just like it is done when any royal dies, there are certain rites that take place, and so Nanahemaa has to also go through that rituals, and here they receive bathing items for her bath from all the royal in-laws. That was one of the important rites that was performed yesterday, is to cleanse, purify and prepare her for the next world that will be her last bath on this earth,’ she explained.

She observed that traditional priests have been dancing amidst other ritual performances ensuring that there is law and order at the Palace.

‘They believe that they have to perform to ensure that certain elements such as rain does fall during the weeklong funeral celebration to disrupt the event,’ she said.