Kumawuhemaa Defies Asantehene and ....

... Retards the Progress of Kumawuman

"If we play the game of a club, we have to play it by the rules of the club" -

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. The above quotation directed at Britain

which has one foot across the river on the other side of the river bank and the

other conservatively mired in the original place, thus, Britishness, (archaic notion

of British superiority) has a lesson for Kumawuman.

The Kumawu chieftaincy disputation arose as a consequence of the glaring disrespect

for laid down procedural traditional rules regarding enthronement of paramount

chiefs in the event of the demise of the sitting chief. When Barima Asumadu Sakyi

II, the paramount chief of Kumawu, from the supposed Ankaase royal family kicked the

bucket in June 2007, the sitting and current Kumawuhemaa acted contrary to norms and

regulations as pertained. She had desired to bypass stipulated and practiced known

procedures which are but obligatory when installing a new chief. She simply wanted

to impose her own son resident in Toronto, Canada, on Kumawuman as the succeeding

Kumawuhene. Normally, when a paramount chief passes, an official declaration is made

inviting all eligible royal family members who consider themselves as able to serve

the people to present their customary drinks for candidature selection to be made.

For reasons best known to Kumawuhemaa (queen), she had decided against such a safely

entrenched and laudable formality. She had rather sought the help and backing of

"Ote kokoo so" Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, alias "King Solomon", the Asantehene, to impose

her son on Kumawuman as the paramount chief without adhering to applicable

tradition.

Little did Asantehene know or perceive that there was going to be a formidable

challenge when he issued what amounted to authoritarian order? He had said to the

entourage of Kumawuhemaa when they called on him at his Manhyia Palace to officially

inform him of the death of Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, "Go and assist Nana Hemaa to

select the next paramount chief. You have to support any candidate she selects. If

ever you opposed the person she selects, I will drive you away if you came before me

here at my Manhyia Palace. I will only accept your opposition and rejection of the

person she selects on any of these three conditions - 1) that the person is a thief,

2) that the person has ever committed murder or is a murderer and 3) that the person

has raped or slept with a neighbour's (someone's) wife". In the absence of these

charges, I will not tolerate you here if you came to say that, "the person she has

selected does not understand Twi or does not live in Ghana" Go and ensure you bring

before me your paramount chief in forty days" The majority of the entourage with the

exception of Kumawuhemaa and her confidants were so incensed at Asantehene's

arrogance.

A new Kumawuhene by Asantehene's anticipation as viewed in his issued orders was to

be taken to show him in forty days counting from the day and date they announced

Barima's death to him. How long overdue is it now, as neither a chief has not been

enthroned nor one presented before him as instructed? What is he saying or doing

about it? What hypocrisy in magnitude!

Knowingly or unknowingly, Asantehene was by the issuance of his stringent

instructions also flouted laid down traditional rules for nominating and selecting a

succeeding paramount chief in Kumawuman in particular, and in Asanteman in general.

Kumawuhemaa armed with the supportive words or statements by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II,

the later to be discovered boyfriend of hers according as declared by her to many,

decided to do as she had desired all along; to impose the person of her choice on

Kumawuman without resort to, or regard for, customs and traditions. In the end, her

sordid attempt has backfired on her. She is now being challenged on her eligibility

as a royal of Kumawuman, seeing that she is a descendant of "Ayo". Who is Ayo, you

may wish to know? You had better please do a little research work yourself by

revisiting my previous articles on Kumawuman chieftaincy.

As curiosity kills the cat, so is Greediness bringing down Kumawuhemaa and her

purported Ankaase royals. Assuming the Ankaases were equally genuine royals as the

Ananangyas and the Odumases, would they not normally rotate the ascendancy to, or

the occupation of, the throne among the three royal houses as tradition demands? Why

would they want to selfishly keep the throne as theirs and theirs only, even though,

history has it that they are fake royals?

She has shamelessly been playing that card of sexual relationship between Otumfuo

and her, hoping that it will tilt the balance in her favour. She has told many about

how effective that sexual weapon is to delaying the case until the

Ananangyas/Odumases surrender to her wishes. May I tell her that since there is

nothing truer than the truth, she can delay the case so far but cannot go beyond the

elasticity point, the point after which anything that is stretched further snaps?

Kumawuman history is stronger than mere transitory sexual relationship as it

presently exists between the Overlord of Asanteman and the "Sikadicious" Iron Lady

of Kumawu. The Kumawu chieftaincy case has reached its elasticity point, the rope

well extended with some strands starting to crack and the rope slightly fissured.

Asantehene should please take note of this.

Anyway, there is still one "me ntee se odobo bi rehono abe" (pigheaded) in the

person of Nana Ahenenananomhene, who upon all the revelations to the contrary, still

believes that it is incumbent upon Kumawuhemaa by tradition to have the choice of

selecting the next chief and also, that it has to go to the Ankaase as they are the

sole paramount royals of Kumawuman. It may be a useless act of hitting below the

belt should I waste time discussing how ignorant and self-seeking this so-called

dysfunctional sub-chief is. He is going about in his London, Liverpool or Manchester

abode, whichever are applicable, telling people that I, John Fosu, have been writing

falsehoods and trash about Kumawuhemaa and that my write-ups should be treated with

maximum scorn they deserve. It must be noted that he paid the late Barima Asumadu

Sakyi II for that worthless stool to be created for him. A very difficult to

pronounce stool name was also conferred on him. By the way, was his father or any

family member of his a son of any of the Kumawu chiefs? Was he not the one who

Barima Asumadu Sakyi II helped to acquire a licence to deal in gold? Does he go to

the gold mining centres or the Gold House or whatever it is to cut his deals or he

operates by extracting his own gold from a hidden "Ahenfie" gold mine? These

questions are more than enough to cause him insomnia for the time being. No wonder

that birds of the same feathers flock together. "Qualis pater talis filius", as is

the father, so is the son. As is the Kumawuhema, so is the Ahenenanannomhene"

There is no substitute for experience. Drawing from my overflowing fountain of

wisdom and experience, I may advise as follows. Kumawuhemaa should not be seen to

continue to be objectionably greedy and selfish. Not being a descendant of the

originator of the Kumawu Kodua paramount stool, she should relinquish her

strangle-hold on the throne now. Any further delay will not only incur upon her the

wrath of the people but also of God's. Asantehene should not allow his special

intimacy with Kumawuhemaa to take precedence over proving himself a wise King when

arbitrating disputes. Although there is no absolute justice in the world, he should

excel in living above reproach at all times. Bear in mind, "Respect is earned but

not commanded". He should desist from pampering Kumawuhemaa by way of immediate

cessation to dancing to her tunes as often does a tethered macaque, moppet or

Muppet. The biblical King Solomon was swift and discerning in the delivery of

justice to aggrieved parties because he did neither allow himself to be influenced

by sexual fantasies, nor by nepotism. He allowed the wisdom bestowed on him in

response to his supplication to God, guide him when arbitrating disputes or dealing

with his subjects. By his wisdom as inferred from his fair dealings with his people,

he became not only respectful but also, respectable.

Asantehene should not hesitate to compel his Sweet-heart, Nana Kumawuhemaa, to

respond to the "Ntamkese" so invoked on her. That singular requirement is the key to

solving the pending chieftaincy dispute. He is advised to cease beating about the

bush. He should hit the nail right in the head even if that was where it hurts most

provided it is the effective solution to the case.

I have always said Asantehene has a conflict of interest in the case. He is not only

after the Ohemaa's "toto" as a Nigerian will say, excuse my French, he has his eyes

on exploiting Kumawuman to his personal benefit. Now the truth has started to unfold

about how Asantehene stands to gain with the Kumawuhemaa selecting a person of her

own choice that both can manipulate. The Kumawuhemaa and her brother, the late

Barima Asumadu Sakyi II, signed out a tract of land between Kumawu and Afram Plains

to him to cultivate cashew and oil palm plantation. Did he pay for it? No. Did they

negotiate for any future payment of royalty to Kumawuman? Your guess is as good as

mine. It was to gag him from expressing any bad feelings about their wacky

administration even though he has no authority over Kumawuman and what their

traditional chiefs do.

Good name is said to be better than riches. Many Kumawuman citizens are suffering

from lack of basic necessities of life. Could Otumfuo at least build a public toilet

anywhere in Kumawuman to show appreciation for all the good things his girlfriend is

doing for him to ease the pressure off her back? Kumawuman wish them prosperous

"Aware soooooo!"

On a more serious note, Otumfuo should act now without giving people more room to

tease him for being controlled by a woman just for that little enjoyment of the

fruits of that cocoa farm situated in-between her legs. Don't get me wrong. I am

never against Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as a person but hate how he has continually

allowed himself to be exploited by the obnoxious Kumawuhemaa in pursuit of her

callous and selfish agenda. I will be the first and same person to write to applaud

him when he does justice to himself and Kumawuman on their chieftaincy dispute. No

one is obliging him to decide the case in favour of the Ananangyas/Odumases as that

very aspect has already been taken care of by God Almighty. God Himself has

appointed his own Chosen One to serve the citizens of Kumawuman in a way that will

not only glorify God but bring about prosperity, peace and comfort onto the people.

One thing that annoys me most is that deliberate intention by Asantehene to prevent

Kumawuman from benefitting from the toil and sweat of their son who is in government

through his indecision and intentional slow tactics as employed. Could it not be the

way he intends paying his girlfriend back in kind as "one good turn deserves

another?" It is the "Ohemaa" who goes about announcing how her friendship with

Otumfuo will obstructively give the defiant Ananangyas/Odumases a run for their

money. Anyway, it must be noted that "beauty is only skin deep but ugliness cut

across the bones" but beauty as I see it is ones good character but not outward

looks. One may ask why Otumfuo ever got associated with this woman at all as she

lacks both. Have I forgotten that "One man's meat is another man's poison?" One can

also be superb in bed, who knows.

It must be noted that in Ghana where the practice of "Kokofu "ball" bo wo nua ni mu

a yen "pass" ma wo", it is now the turn of Kumawuman especially, Kumawu, to have a

share of the national pie. But as the myopic queen is not clever enough but

consumed with greediness and selfishness, Kumawuman may never benefit from this one

off opportunity.

As the adage goes "Friends today enemies tomorrow", I will say Asantehene will

become my best friend one day if and only if, he will not allow himself to taken

undue advantage of by whomever. Ours will be "Enemies today friends tomorrow" for

that much I can promise my readers. I am correcting him but only that I am always

harsh. Could that not be a derivation from one of my numerous professional training

courses undertaken in the Whiteman's land? I will in future explain the secret

behind this particular course which most often achieves its target if the principles

are practised as taught. "It does not belong to he who is leading to redirect their

steps" and lastly, be it known to all that it said, "Our critics are our friends,

they show us our faults"

Finally, Kumawuhemaa should stop behaving like a Secondary School or a First year

University student who is in love for the first time. They are always amorously

discussing their boyfriends and could be seen to be head and heels over them. How

annoying it is when an experienced old woman is seen to be doing exactly as does

these youngsters. Leave Otumfuo alone. Respond to that "Ntamkese" as tradition

requires if truly, you are a genuine Kumawuman royal.

John Fosu