AHANTA WEST

 27th July is a dark day in the history of Ahanta. It is a day of mourning,grievingn,g and wailing for Badu Bonso II, Ahanta’s king who the Dutch killed. His head was removed and sent to the Netherlands for more than 170 years before it was discovered by Arthur Japin in 1997.  

 The head of Badu Bonso II was brought to Ghana in 2009 after a brief ceremony in Hague. A delegation from Ahanta, comprised of chiefs and descendants of Badu Bonso II, brought the head without compensations from the Dutch government for their atrocities and heinous crimes they perpetrated against the people of Ahanta.  

 In 1830, Badu Bonsu II started having troubles with the Dutch who were using the Butre treaty which was signed on 27th August 1656 as a basis to continuously exploit Ahanta. Badu Bonso II disputed the terms and references of the Butre treaty and that brought hostilities between him and the Dutch officials in Gold Coast. For eight years, Badu Bonsu II was at loggerheads with them.   

  The crisis heightened when Badu Bonso II banned the sale of guns and gunpowder in Ahanta and forbade selling them to neighboring tribes especially the Wassa. The ban on the sale of guns and gunpowder went against the trade and economic interests of the Dutch in Ahanta so they instigated some subchiefs of Badu Bonso II against him. 

One of such subchiefs was Eteroe of Sekondi.  Badu Bonso II had a healthy relationship with Eteroe of Sekondi but soon the Dutch made their relationship sour and bad. It was said that Badu Bonso II passed a death sentence on Eteroe of Sekondi when he realized that with the connivance of the Dutch, he was secretly selling guns and gunpowder to the Wassa. 

Eteroe sought refuge with the Dutch and eventually, the matter reached Hendrick Tonneboijier who was then the acting Dutch governor of Gold Coast stationed at Elmina.   Tonneboijier sent for Badu Bonso II but he refused to go suspecting that the Dutch would put him on board a slave ship to the West Indies. 

Realizing that Badu Bonso II was not honoring his calls, Tonneboijier dispatched George Maasen who was then the commandant at Elmina to Butre, with Adrian Cremer, who was then the Dutch official at Fort Batenstein at Butre, to ensure that Badu Bonso II was brought to him at Elmina death or alive. 

 Eventually, Badu Bonso in a company of armed men from Busua met Maasen and Cremer at Butre but failed to enter Fort Batenstein, a fort and trading post established by the Dutch on the Gold Coast in 1656. Badu Bonso II requested that the matter be resolved in the house of one Anthony Rhule. In the course of deliberations, Maasen and Cremer made attempts to arrest Badu Bonso II by force but he resisted them. They fired warning shots at him and he reciprocated their actions by killing them and took their heads to his palace at Busua.  

News reached Tonneboijier that Badu Bonso II had killed Maasen and Cremer. He mobilized forces and matched to Ahanta to have Badu Bonso II arrested by himself. Badu Bonso II also mobilized forces and met Tonneboijier and his forces at Takoradi. In 30 minutes, Badu Bonsu II had Tonneboijier killed and masscred his forces. It is said that Tonneboijier fled to Fort Tacaray but Badu Bonso II pursued and struck him to death at the entrance of the Fort. 

  In February 1837, news reached Hague, the capital of the Netherlands that Badu Bonso II had killed Tonneboijier and several Dutch officials in the Gold Coast. William I quickly conveyed meetings and selected Gen. Jan Verveer to lead an expedition of 200 mercenaries to Ahanta to quell what they described as rebellion. The expedition landed in Elmina in May 1838 and in the days that followed, Gen. Jan Verveer would go round and mobilize local forces from Fante, Wassa, Sekondi, Axim and other tribes in addition to the 200 mercenaries he brought from Hague in his bid to launch an attack on Badu Bonso II.  

 In July 1838, Gen. Verveer and his forces set for Ahanta. After a fierce battle between Badu Bonso II and his forces, Badu Bonsu II was arrested on 26th July 1838. He was brought to Butre and after what the Dutch called public trial and conviction, they hanged Badu Bonso II to death on 27th July 1838 at the exact spot he earlier killed Maasen and Adrian Cremer. A medical officer at Elmina castle called Schillet removed his head and placed it in Formahyde jar and they took it to Elmina and later sent it to Hague. The only reason Schillet was assigned for removing Badu Bonso II’s head was for curiosity’s sake.

 Several Ahanta royals particularly from Busua and Takoradi were also taken along and in August 1838, some of them were hanged at Elmina. The remaining were placed on board a ship to the Dutch West Indies.  Busua and Takoradi were completely destroyed and several Ahanta people fled. Many towns went extinct and for 10 years, there was no Ahanta king until Hima Dekyi of Dixcove ensured that a king was put on the throne later. The newly installed king died shortly and other successive kings were going to die in very unexplained circumstances. The mysterious deaths of the successive kings triggered fears among the royals of Busua especially the women. It was so fearful that royal women started hiding their male children to prevent them from being installed as kings. Others also fled Busua with their male children and never returned.  

In April 1872, the Dutch sold all their trade possessions in Ahanta to the English and left Ahanta for good. They left Ahanta with divisions and confusions that have lasted to date. Exactly today is 183 years since the Dutch invasion of Ahanta and the death of Badu Bonso II. 

Reference: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/exactly-183-years-today-ghanaian-king-badu-bonso-ii-was-killed-and-the-head-taken-to-netherlands-for-curiositys-sake

The Ahanta Kingdom was a significant historical state located along the southwestern coast of present-day Ghana, primarily in the region of the Western Region. The Ahanta people, part of the larger Akan ethnic group, were known for their rich history, culture, and strategic location for trade, particularly with European powers during the colonial period.

The origins of the Ahanta Kingdom date back to the 16th century when the Ahanta people, led by a prominent king, began to establish themselves as a political entity. The kingdom was primarily composed of a confederation of various clans and groups. According to oral history and tradition, the Ahanta people migrated from the north and settled along the coastal areas. They were heavily involved in gold mining, fishing, and agriculture, and their strategic position facilitated trade with both African and European traders.

During its peak, the Ahanta Kingdom benefited greatly from trade with the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British. They exchanged goods such as gold, ivory, palm oil, and slaves, which were central to the economy. The Kingdom's coastal location made it an important player in the transatlantic trade, and this interaction with European powers also influenced the development of their political and social structures.

The Ahanta Kingdom was initially a formidable force in the region, with a well-organized system of governance. The kings, known as "Mikyes," held significant influence over the people. The kingdom was known for its military prowess and was able to defend its territories and maintain power for several centuries. During this time, the Ahanta were able to expand their territory, and their kings gained the respect of neighboring kingdoms.

The decline of the Ahanta Kingdom began in the 18th and 19th centuries due to several factors:

1. European Colonial Rivalries: The Ahanta Kingdom was caught in the crossfire of European colonial competition, particularly between the British, Dutch, and Portuguese. As European powers fought for control of the Gold Coast, they made alliances with local rulers, sometimes undermining the power of indigenous kingdoms.
    
2. Internal Strife and Division: Internal conflicts and struggles for power within the Ahanta kingdom weakened the unity of the people. Divisions within the ruling class made it harder to defend against external threats.
    
3. Slave Trade: The transatlantic slave trade had a devastating effect on many West African kingdoms, including the Ahanta Kingdom. Many people from the kingdom were captured and sold into slavery, disrupting their social and economic fabric.
    
4. British Colonialism: By the early 19th century, the British consolidated their power over the Gold Coast, gradually taking control of the region, including the lands of the Ahanta Kingdom. The British established the Gold Coast colony, which marked the effective end of the Ahanta kingdom’s independence.
    

Despite the fall of the Ahanta Kingdom as a political entity, the Ahanta people have maintained a strong cultural identity. The kingdom’s legacy lives on through its traditions, customs, and historical sites. The Ahanta people still remember their history through oral traditions, and they continue to honor their kings and ancestors.

The story of the Ahanta Kingdom is one of rise, prosperity, and eventual decline due to external pressures and internal strife. While the kingdom itself no longer exists in its original form, the Ahanta people remain a vital part of Ghana’s cultural mosaic, contributing to the nation's diversity and history. 

Their resilience and heritage continue to be an important part of the larger narrative of West African kingdoms and their interactions with European colonial powers.

This summary encapsulates the key points from the article, providing a general overview of the Ahanta Kingdom's rise, peak, and eventual decline, along with its cultural legacy.

Reference: https://www.modernghana.com/news/819526/the-ahanta-story-rise-and-fall-of-the-ahanta-kingdom.html