Asantehene Otumfou Osei Tutu, II
Source: Ghana | todaygh.com | KWAME ARHIN
Some, they say, are born great, others achieve greatness, and others have greatness bestowed on them. William Shakespeare of England, one of the greatest writers the world has ever known, had this to say in one of the numerous books he wrote.
Into which of these categories, one may ask: Does Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene (i.e., King of the Asantes) fit? For me, even if Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was destined to be crowned King as some may be tempted to think, he worked towards the greatness he has achieved. Even though born into the Asante(sometimes spelt Ashanti) royal household (i.e., the Oyoko Clan of Kumasi), the king started from very humble beginnings and by dint of hard work has reached this far. Unlike other places in the world where one could be crowned king by accident of birth that of the Asantes or the Akans in Ghana is quite democratic.
Among the Asantes or the Akans, qualification to occupy a stool is not automatic. In the event of vacancy, more candidates vie for the position and out of the lot one candidate is chosen. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II had to go through such process. We will next discuss the biography of the King.
Biography:
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool and for that matter he is the 16th Asantehene. A direct descendant of King Osei Tutu I, who is reputed to be the founder of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, ascended to the Golden Stool (Sika Dwa) on the 26th day of April, 1999, on the demise of his elder brother Otumfuo Opoku Ware II. This year therefore marks the 15thanniversary of his reign.
Known in private life as Barima Kwaku Dua, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was born on the 6th day of May,1950 to Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, the incumbent Asantehemaa (i.e., the Queenmother of the Asantes) and the late Opanin Boakye Dankwa of Kentinkyiren, a town near Kumasi.
He is the youngest of the children of the queenmother. From early childhood, Barima Kwaku Dua came under the tutelage of his uncle, the late Oheneba Mensa Bonsu, who had been enstooled as the Hiahene in 1952. Oheneba Mensa Bonsu therefore ensured that Barima Kwaku Dua benefitted from a childhood of careful nurturing and grooming in Asante traditions and statecraft.
Even though the king had the chance to go to Prempeh College, Kumasi, which is undoubtedly one of the very prestigious second cycle institutions in Ghana, a decision was taken to send him to the thenSefwi Wiawso Secondary School in the Western region of Ghana, thanks to the wisdom and visionof his two uncles Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II (the then Asantehene) and Nana Mensa Bonsu (the then Hiahene). It was for two major reasons that Barima Kwaku Dua was sent to Sefwi Wiawso. The first reason was that in faraway Sefwi Wiawso, he would be kept away from his fellow royals, relations and friends most of whom were attending royal schools like Prempeh Collegeand Opoku Ware.
Secondly, in Sefwi Wiawso he would not be pampered and was going to learn to do things the hard way which undoubtedly was going to be a big asset for a future King. The young royal was eventually givensecondary school education at the then Sefwi Wiawso Secondary School where his guardian wasthe late Nana Kwadwo Aduhene I, the then Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of the Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area. This aspect of the king’s training and grooming has striking affinities with that ofKing Osei Tutu I, founder of the Asante kingdom, who was sent to Denkyira to undergo a similartraining.
In 1969, Barima Kwaku Dua enrolled at the then Osei Kyeretwie Secondary School, Kumasi for his Advanced Level Course. In 1971 he was admitted to the then Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) Legon, Accra to pursue a course in Accountancy.
In 1973, Barima Kwaku Dua went to the United Kingdom to continue his Accountancy Studies
at the Kilburn Polytechnic in North West London. Two years later he enrolled at the University
of North London to read Human Resource Development and Public Administration. In 1980, Barima Kwaku Dua moved to Canada where he worked with the Ontario Mutual Insurance Group in Toronto as a Senior Consultant for a year and during the period he participated in a short company – sponsored course in the Toronto University.
He returned to Britain in 1980 and was admitted into the membership of the British Institute of Personnel Management (IPM), the professional body for Human Resource Practitioners in the
United Kingdom in 1985. He worked for Oxo, the famous British firm of food manufacturers as anAccounts Officer and with his membership of the IPM he joined the Manpower Services Commission attached to the Brent Council in North London where he helped develop and oversee projects to assist young unemployed youth from deprived communities get into self-fulfilling employment.
Barima Kwaku Dua returned to Ghana in 1989 to set up his own business and acted as representative of some highly reputable British and European Companies in the field of mining. On the demise of his elderbrother Otumfuo Opoku Ware II (the 15th occupant of the Golden Stool) on Thursday the 25th of February, 1999, the relatively young, dynamic and affable Barima Kwaku Dua was, on the 26th day of April, 1999, enstooled as the Asantehene under the stool name of OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU II. He came to continue from where his predecessors left off.
The Author is a Legal Practitioner Kumasi – Ghana and one-time student in Law (with History), University of Ghana, Legon.