We want to Know the History of your Town --- contest entry by @kwadjobonsu

Warming welcome to all readers of this post. Today’s post is another entry to a recent contest sponsored by @steem-ghana. During the course of the publication, I will be introducing readers to the history of my hometown, Kumasi. I shall be describing the culture and historical features of Kumasi as well as many other topics. The contest is open to all users on the Steemit platform. This link will take you to the main contest post by @delakloe. I hope to see your entry. We would all love to hear about what you have to say about your hometown.

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A hometown, by definition, is the birth town of an individual or a location where an individual lives his or her early life. Born and raise in Kumasi, I believe it is safe to say that Kumasi is my hometown too. Though I have lived momentarily at distinct places, Kumasi has been where I have lived a majority of my years. To this end, I am elated to share some of the history and culture of this noble place.

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We shall commence by name derivation of Kumasi. Kumase, sometimes spelled as Kumasi, means “below or under the Kum tree”. The leaders of the land came about this name after a historical event took place. A prominent fetish priest called Komfo Anokye planted three trees, around the seventh century, at three varying locations. Out of the three planted trees, only one flourished and grew enormously that the king of that land and his people were able to sit under the tree for shade. Hence, the chief fetish priest, Okomfo Anokye, named that place Kumase. “Ase” means alive. Hence, Kumase means the Kum tree is alive. The two other plant trees experience different results: one died and the other grew but was very small. As a result, the locations were called Kumawu and Kuma respectively. These names reflected the state of the trees.

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According to history, the premiere king of the Asante Kingdom was Osei Tutu, and that Kumasi became the capital of the empire around the 1600s. Asantehene is the local reference of the king of the Asante kingdom. Kumasi, then, became the pivotal location for the culture of the empire as well as the Golden Stool, which symbolizes the collaborative power of the Ashanti empire. However, in the 1800s, Kumasi came under attack and was defeated by forces from Britain. Foreigners discovered the rich nature of the land as it was copiously filled with gold and several minerals. Eventually, noblemen and women such as Yaa Asantewaa defied the rule of the British over the land and led natives to war against the intruders. The resistance experienced an ephemeral duration as the British regained utter control over the land.

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Through colonization, Kumasi underwent several transformations, and these led to the dramatic development of infrastructure. Rich minerals aside, Kumase was and still is known for the abundant production of Cocoa. It became a busy center for trade and industrialization. Following independence, Kumasi officially became the capital of Ashanti region. Further developments took place and this engendered infrastructure such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology as well as a health care edifice called Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, which was named after the chief fetish priest Okomfo Anokye.

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Currently, Kumasi boasts a population of over two million people. It has become a center for higher education and active agricultural and trade activities. The main festival of the Ashantis is the Akwasidae. An instance of the other observations includes the Awukudae Festival. The significance of the Akwasidae festival is to remember and honor the ancestors of the land. Akwasidae is celebrated on Sunday, whereas Awukudae takes place on a Wednesday. The calendar of the Akans is divided into nine months, where each month falls between forty to forty-two days. During the grand Akwasidae, there is a big gathering filled with drums, songs, and a public exhibition of the culture of the people. Foods and liquor are offered to gods, as the people of the land celebrate the ancestors of the land. The golden stool is also exhibited to the king, Otumfour Osei Tutu II, and his people. Such festivals draw in diaspora and foreigners and contribute massively to the tourism revenue of the country.

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Currently, Kumasi has several tourist attraction sites and facilities. Examples of such sites and infrastructure include the Kumasi Cultural Centre, the Manhyia place, Kumasi Zoo, over ten tertiary institutions, a countless number of second cycle institutions, and many others. Inhabitants of Kumasi are known as business savvy and friendly-nature people. The predominant mode of transportation is the public bus, locally known as trotro.

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There are far too many awesome experiences about Kumasi to be captured in writing. All visitors from any part of the world are humbly welcome to make new memories on our land. Thanks for reading. I hope to see you in Kumasi.