Women of great courage

Nana Yaa Asantewaa of Ashanti Empire (1863 - 1923) led a 5,000 man Ashanti-British "War of the Golden Stool", a rebellion against the British at a time when the men surrounding her were low in spirit, afraid, and discouraged.

Background

Yaa Asantewaa was born in 1940. She was famous for leading the Ashanti rebellion against British colonialism. She was the sister of the ruler of Ejisu(Ejisuhene) an ethnic group in present day Ghana. Africa has been blessed with numerous women of great courage. These include queen Idia of Benin, Queen Amina of Zaria and a host of other brave women leaders.

Nana Asantewaa was the most prominent of the lot. Her accomplishments may not have been as great as Queen Amina of Zaria in terms of span of leadership, but her standing up to fight the british occupation in West Afrca in spite of an initially cowardly front put upby Ghanaian men puts her at the top of Africa's great female leaders.

The Ashanti Empire

Yaa Asantewaa comes from the Ashanti group, the main ethnic group of present-day Ghana. The Ashantis began building their empire at the end of the 17th century, under the leadership of Osei Tutu first king Ashanti. At the beginning of the 18th century, the empire continues its expansion, on the coasts in particular where they have to face the Fantis, supported by the English. In 1806, the departure of the British allowed the Ashantis to continue their quest. But in 1831, a treaty signed with the United Kingdom forced them to put an end to their conquests.

Yaa Asentewaa, Chief of War

This agreement is especially the culmination of the British colonization, who repeatedly try to seize Kumasi, capital of the empire. Despite this, future Ghanaians continue to resist the British Empire. A woman will symbolize this resistance: Yaa Asentewaa. Born around 1840, she became regent in 1894 after the death of her brother, King Nana Kwasa Afrane Okpese. She chooses as successor, her grandson Ejisuhene who will be taken prisoner and exiled in 1896. And to definitively end the rebellion, the governor sent by the United Kingdom, Frederick Hodgson claims the "golden stool", symbol of the Ashanti nation. This affront is too much for the queen mother, who calls a secret meeting to summon the king. But disagreements appear in the resistance, it is then that Yaa Asentewaa punches on the table: "I must tell you this: if the men of Ashanti do not go to the front, we will do it. We women will do it. We will fight! We will fight until the last of us falls on the battlefield. The queen joins the act with the word by creating the movement of revolt of 1900, which tries to take again the fort of Kumasi. After months of battle, the British send about 1500 men and put an end to the rebellion. The Ashanti empire becomes a British protectorate and Yaa Asentewaa is captured and exiled to the Seychelles in 1902, where she gives up 20 years later.

The legacy of the Queen Mother

In 1924, his grandson King Prempeh I and his court are allowed to return to their land. He took the opportunity to repatriate the body of the fallen queen. Ghana remains the first country in black Africa to achieve independence in 1957. Three years later, the "Yaa Asentewa Girls' Secondary School" was born in Kumasi.