When we look up images of queens and queen mother’s we see pretty women wearing pretty clothes and jewelries, waving at a crowd of subjects and hosting amazing feast.
But when a woman and a queen mother leads a band of soldiers to war to defend her people not minding the consequences.
We see another level of commitment to the crown, people and throne, royalty is not all about influence and wealth but protecting and defending. Yaa Asantewaa taught us that.
Yaa Asantewaa was born in the year 1840 in Besease Central Region of Gold Coast (modern day Ghana).
Yaa Asantewaa observed the people of Ashanti and the serial of ill treatment they received from the British who colonized the country, this also included the civil war fought to defend the region from 1883 to 1888. When her brother died in 1894, Yaa Asantewaa nominated her grandson who was immediately coronated Ejisuhene.
Using her right as God mother. Yaa Asantewaa ascended the throne after the British exiled her grandson alongside the king of Asante Prempeh and other members of the Asante government.
The British governor-general of the Gold Coast, Frederick Hodgson demanded the Golden stool, which is the symbol of the Asante nation.
The remaining members of the Asante government had a meeting in Kumasi to discuss on how they could return their king.
This lead to arguments between disputing parties and ideas.
Yaa Asantewaa addressed the members of the council saying
“How can a proud and brave people like the Asante sit back and look while whitemen took away their king and chiefs, and humiliated them with a demand for the Golden stool.
The Golden stool only means money to the whitemen; they have searched and dug everywhere for it.
I shall not pay one predwam to the governor. If you, the chiefs of Asante are going to behave like cowards and not fight, you should exchange your loinscloth for my undergarments”.
After giving this speech, she seized a gun and fired a shot in the air to prove her point further of her readily to go into battle against the British. This act of hers lead to the regional Asante kings choosing her to lead them at war. This was a first in the history of Asante.
The war is called “Yaa Asantewaa war or the war of the Golden stool”.
Yaa Asantewaa lead the war fighting alongside an army of five thousand (5000). The war began in March 1900. The war laid siege to the fort at Kumasi which was the hiding place of the British.
The war continued for months but eventually an army of one thousand, four hundred (1,400) soldiers were sent to fight Yaa Asantewaa and her troop, the soldiers overpowered Yaa Asantewaa’s troop.
This lead to Queen mother Yaa Asantewaa and fifteen of her closest advisers being captured and sent to exile in Seychelles.
Yaa Asantewaa died in exile in Seychelles on 17th October 1921.
Capturing of Yaa Asantewaa lead to the British fully colonizing Asante which was protected highly and devoid of their total control throughout the 19th century.
The British took full control on 1st of June 1902. Of Anglo-Asante. The war was the last war the people of Anglo-Asante fought against the British.
