S3E26: Reformers and Reactionaries: the Rise and Fall of the "God's Creativity Cult" in the Ashanti Empire

 

Last episode, we focused on the early military successes during the rule of Mensa Bonsu, including the successful defeat of a rebellion by the king of Juaben. Defeating this uprising temporarily restored order to the Ashanti state, but it did not guarantee a return to long-term success. The rest of Mensa Bonsu's rule will be defined by the struggle between Mensa Bonsu and other elements of the Ashanti state that sought to derail his many efforts at monetary and social reform.

"John" Owusu Ansah, Mensa Bonsu's progressive advisor and important statesman.

    One of the main influences that pushed Mensa Bonsu towards a direction of progressive reform was his uncle, the Ashanti diplomat Owusu Ansah. Ansah, who had been educated in a monastery, converted to Christianity, and even visited Great Britain on multiple occasions, was a true cosmopolitan. He was influenced by the ideas not only of British progressives, but also Fante and Ga reformers from the 1860s. He was a staunch opponent of slavery, debt bondage, and other forms of involuntary servitude despised the Ashanti government's reliance on capital punishment and sought to replace the Ashanti education system of apprenticeship with one of formalized, bureaucratic education in the western style.

The extent to which Owusu Ansah's influence had an effect on Mensa Bonsu is unclear. The asantehene did implement some policies that seemingly align with the goals of Ansah. For example, he did declare that only murder could be a crime that received capital punishment. However, it's not clear if this was based on a humanitarian desire to reduce the number of executions, or rather as an attempt to increase revenue generation through legal fines, the primary alternative punishment to execution. 

This decision angered some reactionary members of Ashanti society. Executions in Asanteman were often of an overtly religious nature, leading many foreigners to confuse criminal punishments with "human sacrifice." Regardless of if they should be labeled as sacrifices or not, the fact that the number of prisoners being offered to the ancestors declined was a bad omen for religious conservatives in Asanteman.

The reactionary backlash against Mensa Bonsu's reforms, but more generally the decline of Ashanti power and stability, took the form of a man named Kwaku. Kwaku, who claimed to be possessed by the spirit of the great Ashanti religious leader Anokye, declared himself to be the new religious leader, or Okomfo, of Asanteman. Kwaku alleged that the blame for the decline of Ashanti society could be firmly placed at the hands of a conspiracy of witches.

1925 carving of a "Sasabonsam", a supernatural creature said to act as an ally of witches

    The Ashanti view of witchcraft should not be mistaken for the Akom religion as a whole. Rather, witches were viewed as people who abused supernatural magics for evil purposes. This usually took for the form of poisoning pregnant women. As a result, witchcraft mythology in Asanteman largely functioned as an explanation for traumatic events like miscarriages or bearing children with severe defects. Witches in Akan folklore are also unusually monstrous, sometimes resembling the western myth of a "vampire" more than western conceptions of witches. 

    Kwaku preached that, if the Ashanti could destroy the conspiracy of witches, then they could reinvigorate Ashanti society as a whole. Mensa Bonsu initially supported this movement, viewing it as a potentially useful political ally. However, when the Domankama began to set up a rival court for trying accused witches, they became a threat not only to the king's authority as the primary lawgiver in the country, but also to one of his primary revenue sources. 

A site of judgment in Kranka, modern Brong-Ahafo, rumored to be a place where accused witches were punished.

The relationship could not last. In 1879, members of the Domankama marched on the Ashanti palace on the orders of Okomfo Kwaku. They planned to overthrow Mensa Bonsu, who was clearly a stooge for the cabal witches or, even worse, in league with them. The attempt failed, but not before one of the mob had the opportunity to fire one of their weapons at the asantehene's head. The assassination attempt, which narrowly failed, would leave a permanent mark on the psyche of Mensa Bonsu. The asantehene's worst traits would become more intense as his once moderate paranoia began to consume him.

S3E25: The Juaben War

Mensa Bonsu Posing with his Mother

The latest episode of the History of Africa podcast picks up where our last one left off. Kofi Kakari, after leading his nation to a defeat in a war that he was never especially enthusiastic about in the first place, was impeached after he was caught robbing graves in order to pay for a war indemnity to the British. He was exiled from Kumasi to begin what was, ostensibly, a quiet, apolitical life, and replaced by his brother.

Kakari's brother, a quiet, unassuming man named Mensa Bonsu, immediately faced a major challenge upon ascending to the Golden Stool. The king of Juaben, a man by the name of Asafo Agyei, had many reasons to be opposed to Mensa Bonsu's rule. Not only had the kings of Juaben faced mistreatment and persecution by the Asantehenes of the past, but the rise of Mensa Bonsu, in particular, was threatening. Agyei, due to disagreeing with the battle plans supported by Kakari, had refused to take part in the battle of Amofo. This move, which deprived the Ashanti army of many of its best equipped veteran soldiers, played a major role in turning the battle into a British victory. Asafo Agyei feared that Kakari's brother would attempt to prosecute him for this choice. When the Asantemanhyiamu voted to confirm Mensa Bonsu's enstoolment, Agyei and several allied towns chose to secede from the Ashanti Empire, forming a long federation that stretched from the outskirts of Mampong in the north to Bekwai in the south. 

Despite some early successes, Agyei and his armies were eventually defeated by a force led by the Gyaasehene Adu Bofour. This allowed Mensa Bonsu to maintain the existing integrity of the Ashanti Empire, as well as showcasing that membership in the Ashanti state was not voluntary. Despite this, the important gold mining region of Adansi managed to slip away from Ashanti influence for more than a decade, becoming a British protectorate.

Map of Ghana after the crushing of the Juaben Revolt

Despite this victory, Mensa Bonsu's rule would not be one of prosperity and peace. Internal unrest would continue to haunt the Ashanti for the remainder of their days. The latter half of his reign will potentially cement his position as the worst man to ever rule the Ashanti Empire and a terrible person more generally. 

With the end of the Ashanti Empire rapidly approaching, now seems like a good time to announce that we are commencing a poll about the topic of our next season. Next season will take place somewhere in South or Central Africa, and will be determined by a vote by the show's Patreon supporters. So, if you'd like to take part in the vote, join us and support the show at Patreon.com/historyofafrica.