By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The distant thrum of the “Fontomfrom” drums, echoed through the palace walls, signalling the arrival of the 15th Asantehemaa.
An elderly woman, Odehyie Nana Ama Bonsu I, is officially outdoored as the 15th Asantehemaa (Queen Mother) of the Asante Kingdom. The date, July 6, 2026, is set in stone and etched in history at the Manhyia Palace, succeeding the late Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
Immediately after the announcement of the selection and further enstoolment of Nana Ama Bonsu I, many tongues began to wag, as to why a younger woman was not chosen to succeed the late Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
The question hung in the hot afternoon air of the palace courtyard. A young teenager, Afia (not her real name) looked up at one of the older women seated, who was old enough to be her grandmother, a senior queen mother of the clan, whose skin was a tapestry of wisdom, woven in time.
The elder smiled, the gold weights on her wrists clicking softly. “Because, my child, the Asantehemaa is not just a ruler. She is the lock and the key to the nation’s soul.”
The senior queen mother pulled Afia closer, pointing toward the stool room where the ancestral spirits were said to rest.
“A young woman’s womb belongs to her husband and the expansion of her house. But an older woman has completed that journey. Her blood has cooled, and her personal desires have quieted. When she steps past her childbearing years, she no longer belongs to one man or one family. She belongs to all of Asanteman,” she said.
Afia listened intently as the senior queen mother explained the sacred balance of power.
The Asantehemaa serves as the kingmaker because only she can indisputably trace the royal lineage. She holds the ultimate veto when it comes to who becomes Asantehene. While the Asantehene sits upon the Golden Stool to lead in statecraft or war, he is born of a woman. And it is the Asantehemaa who knows the true bloodlines.
To choose a king, the senior queen mother whispered, “requires a mind untouched by the passions of youth. It demands a woman who has buried secrets, raised generations, and watched the seasons turn. An older woman carries historical memory. She should not react with anger; she counsels with patience.
“Look at our newly enstooled mother,” the senior queen mother concluded, looking toward the heavy wooden doors.
” Odehyie Nana Ama Bonsu I stands there not in the dawn of her life, but in its golden twilight. It is only when the distractions of youth are cleared away that a woman can truly carry the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders.”
As Afia sat listening in owe, she couldn’t help but ask, ” so who appoints the Asantehemaa”?
