Asamankese is a town in south
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
and is the capital of
West Akim Municipal District, a district in the
Eastern Region of south Ghana. Asamankese has a 2013 settlement population of approximately 39,435 people.
Asamankese is on the main highway to
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...
and
Accra
Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
in the interior. The people of Asamankese
celebrate the Obuodwan festival.
History
The modern city of Asamankese was founded and occupied by the
Akwamu
The Akwamu Empire was a powerful Akan state that rose to prominence in the 17th century in what is now southeastern Ghana. According to oral tradition, the Akwamu traced their origins to the Twifo-Heman area, but the earliest historical records p ...
. The Akwamus moved south and eastward from Dormaa around the 14th century to
Twifo-Heman, North West Cape Coast. The move was commercially motivated and settled at the Twifo-Heman forest in the later part of the 16th century. Akwamus are Akans, and belonged to the Aduana family who are blood brothers of Asumennya, Dormaa and Kumawu. According to oral tradition, a succession dispute resulted in Otomfuo (brass-smith) Asare leaving to form a new state around a city called Asaremankesee (Asare's big state), now known as Asamankese. The capital of Akwamu later moved to Nyaonase.
Other settlers from Juaben in Ashanti settled at Asamankese. During the reign of Nana Dokua
s both okyehene (king) and ohemaa (queenmother)of
Akyem
The Akyem Kingdoms (also known as Greater Akyem, Akim, Great Akim, or Akan Grande) were prominent Akan people, Akan kingdoms in precolonial Ghana, consisting of the three related states of Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku, and Akyem Bosome. Located in ...
, a section of the Juabens of
Ashanti revolted against the
Golden Stool
The Golden Stool ( Ashanti-; full title, Sika Dwa Kofi "the Golden Stool born on a Friday") is the royal and divine throne of kings of the Asante people and the ultimate symbol of power in Asante. According to legend, Okomfo Anokye, High Priest ...
of Ashanti. The rebels, led by their chief,
Nana Kwaku Boateng, were forced to leave Juaben in Ashanti for the south. They found settlement at Kyebi, Kwabeng, Tafo, Asamankese and other parts of Akyem Abuakwa. As at 2023, the chief of Asamankese was Osabarima Adu Darko III.
Education
In 1963, the natives of Asamankese founded a public mixed secondary school called Asamankese Senior High School (a.k.a. ASASCO).
References
*Ofosu-Mensah, AE & Ansah, GN, "The role of language in ethnic identity: The case of Akwamu in Ghana", Afr. Journ. of Hist. & Culture Vol.4(5), pp. 74–79, June 2012
Populated places in the Eastern Region (Ghana)
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