The last Sunday of March marked Akwasidae customary rites in which the Asante King (Asantehene) venerated his ancestors and sat in state at Manhyia Kumasi to take homage from his subjects.
This time around the King’s nuclear family made up of his wife and children stepped up to show their respects, and to felicitate with him.
Usually in the background, this was a rare moment of seeing the hushed part of the King’s life, especially in revealing his biological children.
His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has four children. Nana Opoku Ware, Nana Afua Kobi, Nana Mensah Bonsu and Nana Kyeretwie. The King’s wife, Her Royal Highness Lady Julia who is also laid-back occasionally dashes the public by either pairing up with her husband during events or in a solitary capacity and accompanied by assistants.
The couple’s children bear the names of some of the great Ashanti heroes and heroines who were either traditional rulers or in the ancestral line. This then symbolically suggests in the year of his silver jubilee the apex royal household may outdoor the traditions which have remained latent to the public.
