You Don’t Have to Choose Between Being Modern and Being African — Asantehene
The Overlord of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reassured young Africans and members of the diaspora that global professional excellence does not require the abandonment of cultural identity.
His Majesty rejected the false dichotomy between tradition and modern progress, calling on youth to anchor top-tier careers in their rich heritage.
Addressing an audience of students, scholars, and youth leaders at Cramton Auditorium in a lecture at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, he stated that professional success at the highest international levels and deep cultural grounding are mutually reinforcing.
“You are not required to choose between being modern and being African,” he said.
“You can be a scientist, physician, engineer, lawyer or whatever of the highest international standing and remain deeply grounded in the cultural inheritance in which you emerged.”
The King urged young people to go beyond surface-level cultural displays and take an active, intellectual role in preserving and updating custom.
He emphasised that respecting heritage requires critical thought, moral courage, and creative contribution rather than passive compliance.
“However valuable these expressions may be, heritage requires deeper engagement. At the same time, you should not accept every inherited practice without question because respect for tradition does not require intellectual silence. Ask questions, investigate claims, challenge injustice, preserve what is valuable, correct what must be corrected and add to the inheritance of your own creativity.”
Underscoring the pivotal role of the younger generation in driving cultural continuity, the King made it clear that traditional leaders alone cannot safeguard heritage in a rapidly changing world.
“The future of African culture will not be secured by elders alone. It will be secured when young people discover within their inheritance intellectual and moral resources that help them confront the problems of their present generation.”
Story by Hajara Fuseini
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
