Resist Temptation To Be Defined By Violence; Asantehene Counsels Trinidad And Tobago
The overlord of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has urged the people of Trinidad and Tobago to set a pace that reflects the values and heritage of Africa- their continent of descent by resisting violence.
“Here in Trinidad and other sister islands in the Caribbean, we have an upsurge of needless violence often fueled by drugs. I cannot pretend to know all the reasons or the answers but I am sure it reflects a degree of despair that has the potential to set our nations farther back,” Otumfuo said.
He referenced the struggles of the Asante Kingdom and the fact that the world evolved from the continent to encourage the country in waking up to deal with its challenges.
“I also know one thing, {that} giving in to despair does not reflect the African. As king of the African mighty warrior, I can assure you that the African Kingdom does not cower under adversity. If it were not so we would have been wiped out of the face of earth long before our time. Africa has been proven to be the cradle of the human race. It was from the shores of Africa that humans first drifted to lands now known as Asia, Europe and America.
“That being the fact, can we not say with pride that our great great great grandmother, mine as well as yours, is truly the mother and midwife of the human race? Yes, we can. Why should we allow others to steal our pride, occupy our true heritage and leave us in despair.”
His Majesty asserted that the true African Spirit stands against challenges and then advised, “We must resist the temptation to be defined by needless violence, by slothfulness and indiscipline. The Asante Kingdom has survived because of the fidelity of the people to the golden stool and their King. They are disciplined and hardworking. These are the qualities we cherish in our stock.”
The dual-island country was ranked 6th by the World of Statistics (WOS) for being among the most criminal countries” in the world with a violent crime rate of 38.57 incidents per 100,000 people, which is much higher than the global average.
