Why King Prempeh I Surrendered to British Without Opposition

According to the Applied Historian at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Otumfuo Agyemang Prempeh I’s decision to opt for peace over war by surrendering himself to the British was one that was based on insight rather than a collusion with the colonial masters or cowardice.

Delivering a lecture on the events that resulted in the exile of the 13th Monarch, he dispelled the conspiracy theories linked to the King over his decision.

He noted that the decision was based on consideration of the state of the Kingdom at the time, the fragile union in the kingdom, the strength of the enemy among others.

“Such naysayers have overlooked the fact that Asante at the time believed in diplomacy and also believed that the British would conduct themselves in like manners. Certainly King Prempeh could not mortgage the future of Asante that had seen many wars including the destruction of Kumasi and the internal wrangling that had lasted for several years. The new military technology of the British was well known. Asante had to leave to live to fight another day.”

He noted that it was based on that strategic decision that Asante is not extinct among world kingdoms today.

“As you can see, the union is well and alive today with its many opportunities, challenges, planned progress and fortuitousness,” he proudly remarked.

Prof Adu Gyamfi lectured that Asante’s fierce resistance to subjugation by foreign powers coupled with other factors attracted attention to the Asantes. This was at a critical moment when European countries had shared Africa among themselves on paper and had set out to implement the paperwork.

As such, he noted, that any kind of resistance like that of the Asantes had to be retaliated with military force that ended in exile or killing.

“The 1896 British invasion of Asante and the exile of Premeph I represented the convergence of economic imperialism, political ambition and strategic colonial interest. The event exemplifies how European colonial powers used military force to achieve economic and political objectives often under the guise establishing protection or civilization with racism.”

“This exile episode marked the end of a century of intense diplomatic activities between Asante and its neighours including African and European nations which had helped to develop standardized practices related to diplomatic appointments, representations, conducts and strategy in diplomatic practice,” he highlighted.

Arrival in Seychelles
King Prempeh I arrived on the shores of Seychelles on November 11, 1900 with 52 people which included 14 Chiefs, 13 women, 13 children and 12 attendants. Meanwhile, the later arrival of Nana Yaa Asantewaa brought the total of Asantes on the land to 75.

Speaking about his life in Seychelles, the Director of Creole Language and Culture Research Institute at the University of Seychelles, Dr Penda Choppa said he was known as an ex-King by natives “as if he had been stripped off his kingship”.

However, he was accorded the needed respect and dignity, being “accepted” as leader of the inmates who were named as Asante camp.

The King, having recognized the fertility of the land in Seychelles ventured into agriculture, producing maize, plantain, cocoyam and other crops while his wives engaged in the rearing of animals for sale and consumption.

Additionally, he established a vanilla plantation to earn a more stable income, as vanilla was a cash crop at the time.

According to her, he “tried to become more self-sufficient and not too dependent”.

Another notable venture the late Monarch embarked on in Seychelles was pursuing education for himself, as well as for his sons and the children in his camp.

He was assisted by Timothy Korsah, his Fante interpreter.

Prempeh I is said to have written to the Principal of Victoria School to assist him with books and copy books to aid him in his study. A historian also cites him to have borrowed books from a library.

Records also showed he wrote letters and subsequently scripted a book on history of Asante.

The King is known to have influenced Seychelles in the area of medicine. His knowledge in this was shared with the local people and then later transmitted to Seychelles’ most famous herbalist, Charles Zialor.

According to Prof Choppa, Premeph I who was exiled at the age of 26, gained interest in Christianity over time.

“His eagerness to convert to a Christian was only second to his eagerness for education. While he did not outrightly impose Christianity on his followers, he did encourage them to convert.”

He is said to have been baptised alongside the queen and others at Anglican Church of Victoria.

Touching on the legacy of the King, She said he was the bedrock for the current diplomatic ties between Ghana and Seychelles.

“The King’s memory of the archipelago as well as the Seychelles people’s memory of him has resulted in the strengthening of diplomatic ties between Seychelles and Ghana and most importantly between the Seychellois and the Asante people. This is symbolised in the presence of the President of Seychelles at the invitation of the President of Ghana and the present Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The bonds between our two countries are not cemented by our historical memory of friendship and respect of both parties but also by the fact that members of King Prempeh’s entourage including his sons married Seychellois women, mixing the bloodline of these two nations.”

Return
In his address, the Director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, Dr Ivor Agyeman-Duah said the King after nearly 28 years in exile returned home on November 12, 1924.

Eager subjects in Kumasi, he recounted, slept over at the Kumasi Railway Station on the eve of his arrival.

Prempeh I stepped out in a suit, and it was a moment of revelry and joy for his people, who had longed for their King for more than two decades. He held a Thanksgiving Service at the St Cyprians Church in reflection of his roots in Christianity.

“He was eager to learn about Christianity,” Dr Agyeman-Duah said, adding that he encouraged royals to accept Christianity.

The Manhyia Palace held a Symposium at the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Jubilee Hall in Kumasi in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Asantehene Agyemang Premeph I’s return from exile on November 22, 2024.

In attendance were Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, Nananom, Lady Julia, wife of the Asantehene, H.E Wavel Ramkalawan, the President of Seychelles, H.E. Linda Ramkalawan, the First Lady of Seychelles, H.E John Agyekum Kufuor, former President of Ghana, H.E. Harriet Thompson, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Hon Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister and many others.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the 2024 Anniversaries Planning Committee, Nana Otuo Siriboe II said the event was a moment of reflection, celebration and deep reverence for resilience, courage and leadership of the late King as well as the unwavering strength of Asanteman.

According to him, the event in the past was not just a test of personal strength and endurance but also a test of Asanteman which was surmounted.

“For us, it was a powerful reminder that no matter how far away our leaders may be, no matter how oppressive the conditions we face, the Asante spirit sealed with the sacred Golden Stool cannot be exiled. It cannot be silenced. It is indeed eternal.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini