The Asante kingdom is one of the vibrant ethnic societies in Ghana and on the African continent. The powers exercised by its traditional council are supreme and highly respected. Current events in Ghana illustrate the supremacy of the powers of the Asante king (Asantehene). Due to the sad passing of the queen mother of the Asante kingdom (Asantehemaa), the traditional council of the Asante kingdom has imposed a curfew, the observance of silence and a ban on the organization of funeral rites, endorsed by the ruling government in the jurisdiction . of the kingdom This forces all residents, whether local or foreign, to stay indoors after seven at night. Many people have expressed their disgust at this restriction as a violation of the rights of residents in those parts of the Ashanti region of Ghana. Yet such is the power of the higher authority and culture of the vibrant Asante kingdom.
Culturally, when a royal from the ruling class in the Asante kingdom dies, the subjects are not supposed to organize any funeral ceremonies until the deceased royal is buried and the final mortuary rites are performed. This is branded as an act of sacrilege and respect for the dead member of the royal family that rules the Asante people. Of course, in extreme circumstances that call for the immediate burial of a deceased family member, the burial must be carried out with the observance of total silence. That implies that the bereaved family is prohibited from mourning or crying over their great loss. Families that cannot succumb to this order have to wait for the royal burial ceremony to be arranged by the ruling class before organizing funeral rites for their deceased.
Aside from the observance of silence during the burial of a deceased member, everyone who lives on the grounds of the Asante kingdom, including commercial businesses, restaurants, pubs, and others, must not make any kind of noise, such as the melodies of music. , drums, jubilation or whatever. This is done to perpetually instill in the minds of the members of society their great loss. It is meant to make the members of the ethnic society respect the laws, orders, and laws emanating from the Asante kingdom.
In addition, on the first Saturday of the day scheduled for the burial ceremony, a compulsory participation of all residents in the jurisdiction of the Asante kingdom is organized to carry out massive environmental sanitation and cleaning exercises. All clogged gutters and debris must be properly disposed of. It is believed among the Asante that the ancestors would visit the people at the burial ceremony. Therefore, the surroundings of the residents must be tidy to indicate that they have respect for the ancestors who constantly supervise their daily activities and make them successful. However, a sorry state of the environment, marked by dirt, would provoke his anger, disgust and bad luck for the members of society and the entire Asante kingdom. Therefore, the traditional council of the Asante kingdom carefully monitors and inspects every nook and cranny to ensure that its entire landmass is free from dirt and any form of filth.
Deep respect and awe for the traditional council that governs the Asante kingdom prompts members to heed the call. Failure to comply with these restrictions is believed to attract the displeasure of the gods and ancestors. They can inflict a punishment of eternal death and a wave of diseases on all members of the kingdom who do not respect the restrictions imposed by the traditional Asante kingdom. It is even said that the punishment imposed can be extended to innocent members of the same family lineage as the offender. Also, the traditional court sometimes picks up the culprit and they may not be seen again or probably executed by the executioners (Abrafo) in the palace. Special monetary penalties and pacification sacrifices are sometimes required to make said culprits pay and serve as powerful lessons for other members of the realm not to violate the orders of the traditional council.
This shows the supreme power and influence of the ruling authority of the Asante traditional court even in the face of globalization and modernization. It also shows the great impact and resilience of Asante cultural traditions, practices and customs. Therefore, the Asante traditional council can be used as a sanctioning agency empowered to enforce strict laws and acts related to key areas of development such as environmental degradation. In the age of modernity in Ghana, where residents easily break the rules, the highly deteriorated state of the country’s economy can be remedied by drawing on the powers and influence of traditional government institutions. Probably a perfect way forward is to harness the great powers of the traditional councils of the various ethnic societies to enforce development agendas in their various jurisdictions.