Yaa Asantewaa

She got into a polygamous marriage with a Kumasi man and had a daughter from the marriage called Nana Ama Serwaah of Boankra.

She was born in c.1840 in Besease, Ashanti Empire as the elder of two children of Ataa Po and Ampomah of Ampabame. Her parents were farmers. Her brother, Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpese became the Edwesuhene that is ruler of Edwesu.

She grew up as other children of her community and cultivated crops around Bonankra, presently a town in south-central Ghana.

Yaa Asantewaa had witnessed several events including civil war from 1883 to 1888 during her brother’s rule that posed threat to the future of the Ashanti Confederacy. She was inducted queen mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire by her brother and following his death in 1894, she used such right and nominated her own grandson as Ejisuhene.

In 1896, the King of Asante Prempeh I, other members of the Asante government as also Yaa Asantewaa’s grandson were exiled by the British to the Seychelles following which she became regent of the Ejisu–Juaben district.

British colonial administrator Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, the then governor-general of the Gold Coast, made a political error by demanding to sit on the royal and divine throne of the Ashanti people, the Golden Stool. He did not understand the significance of the Golden Stool that is the very symbol of the Ashanti people, living, dead, and yet to be born. Moreover he also commanded a search for the stool.

This led the rest of the members of Asante government to hold a confidential meeting at Kumasi to find out a solution to secure the king’s return.

Yaa Asantewaa was also present in the meeting. She was disgusted to see that some of the members of the council were fearful of getting into war with the British and were suggesting to earnestly requesting Hodgson to free the king rather than fight for the king’s return and dignity.

The War of the Golden Stool, also famous as the Yaa Asantewaa War, the Ashanti Uprising and the Third Ashanti Expedition that began in March 1900 marked the last war in a series of Anglo-Ashanti Wars fought between the Empire of Ashanti and British Imperial government of the Gold Coast.

A siege under leadership of Yaa Asantewaa was laid by the rebellion to the Kumasi fort where the British and their allies took refuge. The Ashanti cut telegraph wires, blocked all roads and food supplies and attacked relief columns.

Although a rescue team of 700 came in June 1900, they were unable to evacuate several sick men in the fort. However Hodgson and his wife with the rest including hundred Hausas managed to dodge the 12,000 Ashanti warriors to reach the coast.

After arriving at the coast Hodgson found a second rescue force of 1000 men who gathered from different British units and police forces. The rescue force under the command of Major James Willcocks fought several groups allied with the Ashanti on its way and suffered several casualties, particularly at Kokofu. The force arrived at Beckwai in early July 1900 and made it to Kumasi for the final assault on July 14. Willcocks ultimately relieved the Kumasi fort on the evening of July 15, when the inhabitants were a couple of days away from surrendering themselves.

The war concluded with a British victory in September 1900 while Yaa Asantewaa was captured along with 15 of her closest advisers and were exiled to the Seychelles for 25 years.