Ahanta West MP alleges colonial distortion of Ahanta history by Dutch authorities

The Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, Mavis Kuukua Bissue, has alleged that European colonial powers, particularly the Dutch, distorted the historical narrative of the Ahanta people during the colonial era.

She made the remarks on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday as part of activities marking Ahanta Heritage Month, a traditional celebration aimed at promoting the culture, history and identity of the Ahanta people in the Western Region.

According to her, colonial accounts significantly misrepresented the role and contributions of the Ahanta people in Ghana’s historical development, thereby muddying aspects of their legacy.

She stated that the Ahanta people played a significant role during the colonial period, recalling that the then-king of the Ahanta, Badu Bonsu II, engaged in prolonged resistance against the Dutch, winning several battles before eventually being defeated.

She further noted that his remains were taken away and later returned to Ghana.

“One thing that the white people did, or the Dutch people did, was to mess our history up, as in when he (Badu Bonsu II) killed and took away, they (the Dutch) decided to change things for us,” she claimed.

“They put a paramount chief there, put a divisional chief there, they changed things and made sure that we got confused and then turned his (Badu Bonsu II) history,” she added.

Ms Bissue suggested that such accounts, as preserved or recorded by colonial authorities, contributed to a skewed understanding of the tribe’s history.

Ahanta Heritage Month continues to serve as a platform for cultural reflection, traditional displays and historical education aimed at strengthening communal identity and preserving indigenous heritage in the Ahanta West Constituency.

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)