Asantehene Puts Together A Beautiful Event For Commonwealth Members

The King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II held a durbar for Commonwealth Parliamentarians on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at the Manhyia Palace.

The event was Asantehene’s first public appearance after his return from the United Kingdom.

The Durbar was also in celebration of Ghana being chosen as the host country for the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).

The meeting is the first time Ghana is hosting the Conference and also concurs with the CPC’s 10th Anniversary.

The meeting seeks to bring together over 500 Parliamentarians, Speakers, Presiding Officers, parliamentary staff and decision makers from across the membership of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

Highlighting in the Conference is the threat of terrorism, gender quotas in Parliaments, energy, poverty, sustainable trade, economic development, youth engagement and e-Parliaments.

There will also be various gatherings and conversations including 39th CPA Small Branches Conference; meetings of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) and Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) networks; the 66th CPA General Assembly; governance meetings of the CPA Executive Committee; and the 57th Society of Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT) meeting.

The Conference will end on Friday October 6, 2023. And amidst this meeting, the Asantehene treated the members from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to a rich cultural display.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II held a delightful durbar for the members with lessons of dance, dressing, music, commendation for the Ruler, administration, veneration and some more.

Present were a large number of hierarchies of chief and queen mothers in the Kingdom, linguists, the King’s helpers, etc to make the event colourful.

The members of the CPA which included some Speakers of Parliaments were made familiar with the Asante’s mode of paying homage to the King- the lowering of their one-shoulder-covered cloth. The order for paying homage was also upheld as they witnessed chiefs leading, followed by royals in the Kingdom and then the guests.

They were also treated to some of the Asante cultural dances like Sanga, Brekete, the seductive Sikyi dance and the royal Kete dance.

Africa’s Growth Hinges Upon Its Traditional System- Asantehene

Other than this, they were additionally given striking education about how these cultural dances came about and more.

At the ceremony was Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kngsford Bagbin who doubles as the President of the CPA, and the first Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Hon Joseph Osei-Wusu who showed appreciation to the Asantehene for holding this beautiful durbar for them.

According to the Speaker of Parliament, despite the fact that the delegation had requested an audience with the Monarch due to his prominence, they had little knowledge about the Kingdom and its culture and therefore the event fed them with all nuts and bolts about it.

“We wish to place on records our profound appreciation for Otumfuo Opemsuo Osei Tutu for holding this durbar to honour members of the commonwealth Parliamentary Association. We are honoured and are grateful for the cultural display of all other nananom. Today, many of them are seeing for the first time our mode of dressing. One of them asked me if this is how a typical Asante dresses and I replied in the affirmative. This is a big opportunity for us to showcase Ghana and the part of Ghana to rest of the world. For us, it is an opportunity for the rest of the world what Ghana is.”

The CPA is historically holding their 66th Conference in Accra, Ghana’s capital. The event is bringing together over 500 Parliamentarians, Speakers, Presiding Officers, parliamentary staff and decision makers from across the membership of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).