[b]"(bbc) – Dutch officials have handed back to Ghana the head of a king who was executed by colonists in the 1830s.

Tribal elders led a ceremony in The Hague to hand over the head of Badu Bonsu II, stored in a Dutch museum for 170 years.

The king, who was leader of the Ahanta group, is believed to have been decapitated in retaliation for the killing of two Dutch emissaries.

Some believe the king would not be at rest unless his head was returned.

Several Ghanaian traditional leaders – including a descendant of the king – held an emotional ritual during the handover at the Dutch foreign ministry.

AFP news agency reported that they poured alcohol on the floor of the conference room while invoking the chief’s spirit.

“It is because of the injustice meted out to our people that our great king, who was fighting for his people, was murdered,” said Nana Kwekwe Darko III, who led the ceremony.

The Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement that King Bonsu had killed two Dutch officials in 1838 and was “handed over by his own nation” to colonialists.

‘Hunted in the afterlife’

Arthur Japin, a Dutch author who researched King Bonsu, says the head was brought to the Netherlands, possibly by mistake, shortly after the king was killed.

A Dutch general had been asked to bring back “heads” from Ghana to be studied by a famous phrenologist – a scientist who believes the character of a person can be determined by the shape of the skull.

“He probably meant just some drawings of different types of people but the general took this literally and he took the head and put it in formaldehyde and put it on the ship,” Mr Japin told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.

During the voyage home the general died, and his body was also preserved.

On the expedition’s return, King Bonsu’s head was given to the Leiden University Medical Centre, where it has been ever since.

After hearing of the head’s location in 2008, Ghana filed a request for its return, saying if it remained unburied, the king would be incomplete and therefore “hunted in the afterlife”.

The traditional leaders are due to return to Ghana with the head on Friday. "[/b]
http://www.allwestafrica.com/240720091646.html

[img]http://vorige.nrc.nl/multimedia/dynamic/00238/eng-ghana_238575a.jpg[/img]

http://vorige.nrc.nl/international/Features/article2309332.ece/Dutch_return_Ghana_chiefs_severed_head
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/5896064/Dutch-return-171-year-old-severed-head-to-Ghana.html

They kept his head? shi.t, just imagine if a black nation did this

Rgp92:

They kept his head? shi.t, just imagine if a black nation did this

exactly

May the soul of this Great King rest for eternity.

PAGAN  9JA:

May the soul of this Great King rest for eternity.

I know, especially with what the dutch did to him

atleast he tried to resist unlike many of us today who embrace the colonist and their customs.

i know the Ahanta peoples. many still practice traditional religion which is good considering the sacrifices done in the past.

PAGAN  9JA:

atleast he tried to resist unlike many of us today who embrace the colonist and their customs.

i know the Ahanta peoples. many still practice traditional religion which is good considering the sacrifices done in the past.

oh that's interesting, I didn't know many Ashanti still practice the old religion. The only ghanians I know are from the Ewe tribe

anonymous6:

oh that's interesting, I didn't know many Ashanti still practice the old religion. The only ghanians I know are from the Ewe tribe

no no. these are Ahantaa peoples not Ashanti, thought it is true that they are all Akan peoples. Ashanti have very few practicer of trad. religion.

yes Ewe also have large population of Pagan peoples.

however our goal is to make it 100% not just a few practicers here and there. it MUST be 100%.

PAGAN  9JA:


no no. these are Ahantaa peoples not Ashanti, thought it is true that they are all Akan peoples. Ashanti have very few practicer of trad. religion.

yes Ewe also have large population of Pagan peoples.

however our goal is to make it 100% not just a few practicers here and there. it MUST be 100%.

Got it the Ahantaa people but I must admit it is impossible when it comes to getting a 100% ghanians practicing the old religion; it's inevitable

nothing is impossible. if we wrok hard and put in our effort then we will succeed. i am sure of it.

PAGAN 9JA:

nothing is impossible. if we wrok hard and put in our effort then we will succeed. i am sure of it.

OK, wish you good luck on that

thank you.

Lets start by conquering the mind of our people.

Rgp92:

Lets start by conquering the mind of our people.

I agree, when it comes to economic progression, along with other things

Rgp92:

Lets start by conquering the mind of our people.

Let's destroy religion like the Chinese did!! Chrsitainity is holding us back, we wait for sky daddy for everything without oding anything. Pray all day and et nothing. I heard a Nigeiran nurse yelling JESUS JESUS to save her patient. It is terrible.

igbo2011:

Let's destroy religion like the Chinese did!! Chrsitainity is holding us back, we wait for sky daddy for everything without oding anything. Pray all day and et nothing. I heard a Nigeiran nurse yelling JESUS JESUS to save her patient. It is terrible.

Give them food, education and jobs, and you'll see. In order to win the heart of your people, you'll have to do something good for them. Many Nigerians are christian because of the government and the system. Can you blame them?

igbo2011:

Let's destroy religion like the Chinese did!! Chrsitainity is holding us back, we wait for sky daddy for everything without oding anything. Pray all day and et nothing. I heard a Nigeiran nurse yelling JESUS JESUS to save her patient. It is terrible.

why destroy religion just because christianity corrupted it

then we will truly have been defeated.

PAGAN 9JA:


why destroy religion just because christianity corrupted it

then we will truly have been defeated.

you two have points, all religion has it's good and bad