Facing Land Grabs, Ghana’s Benimasi-Boadi People Cry Out for Justice
As we commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a somber truth casts a shadow over our celebrations. In the heart of Ghana, the voices of my people, the Indigenous People of Benimasi-Boadi near Kumasi, resonate through our ancestral lands, serving as a poignant reminder of the ongoing theft of our heritage.
Hailing from the revered grounds of the ancient Ashanti Empire, we, the Indigenous People of Benimasi-Boadi, carry the sacred lineage of King Osei Tutu I, the empire’s founder. Our roots, deeply entwined with the matrilineal tapestry of history, stem from a royal grant bestowed upon Queen Huahi Achama Tutuwaa, the esteemed consort of our ancestor. Their cherished offspring, Oheneba Konadu Afia-Ofi, became the progenitor of our Indigenous community.
These ancestral lands, the eternal resting place of our revered maternal ancestor, Queen Tutuwaa, have been lovingly nurtured through generations and are currently under the stewardship of Odeneho Odishie Kwabena Badu. Yet, a cruel irony shadows this sacred heritage. Our community, once entrusted with safeguarding our cultural and exotic birthright, now faces relentless disparagement, persecution and criminalisation.
