Heartbreak & Betrayal: The Loss of Ashanti's Ancestral Soul

Oral statement by Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu at the 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), delivered in April 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In this address, Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu appeals to the United Nations for protection against the alleged illegal seizure of the Indigenous Benimasi-Boadi community's 16th-century ancestral lands in Ghana. He details a pattern of systemic harassment, including a direct threat from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and an account of being tortured for six days in police custody for his activism.

The address concludes by calling for international support to hold traditional councils accountable and to uphold the Land Act of 2020 against judicial interference — a landmark moment in the Benimasi-Boadi community's fight for justice.