During the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Sagrenti War in a panel discussion on February 6, 2024, revelations emerged about the opposition faced by the decision to engage in war against the British, led by Sir Garnet Wolseley.
Nana Afia Kobi, the Asantehemaa at that time, expressed reservations about the war, advising against it despite her son, Kofi Karikari, occupying the Golden Stool.
Discussing the role of women in Asante’s war and diplomacy, Professor Eugenia Anderson, a historian at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), recounted Afia Kobi’s stance.
On November 20, 1873, at an Asanteman Nhyiamu gathering, she reportedly said, “From olden times, it has been seen that God fights for Asante if war is just. This one is unjust.”
Despite her counsel, the decision of the military general prevailed, leading to the 1874 Sagrenti War, resulting in a significant defeat for the Asantes.
The aftermath saw the dethronement of Kofi Karikari and the ascent of Mensa Bonsu, another son of the Asantehemaa.
Afia Kobi deemed the war against the British unjust, a sentiment supported by Prof. Samuel Ntewusu.
Notably, during a previous war against the Ewes, Asantes abducted Basel Missionaries, leading to the death of a newborn baby of Friedrich Augustus Louis Ramseyer, one of the missionaries.
This event heightened the focus on subduing the Asantes permanently from the perspective of the Basel Missionaries and the British governor.