The Asanteman Council, the highest traditional authority in Asante, has unveiled the schedule for commemorating the 150th anniversary of the 3rd Anglo-Asante war, commonly known as the Sagrenti war.
This conflict resulted in the burning and looting of the palace of the Asantehene, Kofi Karikari.
According to Nana Otuo Siriboe II, the Juabenhene, the anniversary will be observed with a symposium on February 6, 2024, and a durbar on February 8, 2024.
The decision was disclosed during the last meeting of the year of the Asanteman Council at the Manhyia Palace.
“The war was fought on 6th February. The plan we have on the table is that we will hold a symposium on the 6th of February, and on the 8th, we will hold a durbar,” he stated, as reported by Graphic Online’s Kwame Asare Boadu.
The commemoration of the Sagrenti war’s anniversary is set to be a significant event in Asanteman in 2024.
This year will also mark the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Additionally, the Juabenhene revealed that a 700-page book chronicling the history of the Asante Kingdom, compiled in collaboration between the British and traditional rulers of the Kingdom, will be launched.
The Sagrenti war occurred in 1874 when the British army, led by General Sir Garnet Wolseley, confronted the Asante army, which had earlier defeated the British and attacked the coastal states of the Gold Coast.
Referred to as the “Sagrenti War” due to pronunciation challenges, the conflict led to the abandonment of Kumasi by the Ashanti people.
The British, arriving on February 4, demolished the royal palace with explosives, leaving Kumasi in ruins, as documented in an article titled “The Sagrenti War and the Sacking of Kumasi” by the Edward A. Ulzen Foundation.