The historic Okomfo Anokye Cola Tree stump at Feyiase in the Ashanti Region, which was initially felled on the blind side of the community, has started sprouting one month after the tree was cut down.
The Feyiase Traditional Council revealed this development in an interview with JoyNews.
The site has been cordoned off to restrict public access, and purification rites are being conducted to address the incident, which the traditional authority considers “doom and unfortunate.”
A man suspected of felling the Okomfo Anokye Cola Tree at Feyiase has met bail conditions after spending close to a month in custody. The suspect, Solomon Amponsah, was granted GHS20,000 bail with one surety in November.
The charges against him were revised from unlawful damage to the illicit felling of a tree, to which he pleaded not guilty. The case has been adjourned to December 28, 2023, after the prosecution was ordered to file disclosure and relevant documents for the trial.
A team of researchers from the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has visited the site where the Okomfo Anokye Cola Tree was felled to study the tree.
The sacred tree, known as the Okomfo Anokye Bese, holds historical and medicinal significance for the Asante Kingdom. Planted 300 years ago, the cola tree is believed to have grown after the revered chief priest, Okomfo Anokye, spat on the ground while chewing cola nuts.
The sacred tree is reputed to possess magical powers and is central to the community’s history and cultural practices.