Indigenous African Diplomacy: An Asante Case Study

Abstract

In 1894 the Asante government of Agyeman Prempe I dispatched a highpowered embassy of seven to present its case the preservation of Asante sovereignty in the face of British colonial encroachments before the government of England. The governing Asantemanhyiamu (council of state), which was the commissioning body for this and all major embassies, took particular pains not only in its selection of suitable envoys, but also in delineating each member's credentials. Kwame Boaten, the Kyidomhene and a senior councillor who was well acquainted with British affairs, was appointed the head of the embassy. However, owing to Kwame Boaten's inability to read or write English, leadership was entrusted to John Owusu Ansa, Jr., with the powers of ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Kwaku Fokuo, as an okyeame (counselor) skilled in the art of oratory, was the group's spokesman. The embassy itself was mandated to present before the English government diverse matters affecting the good estate of our kingdom and the well-being of our subjects.1 Although the embassy's achievements were limited in nature in relation to its purpose, it marked the climax of a century of intensive diplomatic activity between Asante and its neighbors, both African and European, which had resulted in the development and standardization of procedures associated with diplomatic appointment, representation, conduct, and communication in Asante matters which this essay seeks to examine more fully.2 The duality symbolized by the appointment of co-leaders Owusu Ansa and Kwame Boaten, the former representing the adoption of Western influences and mechanisms of communication through his British education, and the latter representing the retention of traditional systems, gave evidence of a growing diplomatic institution that was capable of adapting for the sake of efficiency; indeed, the embassy was appointed and equipped with both written and oral credentials. This paper is concerned with traditional diplomatic practice in Asante. It seeks to analyze the personnel who engaged in diplomacy and their operating procedures: ranking, eligibility, mandate, functions, and other personnel policies; discuss the mechanisms of