This is Joe Passarsa. Ampa!!, amanfoo ye dodookabea; ena omanni nso ye baakokabea. Omani ye
asemfua bi a worente no pii wo yen Akan kasa no mu, efiri se, Nananom se; "obi renkyere obi ase".
Anuanom, mo ma yeni ho abooboo!
Before the arrival of Don Diego d'Asambuja on the coast of Edina in 1471, there were several well
established "Nations" in West Africa. One of these Nations was Asante (Ashanti). Since their southward
movement from Kumbi Sale in the old Ghana Empire the Ashantis expanded through conquering and
annexation of defeated nations or volks. In most of their wars the Ashantis never killed women and children,
they rather married some of them and conscripted the younger men into their army. The beginning of
polygamy in the Ashanti society?
Let's jump to the era of Ohenekesee Osei Tutu and his friend Okomfo Anokye. The first confederation in
the history of Ashanti was during the reign of Ohenekesee Osei Tutu. During his time, Ashanti had
conquered many nations of different sizes.
These Nations were "Aman" with it's singular being "Oman". Some of these nations were Gyaman, Akyem
(Asante), Ahafo, Bono, Adansi, Sekyere, Mampong, Amansie, Odotobiri, Kwabere an the rest. When
Osei Tutu, with the help of Okomfo Anokye united all these nations about three hundred and fifty years ago,
he didn't rub the original identity of any of these small nations.
This United Nation (Ashanti) was a conglomerate of many, some of them small independent Nations
(Aman) with their various chiefs: Amanhene. Being proud to be a member of Bono, Odotobiri, Amansie,
Sekyere or Kwabere was (is) not a taboo or forbidden. It was accepted from the onset of the confederation
that we were all Ashantis but I am from Amansieman and you are from Sekyereman. Whenever Ashantis
meet, they were addressed by using the word "Amanfoo"; which is the right word to describe the "coming
together of many "Aman".
Since the time of Osei Tutu, there is the law (mmra) that ; "Obi nkyere obi ase". This means that no Ashanti
should try (within the Ashantis) to discriminate against each other because of different origins. This "mmra"
has been successful to the extent that the Kumasi Traditional Council is the only of it's type in Ghana whose
members comprise the entire tribes living in the city; "Obi nkyere obi ase ampa"!! The word "Oman" was
commonly used in it's second meaning, which is neighbour e.g. "Owura yi ye omanii"- this man is known
here. Where the oman is used in identification with the origin was when one is asked, to which Oman one
belongs; "wo ye oman ben nii?"- meye Kwabereni!
The students of Prempeh College comprise of all Aman of the independent Ghana and foreigners and in
order not to rub Alooma, of his Ga origin, Aboteate of his Ewe, Blankson of his Fanti, Pwasanga of his
Dagomba, Odengo of his Sudanese origin, only the word "Amanfoo" and not "Omanni" better describes us
as one body, namely representatives of more than one "Oman". If we call someone Omanni, then we should
know afterwards which oman one belongs. I think this could cause more segregation than unity. By calling
ourselves Amanfoo, we accept the different backgrounds and at the same time foster unity among ourselves.
Grammatically it is not correct to call one former Prempeh student Amanfoo but politically it is wellcome.
An opposite example is the Ghana and as such modern nation building in Africa. The independence fighters
overtook their colonial territories and reigned as if the different "societies" living in these colonies accepted to
live together. There was no reconciliation and the differences within the various "tribes" were not discussed
or spoken over. We were forced to live peacefully together. No wonder that we have so many wars
between different "aman" in the same country.
Mano asi!! Mobete me nka bio.
