The personality of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bavumia, continues to be a force to draw members to public events within and outside the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
His appearance at last Sunday’s Akwaside at Manahia Palace in the Ashanti region is testament to the fact that the second gentleman remains toast to many.
With more than 80 Members of Parliament (MPs), most of whom are from the Ashanti region, Dr. Bawumia became the center of attraction as patrons could not stop admiring his humility and shouted his name in praise.
This is not the first time the Vice President is participating in Akwaside which is an important event in the calendar of the Ashanti Kingdom.
The festival is celebrated by Ashantis near and far.
The festival is celebrated once every six weeks on a Sunday and is believed to be next in importance to the National Day celebrations.
The ceremony opens in the throne room, where only initiations are performed. Ritual libations of blood and schnapps are poured onto the thrones of former kings as offerings to them and the ancestors.
Then the king, Asantehene, appears in the royal court where he sits under a large brightly colored canopy. Dressed in vibrant colors and adorned with large pieces of antique gold jewelry, he greets his people. (Ashanti gold jewelry and masks are part of the exquisite pieces of African art)
In front of the king, a corridor opens where members of the court come to swear allegiance to the king and present him with some gifts. In the shadow of their umbrellas are chiefs, sword bearers, bearers of ritual knives, armed guards with loaded rifles and nobles in ostrich feathered wings. The dignitaries of the court sit next to the king.
The royal speaker, called the “linguist”, stands at the side of the king and holds a golden scepter in his hands, as a symbol of Asanteni power. The Queen Mother, the most important woman in the kingdom, is also present and surrounded by her court made up exclusively of women. To accompany the ceremony, “horses” tell the glorious tales of past Ashanti kings, musicians beat drums and ivory horns to the rhythm of the ceremony, and women clad in bright red dance dances that are delicate and fast paced. perform the traditional steps that characterize a succession of ,
Bawumia-Otumfuo relationship
The Vice President has had a very personal relationship with the Ashanti King, whom he regards as a father figure.
During the funeral of Bawumia’s mother in 2021, Otumfuo issued a communiqué expressing sympathy with the family, despite sending a high-level delegation.
A distraught Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said he is sad the mother of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bavumia, Hajiya Mariama Bavumia will not live to see what the future holds for her son.
“On the list of honorees is Hajiya Mariama Bawumia. She was not only the steady heart behind one of the giants of politics in the north during one of the most tumultuous periods in Ghanaian history, her guidance and the Tutelaghwas created a family whose influence on Ghanaian politics would be felt for generations, Otumfuo said in his tribute.