AWULAE KAKU AKA

The Story of Awule Kaku Aka I: King of Nzema 1840s

Awulae Kaku Aka’s kingship peaked in the 1840s when he decided to unite Nzema people. To do this he needed to free some Nzema tribes from the oppression of the Anyi. So he set out to fight him and succeeded in beheading him. He put out more strategies to annex some Anyi lands in the Gold Coast; for the greater part of the Anyi land fell under the French colony.

Awulae Kaku Aka’s regime troubled the George MacLean leadership. In 1843 George MacLean’s leadership was outlawed by the British government. New governor was posted. Commander Hill assumed the leadership.

He was briefed by George MacLean to be extra careful about the king of Nzema. The new commander strictly acted on the recommendation. In 1844, cunningly, Commander Hill informed all nine coastal kingdoms to sign the Bond of 1844.

What was this Bond About?

Military confrontations between Ashanti and the Fante contributed to the growth of British influence on the Gold Coast, as the Fante states—concerned about Ashanti activities on the coast—signed the Bond of 1844 at Fomena-Adansi, that allowed the British to usurp judicial authority from African courts!

However ONLY eight fante chiefs who came from Assin, Denkyira, Abora, Anumabu and Cape Coast signed the Bond!

Kaku Aka alone stood firm by his principle not to allow foreign imperialism to dictate to him.

He refused to sign the Bond. This is the typical display of an Akan king.

Remember Prempeh I in 1895 refused to succumb to the British offer which led to his arrest with entire family to Seychelles.

The rest of the eight (8) Coastal States betrayed him, despite his warning to them not to sign, particularly the Denkyira and Anomabo kings.

Eight Fante chiefs signed the infamous Bond of 1844. (Assin, Denkyira, Abora, Anumabu and Cape Coast.

Later eleven other chiefs signed the treaty who were the chiefs of Dixcove, Wassa, Fiase, Gomoa and James Town, Accra).

African Kings had innocently and ignorantly entrapped themselves into the gloomy rule of the Europeans.

British Nzema land stood alone as the enemy against the British.

A plan was hatched to silence the ‘stubborn’ king.

Lies were told that he was _“engaging in slave trade against his people”_ due to his bold refusal to sign the Bond of 1844.

Kaku Aka was unperturbed. He stood firm, he strengthened and intensified his system of government. Military defense was arranged. But he encountered a problem within. Some of his people were Saboteurs! Commander Hill strategically filled the Beyinli Fort with troops.

Remember, a history is told that during the 17th century, King Amakyi with the help of Komenle Anor Ekyi (corrupted to Komfo Anokye by the Denkyira people) fought against the Dutch who were inhumanely engaging themselves in slave trade by using the Beyinle Fort, some sources also suggest that okomfo Anokye was an Nzema traditional priest rather his name Annor Ekyie meaning (small Annor).

These Dutch were defeated and abandoned the Fort.

This Fort was refilled with grenades to threaten the leadership of Kaku Aka.Yet! this brave king was not perturbed by these militias.

Kaku Acka transferred the capital town to Adoa_Ne_Bo (Adoabo) to avoid any conflict and interference from the British troop.

All the kingship regalia were transferred to Adoabo with the support of his council of elders and his subjects.

Probably, Commander Hill was informed by the Province Commissioner via the district Resident Commissioner.

Amazingly, the seeds of espionage were planted within Kaku’s reign at Adoabo.His activities were daily reported by his archenemies.

The Europeans who arrived in the Gold Coast were fond of using this “whistleblowing method” in those days to expose their enemies as was done to King Badu Bonsu II, King of Ahanta in 1838 who was executed by the Dutch, who, at the time, were in control of the Dutch Gold Coast.

They used his own people to betray him! King Kaku didn’t know. Until Ebanyele, who was the spy planted by the British, intentionally violated the traditional order.

He was requested to appear before the king as custom demanded to answer or face the accorded justice.

Kaku Aka loved to engage with the accused person through diplomatic dialogue to ascertain his fact before any judicial action taken. He was not as cruel as purported. Since Ebanyele knew he was guilty, he ran as a fugitive from Beyinle to the west of Adoabo to report the lies about his king being so cruel. The order of arrest of Kaku Aka was hinted to the king by his beloved. They were Silenced! He fled to North of Nzema to hide. According to oral tradition, these same local enemies perpetuated lies to dent his image in his absence.

Falsehood was quickly spread about him that he was a cruel king.

That he had no love for his people, he was not human being, but born of a god transformed into human form due to the fact that he was hairy all over.

That he was not democratic in his rule. A whole lot of lies were said about him through the British propaganda machinery. Nothing good was said about him. His enemies succeeded.

The kingdom was shared among themselves while in the exile at Cape Coast. Nzema could not stand as one again as one kingdom. They were now fragmented!

Additionally, what is the status of Nzema today? Disintegrated! Not having one big voice to defend themselves. He was arrested in 1845.

He poorly died in exile at the Cape Coast castle. He died a poor man. He was not honored until Nkrumah had nearly performed his funeral right. Nana Kaku Aka l ruled the Nzema Kingdom in the 1840s and climaxed at the time of the signing of the Bond of 1844 between the British and Coastal Chiefs.

He was captured by the British and was sent to prison after he refused to sign the Bond of 1844.

After his capture the Nzema confederation of United tribes disintegrated into the Evalue, Dwira, Ellembelle and Jomoro, the old Nzema. He was the great Nzema king who sought to unify Nzemaland. But his plans for unity was ruined with the coming of Europeans and partition of Africa.

The partitioning of Africa happened among seven powerful European countries including the Great Britain, Germany, France, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark and Holland.

The partition affected the Nzema kingdom and its people. In 1822 France and the Great Britain amicably agreed to partition the land among themselves, without respecting the will of the indigenous tribe.

The river Tano was officially used as the boundary to divide this great and thorny tribe among the Akan.

The partition weakened the Nzema kingdom and its people. The artificial french Nzema and British Nzema were created. Smaller Nzema kingdoms who served the Beyinle seat as the capital disassociated from the main stream of government because they were now on their own territory by the rules of the partition. Great Nzema was disintegrated due the partition of Africa.

The Portuguese who were scared of the then Nzema kingdom quickly called them APPOLONIANS! (gods)

The Portuguese upon their arrival in Ghana in 1471 before establishing “Gulf of Guinea” which was coincidentally called “Lord of Guinea”, in a far distance in the sea saw the display of lights along the Nzema coast.

These Portuguese were scared as they were approaching the shores of Nzema.

The stricken picture that came into their mind was their scary god APPOLO of Portugal had already taken the lead to strike them should they come further to land the shore.

Little did they know it was display of local touches planted along the shores of Nzema land to provide light made from coal collected along the shores.

Satisfying their curiosity, the Nzema people were named APPOLONIANS in the name of their god, APPOLO.

The Nzema Civil War

After the capture of Kaku Aka, the governor’s prompt action ultimately restored peace and tranquility in the Nzema region.

In appreciation of his service, the Governor made Ebayinle who had been instrumental in capturing Kaku Aka, as a sub-chief for the purpose of settling disputes.

Kaku Aka’s successor, Amakye, had his seat at Beyinle as the overall head of N’zema. The Adoabo’s were resentful of this new dispensation since their chiefship had been subordinated to that of Beyinle.

In about 1867, by a convention between the British and the Dutch merchants, Nzema became subjects to Dutch interim administration. As a result, chiefs and the group in Adoabo , decided to break away from the Dutch who sent messengers to ascertain the truth of this move from the Elders Adoabo. Unfortunately, the messengers were murdered. And immediately a Dutch gun boat went and destroyed Adoabo.

Soon afterwards, Avu of Adoabo hastened to Wassa where he managed to solicit help from some men who accompanied him to fight Amakye at Beyinle. When Amakye learnt of Avu’s advance, he also sought help from the Asante’s who had supported the Dutch.

Then under the command of Safohene Gyani Acka of Nuba, the Beyinle army marched on, and defeated the Adoabo group, killing Avu in the process. Beyinle, therefore, gained complete success in the Avu and Amakye War( the Nzema Civil War), in 1869. His death gave rise to a more severe and universal wave of persecution of opponents and forced many people to flee into exile to save their lives.

In order to maintain peace and tranquility in the region, Nzema was split into two separate states under different principal cities. Beyinli became the capital of Western Nzema Traditional Area, while Adoabo remained the capital of Eastern Nzema.

The people of the two states who originated from one common stock entered a period of rehabilitation and reform, and have since shown remarkable stability and persistence centuries later.

Records of Kings of the new N’zema manle

Names Kings

Date enstooled

Date Died

Ano Bile

1710

1735

Ano Bile Aka

1735

1752

Boa Kpayinli

1735