Asanteman Council announces dates to commemorate 1874 Sagrenti war

The Asanteman Council has announced the dates for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the 3rd Anglo-Asante war also known as the Sagrenti war.

Giving details, the Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siriboe II said the anniversary will be marked with a symposium on February 6, 2024 , and a durbar on February 8, 2024.

“The war was fought on 6th February. The plan we have on the table is that we will hold a symposium on the 6th of February , and on the 8th, we will hold a durbar,” he said at the last meeting of the year of the Asanteman Council at the Manhyia Palace.

The anniversary of the Sagrenti war will be one of the important events to be celebrated in Asanteman in 2024, a year which will above all, witness the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The Juabenhene further indicated that, a 700-page book on the history of the Asante Kingdom put together by the British in collaboration with traditional rulers of the Kingdom will be launched

Sagrenti war
In 1874, the British army led by General Sir Garnet Wolseley charged on the Asante army which had earlier inflicted a crushing defeat on the British , and had also been attacking the coastal states of the Gold Coast.

Sir Garnet Wolseley and his forces crossed the Pra River into the Asante territory.  Because the people of Gold Coast could not pronounce the name Sir Garnet Wolseley, the war was referred to as the “Sagrenti War”.
An article titled, “ the Sagrenti war and the sacking of Kumasi” published by the Edward A. Ulzen Foundation, gives a graphic description of the war.

“The capital, Kumasi, was abandoned by the Ashanti when the British arrived on February 4. They demolished the royal palace with explosives, leaving Kumasi a heap of smouldering ruins”.

The British also looted the palace of gold ornaments , which discussions are currently ongoing for their return to Kumasi.

The Asantehene signed the harsh Treaty of Fomena in March 1874 to end the war. Among articles of the treaty between Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland and the King of Asante Kofi Karikari were that “The King promises to pay the sum of 50,000 ounces of approved gold as indemnity for the expenses he has occasioned to Her Majesty the Queen of England by the war.”

Additionally, the Asantehene agreed to withdraw his troops from the coast, to keep the trade routes open. The British victory and the Treaty of Fomena ended the Asante dream of bringing the coastal states under their power.

Wolseley was promoted and showered with honours. British casualties were 18 dead from combat and 55 from disease (70%), with 185 wounded.