History of Africa

Season 3 Episode 30 - The War of the Golden Stool (Part 2)

As the War of the Golden Stool intensifies, the British suffer their biggest defeat in Ghana since Nsamankow at the Battle of Kokofu. Despite this unexpected defeat, the British re-evaluate their strategy and, between a daring escape attempt by the colonial governor and a readjustment of battlefield strategy, the British manage to reverse their floundering war effort. But even if the war is a defeat, that doesn't make it a loss. The tough fighting of the War of the Golden Stool will leave a lasting impression on both the Ashanti and the British. The war's legacy will ensure the survival not only of the Ashanti nation and monarchy, but the survival of traditional monarchies all of British Africa.Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 30 - The War for the Golden Stool (Part 1)

In 1900, the War for the Golden Stool began when Ashanti militia companies attacked the occupying British garrisons and pushed them out of Asanteman. The few that remained were trapped in Fort Kumasi and besieged from all sides by Ashanti militiamen. What came next is the most famous war in Ashanti history, the War of the Golden Stool. Would this war turn out to be the easy victory that the British expected? Or would the Ashanti win a victory to ensure that their nation and culture survived?Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 29 - Yaa Asantewaa

Outside of Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa is the most famous Ashanti historical figure by a wide margin. The queen-mother of Ejisu is widely cited as the pre-eminent symbol of Afro-feminism, a black African woman who advocated for the position of women and led Ashanti society in its last major resistance against British colonialism.These depictions, while not necessarily incorrect, miss out on much of the context behind the rise of Yaa Asantewaa. They also often misunderstand the purpose of the rebellion she led, her role within that rebellion, and the context behind its beginning. So, who was Yaa Asantewaa? Why did she become such a dominant figure in Ashanti history? And how did the war of the Gold Stool begin?Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 28 - Prempeh: the Last Independent King of the Ashanti

After finally putting an end to the gruelling Ashanti Civil War, Agyeman Prempeh I goes to work trying to repair his country's economy through the importation of new industries. But, his reign is cut short by the gradual escalation of tensions between his kingdom and the British Empire.Accompanying blog post: https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com/2022/08/s3e28-prempeh-last-independent-king-of.htmlNotre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 27 - The Ashanti Civil War

Tired of his despotic abuse, a coalition of disgruntled Ashanti elites overthrows Asantehene Mensa Bonsu. Rather than ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity, Mensa Bonsu's impeachment marked the beginning of an unprecedented period of misery and violence in the Ashanti Kingdom. In this episode, the Ashanti state falls apart into a brutal civil war.Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 26 - The Rise and Fall of the ”God’s Creativity” Cult

As the dust settles from the bloody war against Juaben, Asantehene Mensa Bonsu begins the hard work of trying to bring his crumbling empire back to a state of relative repair. Aiding him in this task is the radical reformer Owusu Ansah, a British-educated diplomat turned political advisor. As the duo struggles to reform the Ashanti Empire's civic and educational structures, the rise of a reactionary witch-hunting cult led by a charismatic demagogue threatens to destroy what's left of the fabric of Ashanti civilization.Quick note. Yes, I messed up pronunciation again. I should have been saying Domankama, not Domankwama. No idea where the w came from, it's not even written that way in the script lol. Oops.Check out the History of Yorubaland Podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1977603:Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 25 - The Juaben War

In the aftermath of the catastrophic Third Anglo-Ashanti War, Asantehene Kofi Kakari desperately tries to bring Ashanti finances into a state of normalcy and gets impeached for his efforts. The responsibility to stop the imminent economic and political collapse of the Ashanti Empire falls to Kakari's brother, an obscure prince named Mensa Bonsu. His first challenge comes when Juaben, the second most important city in the entire empire, and Adansi, the capital of Ashanti gold mining operations, try to secede from the Ashanti fold.Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 24 - The Third Anglo-Ashanti War Part 2: the Burning of Kumasi

As the Ashanti armies retreated back across the Pra River, Kofi Kakari and the Ashanti legislature were forced to admit defeat. They offered to concede on all of the British demands. However, the British commander Garnet Wolesly was not willing to accept these terms. Despite the pleas of others in the British colonial authority, Wolesly decided that there was only one way that the Anglo-Ashanti Wars would end: with the complete destruction of the Ashanti Empire.Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 23: The Third-Anglo Ashanti War Part 1 - The Offensive of 1873

In 1873, Ashanti crowds celebrated as the nation's army marched through the streets of Kumasi. This army was en route to leave the city in a southern direction, where they would invade the British protectorate and force the British to relinquish their claims on Elmina. This celebration would not last long, as the Ashanti offensive of 1873 would soon devolve into a major military humiliation, and open the gates for a far worse fate to befall Asanteman. Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 3 Episode 22 - The Elmina Controversy

When the British annexed the Dutch Gold Coast in 1872, a new conflict kicked off between the Ashanti and British Empires. Allowing the British to possess a complete monopoly on the Ghanaian coast was not an acceptable option for the Ashanti government. In response, the Ashanti government debated its next move. Would it be war?Notre Dame StoriesStories highlighting Notre Dame’s work to be a force for good in the world.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices