History of Africa

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

Season 3 Episode 21 - The Rise of Kofi Kakari

In 1867, Asantehene Kwaku Dua passed away suddenly after four decades of ruling the Ashanti Empire. Shortly after, roving gangs of royal executioners would begin massacring thousands of civilians in Kumasi. Amidst this chaos and violence, an unlikely candidate ascended to the golden stool: a previously minor prince named Kofi Kakari. 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 20 - The Second Anglo-Ashanti War

Much more obscure than its earlier and later wars, the second Anglo-Ashanti war is certainly a fascinating topic. This brief conflict almost ended the British colonial project in Ghana altogether.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 19 - Kwaku Dua Fixes a Broken Empire

Following the disastrous rule of Osei Yaw Akoto, the Ashanti Empire was not in its best spot. The refugee crisis of the people of Juaben was on the verge of boiling over into a full-blown civil war, the economy was in terminal decline, and an ever-growing number of Ashanti workers and peasants were becoming relegated to debt slavery. Into this mess rose Kwaku Dua, an obscure diplomat of vague royal birth but with a reputation as a great military and civic leader. He will institute radical reforms to try and save his empire, solving some problems while creating entirely new ones along the way.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 18 - Osei Yaw Akoto and his Troubles with Palm Wine

After his humiliating defeat at Katamanso, the asantehene Osei Yaw Akoto attempts to drown his sorrows in Akpeteshie. However, as the king's behaviors become increasingly unhinged, a crisis begins to envelop the Ashanti Empire, leading to the first foundation of New Juaben.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