Yaa Asantewaa (1840-1921) has been called Ghana’s Warrior Queen. A farmer, politician and military leader, she led her people in battle against British colonial forces.
Yaa Asantewaa (1840-1921) has been called Ghana’s Warrior Queen. A farmer, politician and military leader, she led her people in battle against British colonial forces.
This month, we’re highlighting Women of Resistance. Whether fighting tyranny, oppression, sexism, racism, reproductive control, or any number of other ills, these women created paths for change.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
This month on Womanica, we’re highlighting women who led extraordinary lives of resistance. Whether fighting tyranny, oppression, sexism, racism, or reproductive control, they created paths for change.
Today, we are talking about a woman who has been called Ghana’s Warrior Queen. A farmer, a politician, and a military leader, she led her people in battle against British colonial forces. Her heroism and courage is remembered by the Ghanaian people and she remains an icon of resistance.
Please welcome Yaa Asantewaa.
Though the exact date is not known, Yaa Asantewaa was born around 1840 to a family of traditional leaders in the Asante Kingdom.
Little is known about Yaa’s early life. She was likely a skilled farmer. Yaa’s brother became King of Edweso. And he took that opportunity to appoint his sister, Yaa, to the title of Queen Mother – the second-highest position in the Asante leadership.
As Queen Mother, Yaa gained substantial responsibility. She had custody over the Golden Stool, the most important symbol of the Asante kingdom. According to legend, the stool came from the sky, landing in the chief’s lap in the late 1600s. Ever since, the Golden Stool represented strength and power to the Asante people.
Yaa’s brother’s reign was a tumultuous time. In 1863, the second Anglo-Asante war began. When Asante forces entered into British-ruled territory, the British Army fought back. By the following year, it ended in a stalemate. The ultimate victor in this war was neither the Asante people nor the British. Instead illness and malaria claimed many lives in the mosquito-abundant land.
In 1872, the Dutch surrendered the last of their settlements in the region to the British. This created a territory which came to be known as the Gold Coast Colony. The British then set their sights on dominating the Asante people, their land, and especially their gold mines.
This set the stage for the third Anglo-Asante war in 1873. British General Garnet Wolseley led 2,500 British troops into the Asante empire. In the period between the wars, the British began using quinine – a treatment for malaria – so the disease no longer posed the same threat. They also had a new weapon: the machine gun.
Despite the significant advantages, the British only barely triumphed over the Asante people but their defeat was damaging to the Asante community. The British temporarily occupied the Asante capital of Kumasi before burning it down. The loss weakened the kingdom weakened and created internal tension and unrest.
In 1883, the Asante Kingdom fell into a five-year period of civil war. Yaa’s brother was killed in battle, and as Queen Mother, she had the authority to nominate a successor. Yaa chose her grandson Kofi Tene.
To weaken the Asante, the British exiled Kofi Tene and other Asante leaders to the archipelago of Seychelles. In the midst of uncertainty, Yaa took charge and gathered an army of more than 5,000 Asante people. She would need it. In March 1900, British government representative Frederick Hodgson arrived in Kumasi to demand payment. He had heard about the power of the Golden Stool, and he decided must be allowed to sit on it. The Asante people saw this as a sacrilegious act of disrespect.
Yaa launched into action. She ridiculed the men of her kingdom, and claimed if the Asante men would not defend the kingdom, the women would. Such a proclamation both motivated the men but also facilitated the participation of women in combat. Yaa led the ensuing rebellion, appearing on the battlefield herself. She blockaded a fort, employed camouflage, and used drums to intimidate the British. By the end of the war, thousands of British and Asante people died.
In January of 1902 the British captured the Asante empire and made it a colony of the British crown. Yaa was arrested and sent to exile in Seychelles. According to one account of her arrest, as Yaa was being taken away, she turned around and said “Asante women, I pity you.”
About twenty years after the war ended, Yaa died in 1921, still in exile in Seychelles. Her dream for Asante independence finally came to fruition in 1957, when the territory gained independence from British rule. It became a part of Ghana, the first Sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence.
Yaa’s legacy of resistance remains legendary to this day. In the year 2000, a museum was opened in Ghana to commemorate her story and bravery.
All month we’re highlighting women who led lives of resistance. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!