OBODUM, KUSI

Kusi Obodum (ruled 1750-64), sometimes called Kwasi Obodum, was an 18th-century king of Asante who, although reputedly peace-loving by disposition, led Asante in a war against Akyem, a state to the southeast.

He was already elderly when he succeeded his nephew, Opoku Ware, on the Golden Stool, having gained power after a factional dispute had broken out following his predecessor’s death. Opoku himself had nominated his younger brother, Darko, to succeed him, and to ensure that the reforms in government which he had initiated would last. But the Kumase warlords preferred to place Kusi, an old chief, on the Golden Stool, in order to ensure strict adherence to the old constitution. The disputes resulted in civil war, and Darko was defeated and killed in 1751.

As the nominee of a faction, Kusi Obodum could not adopt an aggressive policy, as Opoku Ware had done, even though the southern provinces, supported by the powerful Fante, were still in rebellion. Obodum was therefore obliged to make diplomacy, not war, the basis of his policy. However since the trading paths between Asante and the south were closed for a long time, the European traders on the coast concluded that Kusi was an incompetent and ineffective ruler.

Between 1753 and 1758 the Dutch and the British tried to mediate between the Asante and the rebellious states but failed. After 1758, however, the combination against Asante disintegrated. Firstly, the aim of the alliance had been to maintain political and economic independence from Asante, but this affected trade so badly that the Fante, who depended mostly on trade for their livelihood, decided to withdraw from the alliance. At the outset they tried to act as mediators, but when this failed they decided to join with the Asante to crush the rebellious states. Secondly, there was a quarrel between Enimir, the king of Wassa (Wassaw), one of the rebellious states, located southwest of Asante, and the commander of the Wassa armies, Asare Abrampa, as to how to deal with the Fante.

Asare Abrampa advocated an allied attack on the Fante, whilst the king, feeling that the allies could not afford a war on two fronts, and perhaps hoping for a settlement, counseled moderation. This resulted in disputes, and the Wassa king was arrested and confined to his palace. He was freed by the people of Twifo, a state east of Wassa, after which Asare Abrampa escaped still further east and sought refuge with King Pobi of Akyem (Akim).

All efforts to get Asare back to be tried for treason failed, and the Wassa decided to break with Akyem. Thirdly, the people of Denkyera (Denkyira), to the south of Asante, like the Fante, decided it was futile to continue to oppose the Asante. The wars had caused a scarcity of food, since the combatants had no time to attend to their farms, while in addition their villages were also subjected to periodic sacking by Asante armed bands. For these reasons, Owusu Bori the Denkyerahene (ruler of Denkyera) returned to his Asante allegiance.

Finding their allies unreliable, the Akyem invited the Yoruba state of Oyo, in what is now Nigeria, to assist them in fighting the Asante. But in a series of battles, the Asante overcame Akyem resistance, and pushed the Oyo back eastward, across the Volta River. The Asante army then made the mistake of pursuing the Oyo army and fell into an ambush.

According to the English governor of Cape Coast, William Mutter, writing on May 27, 1764, between 10,000 and 12,000 Asante, including the Dwabenhene (ruler of Dwaben, or Juaben), were “either killed or made slaves of.” This Asante debacle was the signal for the deposition of the old and by now blind Kusi Obodum. He was replaced by the youthful and energetic Osei Kwadwo (Osei Kojo).

J. K. FYNN