The Head of King Badu Bonso II: When Will It Find Its Final Rest?

Ebenezer Kobinah Offen of Ghanalingo.com, a matrilineal from the Ahanta land, raises the pressing question about the final resting place of the head of King Badu Bonso II, the great Ahanta King who was killed by the Dutch government in 1838 in retaliation for the death of Dutch officials, including the colonial officer Hendrikus Jacobus Tonneboeijer, in October 1837 in Takoradi, the then-capital of the Dutch Gold Coast.

King Badu Bonso II, a powerful leader of the Ahanta tribe in Ghana’s Western Region, was reportedly betrayed by some of his own people, according to Dutch government accounts. Known for his strong resistance against Dutch attempts to disorganize and colonize the Ahanta State, he was eventually captured in a war initiated by the Dutch. In 1838, Major General Jan Verveer oversaw his execution, where he was hanged and beheaded.

Due to his defiance and the trouble he caused the Dutch government, King Badu Bonso II’s head was treated like a trophy. It was preserved in a jar of formaldehyde and stored in a laboratory at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. The head was eventually discovered by novelist Arthur Japin while he was researching for a book about an Ahanta boy who had been taken to Holland in 1838.

In 2008, the Ghanaian government, under the leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor, requested the return of King Badu Bonso II’s head after learning of its discovery. The aim was to give the great king a proper burial, allowing his spirit to rest in peace according to Akan customs and traditions. A year later, on March 8, 2009, the BBC reported that the Dutch government had expressed its willingness to return the head of King Badu Bonso II.

The head finally returned to Ghana in July 2009 during President John Fiifi Atta Mills’ administration after a pact was signed in The Hague between Ahanta representatives and the Dutch government. It is said that, in line with Ghanaian cultural practices that honour the deceased, no one was allowed to view the king’s head during the signing, and the media were prohibited from taking any photographs.

As reported by the BBC in 2008, since no one but the novelist Arthur Japin had seen the king’s head, he provided a description to the Dutch media:

“He’s got a little ring beard, his eyes are closed as if he’s sleeping,” Mr. Japin remarked. “My first thought was, this is not fitting.”

To this day, it is alleged that the head of King Badu Bonso II remains at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra due to ongoing litigation. The great king’s burial has been delayed until these issues are resolved. In light of this, the author at Ghanalingo calls on the Ghanaian government to expedite the resolution process, ensuring that the Ahanta state can finally lay their king’s head to rest, 152 years after it returned from exile in the Netherlands.

Author: Ebenezer Kobinah Offen

Editor: Ama Gyesiwaa Quansah