"Asante's Report to Basel"

The report is a series of hostile comments on Plans in European Missionary periodicals for an immediate mission to Kumasi. These are that in an independent Asante the hindrances the missionaries suffer from the chiefs subordinate to the English Protectorate will be magnified many times: that every year at the great yam festival it is again resolved never to become political subordinate, especially to the British (Missionary Buhl remarks in a subscript that the priest of the La fetish swears vengeance on the British every year at his great festival too). In fact, if any promise were forthcoming concerning protection for missionaries from the Asantehene it could hardly be kept. Asante suggests an alternative missionary strategy of working in in the Twi districts south of the Asante border - Asin, Denkyira, Wassaw. He also corrects the spelling - you should really write 'Asante’ for 'Ashanti' - the 'sh' is a British insertion.

14.04.1873

14.04.1873

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