Ghanaians will ever be grateful to Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the Asante Warrior Queen Mother, whose activism and military tactics contributed to the liberation of her people and country. Her roles in Ghana spurred nationalist ideals in other parts of the West African sub-region, which resulted in many of the countries gaining their independence.
Born in the1840s into the Asona Royalty of Besease Clan, Ghana, Asantewaa was a farmer and local administrator. When her brother, Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpase, became the King of Edweso, he appointed her the Queen Mother (the second highest position in the empire) because of the matrilineal culture of Asante people.
#BlackHistoryMonth – Ashanti Queen Yaa Asantewaa a great warrior
Article by February 14, 2021
Yaa Asantewaa was an influential Ashanti queen at the beginning of the twentieth century who remains a powerful symbol today.
Her birthdate is contested but she is generally believed to have been born October 17, 1840, in the Ashanti Confederacy in present-day Ghana.
She was a skilled farmer before ascending to the title Queen Mother in the 1880s. It is believed that she was chosen for this title due to the matrilineal aspect of the Ashanti culture and that her elder brother Nana Akwasi Afrane Okpase, who was a powerful ruler at the time, appointed her to the role.