On Sunday, May 12, 2024, the golden stool, also known as the Shika Dowa, was unveiled to the public at the Great Durbar to mark the Silver Jubilee of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The chair was the centrepiece of the Adae Kese festival and while it was open to the public, hundreds of people were eager to view the beautiful and historic spectacle of this revered stool.
In Ashanti tradition, this chair is carried on special occasions by local chiefs called ‘Nkonwasoafohene’.
While many people were excited to see the stool, social media was abuzz after learning that the person carrying the stool was allegedly a professor of human biology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
This was shared on X’s social media post by username Benjamin Effah Amponsah.
The man carrying Shikadwa is a professor of human biology at KNUST. Opium mulberry, yes. pic.twitter.com/wwK6Jxbfxj
— Benjamin Effa Amponsah™️ (@Sir_Benjaminn) May 12, 2024
The same post was also shared by Asante Nation on other social media platforms.
Contrary to what was shared on social media, Nana Baffour Dabanka is a businesswoman involved in importing and selling clothing in Ashtown, a suburb of the Kumasi-Ashanti region.
He has been involved in the trade for the past few decades.
Luv News spoke with Nana Baffour Dabanka, who admitted that he has not taken any courses in the field or related fields.
For 28 years, he was the sole bearer of the Golden Stool under the then Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Were and the current King.
It is a traditional responsibility that he holds close to his heart and his undying loyalty to Asanteman.
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