In the quiet hours before dawn on Monday, traditional priests and priestesses, dressed in black mourning cloth, gathered at the Manhyia Palace to begin the sacred “Dote Yie” funeral rites in honor of the late Queen Mother, Nana Konadu Yiadom III.
They came from across Asanteman — spiritual leaders and guardians of custom — some carrying ancient calabashes filled with schnapps. Their voices rose in solemn chants, echoing through the still morning air, as if reaching across the realms of the living and the dead.
As they poured libations onto the earth, they called upon the ancestors to welcome their departed queen and guide her spirit safely to the ancestral world.
The grandeur of the “Dote Yie” funeral rites offered a vivid window into the depth and beauty of Asante tradition — a culture steeped in symbolism, rhythm, and reverence.
Draped in striking mourning regalia, paramount chiefs arrived one after another, their movements choreographed with precision and dignity as they paid their respects to the late Queen Mother. Every step, every gesture, reflected centuries of ancestral memory and cultural pride.
But it was the arrival of Nana Kwaku Bonsam — Ghana’s most well-known traditional spiritualist — that truly electrified the atmosphere. Dressed in elaborate ceremonial robes and exuding a powerful spiritual presence, his ritual dance transfixed the crowd. Those watching knew they were witnessing more than a performance; they were part of a sacred moment.
“This goes beyond a funeral,” he told reporters, his face glistening with sweat from the intense spiritual exercise. “We are guiding a great soul into the realm of the ancestors. I didn’t come by choice — the spirits called me. I had to answer.”
Throughout the sprawling palace courtyards, mourners wept openly as traditional dirges—some centuries old—echoed with haunting melodies, their sorrowful tones intertwined with the steady rhythm of ceremonial drums. The sound seemed to pierce the veil between the earthly and spiritual realms. A river of grief flowed through Kumasi as the queue of people waiting to pay their final respects to the beloved queen mother stretched beyond the palace gates and wound through the city’s streets.
At the heart of the ceremony sat Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, receiving a ceaseless stream of homage with the dignified composure expected of Ghana’s most revered traditional ruler. Yet those who knew him intimately could see the weight of personal loss behind his regal bearing. In the mourning brother who had lost his “guiding light,” the people were reminded that grief recognizes no throne, no crown, no earthly power.
Palace sources revealed that the normally unflappable king had privately struggled with waves of emotion throughout the proceedings, drawing strength from the overwhelming outpouring of love from his subjects, who had also lost their mother.
As the week builds toward Thursday’s climactic grand finale, the true measure of the queen mother’s influence becomes undeniably clear.
The entire Kumasi Metropolis—Ghana’s bustling second-largest city—would voluntarily come to a standstill.
Schools would empty, banks would lock their doors, markets would fall silent, and businesses would shutter their windows—not by government mandate, but through a collective reverence for a life that touched every corner of society.
“This unprecedented shutdown allows every resident to participate fully in these sacred ceremonies without distraction,” explained Nana Effah Apenteng, Paramount Chief of Bompata and Chairman of the elaborate funeral planning committee. “It is our gift to her memory.”
Most remarkably, residents would observe a complete indoor curfew from 7 PM Thursday until 4 AM Friday—a “sacred period” during which spiritual tradition holds that the queen mother’s essence will make its final journey to join the ancestors.
In a poignant revelation on August 12, the Asantehene shared that the Queen Mother had been remarkably active on the morning of her final day, attending to her duties with characteristic vigor before her sudden passing that afternoon.
Her death came just one day after the nation was plunged into mourning by a tragic military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight high-ranking government officials—an unprecedented moment of collective sorrow.
