New Juaben Traditional Council pulls down 'offensive' statue

The New Juaben Traditional Council has pulled down a statue it describes as “offensive and dirty trick” erected at a popular area known as Prince Boateng Roundabout near the Omanhene’s palace in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital.

According to the Traditional council, the statue named “Prince Emmanuel Yao Boateng“ was erected by his children without the authorization of Daasebre Prof. Emeritus Oti Boateng, the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Council, describing the action by the family as gross disrespect to the Yiadom Hwedie stool.

The Council said the decision to forcibly pull down the statue follows the failure by the children of the late Oheneba Yao Boateng to remove the statue as promised when summoned on February 5, 2021, by the traditional council.

“The Children have also on two different occasions, on 5th March and 19th March 2021 respectively, refused to honour specific request by the traditional council to attend its meetings on the issue. It has emerged that Oheneba Yao Boateng’s children have produced and widely distributed a video of the offensive statue in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Ghana. The Traditional Council is in possession of a copy of the video which is totally repugnant to the history and sensibilities of the Chiefs and people of New Juaben,” the traditional council said in a statement released.

The traditional council contended that the late Oheneba Yao Boateng is not a royal from the Yiadom Hwedie family but derived his status from the fact that his father was Nana Kwaku Boateng I, who reigned as Omanhene of New Juaben from 1913 to1930.

“One would have expected the children of Oheneba Yao Boateng, who erected the statue, to exercise due diligence and circumspection by first considering their grandfather, Nana Kwaku Boateng I, for the honour rather than his son and their father.

The inscription Prince Emmanuel Yao Boateng instead of Oheneba Yao Boateng boldly on the said statue is also considered very offensive to the Akan customary practice and usage. From the matrifocal analysis of the Akan kingship structure, Oheneba Yao Boateng, whose mother is not Akan, is also not Akan. The said inscription is therefore a dirty trick that Oheneba Yao Boateng belongs to the Yiadom Hwedie Royal lineage without the pertinent blood of consanguinity."

The New Juaben Traditional council further stated that the late Oheneba Yao Boateng did not do anything tangibly significant to merit a statue in his honour in such a vantage area.

According to the traditional Council, it had already earmarked the very spot for erecting the statue of Nana Kwaku Boateng I, to commemorate his unique contribution as the Omanhene who built the New Juaben Palace.