Bantama, located in the pulsating city of Kumasi, Ghana, is a lively neighbourhood that captures the cultural and historical essence of the Ashanti region. There’s something magnetic about Ashanti history in Kumasi, especially for those trying to connect with stories that stretch back generations.
Finding places that feel genuine isn’t easy, especially with a full itinerary. In this post, you’ll get a glimpse into the mausoleum’s past and the culture it protects. You’ll also get practical tips for planning your visit, advice on what to look for during your trip, and ideas to help you make the most of your time here.
Bantama Market: A Sensory Overload
One of the main attractions in Bantama is the Bantama Market, which offers a sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells. Here, you can find everything from fresh produce to traditional Ashanti crafts.
Bantama Mausoleum: A Historical Landmark
For history enthusiasts, Bantama is home to several historical landmarks, including the Bantama Mausoleum, which houses the remains of past Ashanti kings. Learning about the Bantama Mausoleum connects you to the footsteps of the Ashanti leaders who shaped Ghana’s largest kingdom.
Right in the Bantama neighborhood, the mausoleum stands proud as a keeper of the memory of Ashanti royalty. You feel the weight of centuries here, with each tradition still echoing through daily life. The Bantama Mausoleum gets its meaning from more than stones and wood.
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Located in Bantama, the historic center of Kumasi, this site draws its spiritual power from its deep roots in Ashanti tradition. For centuries, Bantama has been the go-to place for royal rituals, especially during ceremonies like the Banmu. This ritual marks an important part of the royal funeral process, with faith, respect, and family loyalty at its center. Locals see the mausoleum as more than a graveyard.
If you speak about the Bantama Mausoleum, many people will recall tales they were told as children. Some heard that entering the building, even to help someone, would lead to death. Others remember being warned that touching the walls could make them vanish. These are tales, not facts, but they show how strongly the site has been marked with mystery and respect in local memory.
History took a dramatic turn for the mausoleum on January 20, 1896. British forces, trying to break the Ashanti spirit during the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War, burned the original structure. Soldiers aimed to wipe out not just a building but the heart of Ashanti resistance. The British attack did not erase the mausoleum’s value. Instead, it fired up a strong sense of purpose in Ashanti communities.
A key detail to make clear is how the rites work. The mausoleum is used for rituals and remembrance. In many cases, the final burial does not take place inside the Bantama mausoleum. Rituals happen there, and then the procession moves to burial grounds like Breman Banmu, where the actual interment takes place.
Stepping near the Bantama Mausoleum offers a quiet contrast to the energy of Kumasi. The landmark and its grounds remain sacred. The peaceful area and careful design invite quiet respect. Rituals for the Asantehemaa continue today, led by palace elders. Only a few people ever witness the full rites.
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Right outside the mausoleum, Bantama is filled with daily life. It is one of Kumasi’s most active neighborhoods. The open-air Bantama Market sells spices, produce, fabrics, and crafts. Festivals sometimes bring drumming and traditional dance to the streets. During these events, you will see people in kente and other bright cloths. The site is near the city center.
Many assume they can enter the Bantama Mausoleum, but that is not the case. It is not a tourist site and is not open to the public. At most, you may see the outer structure from the road or nearby paths, but access to the ritual grounds is restricted.
The mausoleum is easy to reach from central Kumasi. Start at Kejetia Market. From there, take a taxi or hop on a trotro heading north toward Bantama. Look for signs near the Kumasi Cultural Centre.
The Bantama Mausoleum is a powerful marker of Ashanti history and pride. It is a ritual place. It is a place of memory and of rules. Seeing the area gives you a clearer view of how tradition and daily life meet in Kumasi.
If you want real context, pair a visit to Bantama with the Manhyia Palace Museum and the Kumasi Cultural Centre.
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Important Considerations for Visitors
- Access to the Bantama Mausoleum: The mausoleum is not open for public entry. Do not plan to enter the inner compound.
- Photography: Ask before photographing people, carvings, or ritual objects.
- Support Local Businesses: Support local stall owners if you buy crafts or snacks.
- Respect Ceremonies: If a ceremony is happening, give space and do not approach the ritual area.
History traces the name “Bantama” to a sub-chief named Baah, who left behind his “ntama” - a piece of cloth.
Armed forces Museum| Kumasi |
PRAAD-Kumase and Manhyia Archives: Resources for Urban Historical Research
PRAAD-Kumase, and indeed other regional branches of Ghana’s national archival repositories, have been the subject of previous commentaries on historical research in Ghana. It is our hope that, like these aforementioned works, this paper will whet the appetite of urban historians to use the rich archival records at PRAAD-Kumase and the Manhyia Archives.
For our project’s investigation, we used a three-dimensional approach in understanding the unfolding of urban Kumase’s history. First, we focused on the changes and transformations that have occurred in Kumase’s physical spaces. Second, we searched for records that could enlighten us on the history of social, political, and economic processes within the borders of Jackson Park. Finally, we looked at the histories of users of Jackson Park’s physical space.
From the two archival holdings on Jackson Park, we were able to develop an intricate understanding of the sentiments people associate with public spaces around Kumase. We realized that the meanings captured on the archival pages are not dead and forgotten. On the contrary, they are alive and continue to animate everyday actions and negotiations on Kumase’s streets despite the passing years.
Key Periods in Urban Asante History
Based on this three-dimensional approach, what are some of the records at PRAAD-Kumase and the Manhyia Archives that are useful for urban historical research?
- Early Colonial Period: Covers the imposition of colonial rule on Asante by the British in 1896, the subsequent exiling of the Asante monarchy to the Seychelles Islands, and the establishment of a nascent colonial bureaucracy.
- Middle Colonial Period: Saw the reinforcement of the colonial bureaucracy to reflect changing British attitudes towards the Asante from one of suspicion to cautious trust.
- Late Colonial Period: Witnessed the most changes in urban Asante as the colonial state carried out developmental projects on a large scale through the combined agencies of an established mature bureaucracy and a restored Asante monarchy.
- Post-Independence Period: Comprises records on urban development after the transfer of power from British to Ghanaian hands.
We terminate our archival research in 1970 because of the paucity of records from the 1970s onwards.
Geographical Range of PRAAD-Kumase’s Records
PRAAD-Kumase’s records in particular display an impressive geographical range. They cover not just Kumase the Asante capital, but other urban areas in Asante such as Obuase, Bekwai, Konongo, Dwaben, and Mampon. Until the creation of the Brong Ahafo region, Asante covered a large area which, historically, included parts of the upper Trans-Volta Togoland and the Gold Coast’s Eastern and Western Provinces. As a result, many records are available on areas outside Asante-proper.
Accessing the Archives
PRAAD-Kumase used to be housed in the old archives building at the Kumase Cultural Centre. In 2016/17 PRAAD-Kumase moved into a newly constructed storeyed building adjacent to the old archives building. PRAAD shares this building with the administrative offices of the construction firm Contracta, as part of the Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project.
The repository is still in the old building, but the reading room, administrative offices, and washroom facilities are in this new building. Currently the reading room is air conditioned, has fluorescent lighting, and is fitted with high windows, which allow in a lot of natural light. The glass doors and windows are also soundproofed.
The Manhyia Archives were established in May 1963 by the University of Ghana’s Institute of African Studies (IAS) as part of the Institute’s Ashanti Research Project. The core documents of this archive come from the holdings of the erstwhile Manhyia Records Office, donated to IAS by Asantehene Osei Agyeman Prempeh II (1931-70). The Asantehene also bequeathed to the archive the building formerly occupied by his lands department.
The archive has occupied this building since 1964. It can be accessed via the main entrance to the Manhyia Palace, right next to the Asantehene’s Land Secretariat. The archive is staffed and managed by the IAS.
Services Available at the Archives
Photocopying is available for 50 pesewas per page (US$0.04). Photographs are allowed. Previously the charge for taking photographs was 10 cedis per day (US$0.86). However, this rate was under review at the time of writing (possibly to 50 pesewas per picture). At PRAAD-Accra, one can request for documents to be scanned into searchable PDF files at the cost of 50 pesewas per page. Searchable PDF files are more convenient for scholars, especially when dealing with a large volume of records. PRAAD-Kumase plans to offer this service soon.
A searchers’ ticket is also required, which is valid for a year. Students and faculty are advised to visit with their ID cards as proof of credentials. At the time of writing, tickets were sold to Ghanaian students for 10 cedis, whereas Ghanaian faculty, international students, and international faculty paid slightly more.
Archival Records for Urban Historical Research
The following table summarizes some of the archival records available for urban historical research at PRAAD-Kumase:
| Record Group | Description | Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|
| ARG 1/33 | Ashanti Records Group | Natural disasters and general accidents from 1906 to 1951. |
| ARG 1/26/1-3 | Rules, regulations, and ordinances | Urban administration |
| ARG 1/7/1/30, ARG 1/7/1/38, ARG 1/7/1/39, ARG 1/7/1/40, ARG 1/7/1/46 | Files | Urban planning, street naming, demolitions and compensations, and the establishment of markets |
| ARG 1/17 | Records | Urban development across Asante |
| ARG 1/14 | Records | Public health topics such as disease prevention and control, community sanitation, mental asylums, and hospitals generally |
| ARG 1/15 | Records | Introduction of electrification and lighting in early colonial Asante |
| ARG 1/15/1 | Records | Development of road transportation |
| ARG 1/10 | Records | Public recreational and durbar grounds, including Kumase’s town hall, rifle range, golf course, and nongovernmental associations and clubs |
| ARG 1/34 | Files | Sporting activities such as tennis and golf |
| ARG 1/2/24/22 and ARG 1/2/25/1 | Records | Cemeteries (exhumations and burials) |
| ARG 1/2/26 | Records | Asante Confederacy Council (restored by the colonial government in 1935) |
| ARG 1/8/1 | Records | Government departments and institutions |
| ARG 1/18 | Records | Government committees such as the Sanitary Committee of the early colonial period |
| ARG 1/19 | Records | Minutes of meetings of various committees, but from the middle to late colonial period |
| ARG 1/20 | Reports | Government commissions, committees, and observers |
| ARG 6 | Records | District Commissioner for Kumase’s office |
| ARG 2 | Records | Ashanti Regional Administration Office |
These records offer a wealth of information for researchers interested in the urban history of Kumasi and the Ashanti region.
Overall, Bantama is a vibrant neighbourhood that offers a blend of culture, history, and modern-day excitement.
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