An African Fairy Tale: Woman Crowned KING

• Posted on May 4, 2013
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
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Nana Amuah Afenyi (deceased) was the uncle of Madam Peggielene Bartels who was the King of Otuam where Madam Bartels comes from in the Western Region of Ghana. Madam Bartels worked as the secretary to the Ghanaian Ambassador at the Ghanaian Embassy in America and she had worked there for 30 years now. But the few years of being secretary to the Ambassador has been the most memorable for her although during these 30 years she has held various positions in the Embassy.

One innocent night as Madam Bartels lay in bed having her sleep, resting from the tedious work of the previous day and looking forward to another day of work load a call from Kwame Lupopo one of her cousins woke her up at 4am. It was Kwame Lupopo who broke Madam Bartels’s new status in the lives of the people of Otuam back in Ghana to her. Madam Bartels has been chosen King of Otuam a wish of his late uncle whom she still thought was alive. Though Madam Bartels was a woman, during the rituals of presenting the names of potential kings to the gods the gods did accept the enthronement of Madam Bartels in faraway America.

After that call with her cousin, Madam Bartels went to her living room with two good questions in her head. How come a secretary be made king or how can a woman be made King in Africa. For Madam Bartels the questions was like a storm in her brain a storm which lasted 3 days in her mind. She did seek for advice from friends but driving on the third day something said to her “Not all human beings are born to be Kings and Queens” That settled it for her. Her next call was to Kwame Lupopo accepting the kingship.

Three weeks later Madam Bartels was in Ghana, excited and anxious of what awaited in Otuam her new responsibility. But reality of African Royalty soon hit the King when arriving home her elder aunties announced to her as King she will have to share her bedroom with them as a form of protection and more so she could have them at her call to serve her. Although she didn’t like it well she remembered it came with being King so she eventually gave in. Eventually she was enthroned King of Otuam reigning over approximately 7,000 people with the stool name of Nana Amuah-Afenyi VI.

Born in Takoradi Ghana in 1953, studied in England heading to the United States where she got her American Citizenship in 1997. She told this to the CNN was she was interviewed early this year.

“To be a King in an African village or some places like this, it’s not like European Queens where everything is on a silver platter for them; I have to really work hard to help my people. I have to give myself to people to better their lives”

Madam Bartels still holds her job in the United States and spends all her holidays and leave in her beloved Otuam. Her fairy tale has been written into a book by herself and author Eleanor Herman.  Hollywood star Will Smith has bought the rights to the book and hopefully a movie is going to be shot based on the book and Queen Latifah is going to be playing Madam Bartels.

AUTHOR: NII PALM (www.233times.net)