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The 7,000-seat multifunctional Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Jubilee Hall, intended to accommodate both traditional and modern events, is inaugurated in the Ashanti region.
The building, which reflects Asante architectural legacy in contemporary design, attempts to support cultural heritage and improve the region’s economic opportunities.
The hall has a mural at the entry that is centered around the famed Golden Stool, known as “Sika Dwa Kofi,” and is embellished with Asante antiques and Adinkra symbols. The building, which has an auditorium with 2,000 seats and is flanked by offices and services, is modeled after traditional Asante homes.
Funded exclusively by the Asantehene, the initiative highlights the importance of maintaining Asante cultural legacy while offering a modern venue for social events and discourse.
Cultural historian, Teacher Safo Kantanka, highlights the importance of maintaining traditional architectural elements in modern constructions.
“The typical Asante house has walls North, South, East and West with open verandas and a big open space where people bring in stools to sit and deliberate on issues. When it rains, the Chiefs are forbidden to move an inch from the rain. If we are borrowing culture, then we have to get an auditorium that is roofed,” he explained.
The hall marks a significant turning point in the Asantehene’s Silver Jubilee festivities, which will come to an end in May.
Dignitaries such as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, his wife, Lady Julia Osei Tutu, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Central Command, Brigadier General Michael Opoku, were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the Palace on Monday, April 15, 2024.
ACP Frank Abrokwa, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Hon. Mansa Ndia, the Member of Parliament for the Sakassou Constituency in Côte d’Ivoire, Bice Obour Osei-Kuffour, the Managing Director of Ghana Post Company Limited, clerics, and traditional leaders were also in attendance.
The dedication of the building was jointly honoured by the Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Kumasi, Rt Rev Gabriel Justice Ankokye and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Kumasi, Rt Rev Oscar Christian Amoah.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
