Kufuor hosts Kabaka

May 22, 2008

PRESIDENT John Kufuor of Ghana on Wednesday hosted Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, currently on a visit to the West African nation, at his castle in Accra.

By Dick Kasolo in Accra, Ghana
PRESIDENT John Kufuor of Ghana on Wednesday hosted Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, currently on a visit to the West African nation, at his castle in Accra.

Kufuor said he was glad to meet the Kabaka because Buganda was among the oldest kingdoms in the world.

Mutebi travelled to Ghana to attend the 9th coronation anniversary of King Ashante Otumufuo Osei Tutu 11.

The kingdoms of Buganda and the Asantehene share historical ties. Mutebi’s grandfather, Ssekabaka Mwanga II Basammula Ekkere was in 1899 exiled by the British colonial regime to the Seychelles, where he spent the rest of his life.

In Seychelles, Mwanga joined the Asantehene, King Prempeh who had also been forced into exile.

Kufuor said there was the need for accommodation and mutual respect between modern political systems and traditional institutions because without chieftaincy, the rich cultural heritage and uniqueness of Africans would be lost.
Mutebi flew from Kumasi to Accra in Kufuor’s presidential jet.

“We can never copy the English system to perfection,” Kufuor told Mutebi. He asked traditional rulers to reform African traditional practices which hinder development.

The Kabaka was grateful for the warm reception accorded to him and his entourage, particularly in Kumasi.

He described his trip as very successful.
He said the links between Ghana and Uganda were not new, recalling that ever since Mwanga and Prempeh 1, were exiled to the Seychelles, nationals of the two countries had interacted a lot.

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