Splendid cultural display laced with royal pomp and pageantry marked the �Kuntunkuni Addae Festival� held to herald the celebration of 15 years of the installation of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Hundreds of people from all walks of life thronged the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Asante King, to be part of the event.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and his former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, and his Deputy Minister, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei and the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) Mr Kojo Bonsu, were among those who joined in the celebration.
Paramount Chiefs and Queens accompanied by large retinue sat under big umbrellas to invest the event not only with colour but also with importance. The traditional priests led by the King�s chief priest the Nsumankwaahene, Baffour Okogyawoansu II, were also there to provide the Asantehene with spiritual fortification.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu, adorned in black, rode to the grounds in a palanquin as the �Kete�, �Adowa� �Nwomkro�, �Fontomfrom� and �Mpiti� drums filled the air as the skillful drummers performed with passion.
The guns boomed, amid praise singing - �kwadwom�, and clattering of the executioners� sword. As has been the tradition, there are no speeches during the celebration of the �Addae�.
The King just sat in state for chiefs, members of the public, corporate bodies and institutions to pay homage to him. The climax of the anniversary celebration would be a grand durbar at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on May 11, 2014
Otumfuo Osei Tutu is the 16th King of the Asante Kingdom.
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