Royal news from Africa

New Crisis, The, Jan/Feb 2000 by Farley, Stacey

February 25, 1999

The 18th king of Ghana's Ashanti people, Otumfuoah Okupuare, died after suffering an attack of bronchitis. He was 79 and had been in poor health for some time. The Asantehene was a lawyer before becoming king in 1970.

March 26, 1999

Otumfuoah Okupuare, king of Ghana's Ashanti people, was buried today in the Royal Mausoleum in Kumasi. His successor has not yet been chosen.

March 28, 1999

Prince Charles Happy Kijanangoma of Uganda's royal family of Toro was murdered on March 25. Police released the details of the crime today The prince was shot more than ten times by unknown men in the Palace View Bar in Fort Portal. The prince was in Fort Portal to attend a court hearing about in a land dispute which pitted him against Uganda's Queen Mother, Best Kemigisha.

March 29, 1999

The queen mother of the royal family of Ghana, Nana Afua Kobi Serwaa Ampen II, has nominated her son, 49-year-old businessman Nana Kwaku Dua, to be the next Ashanti lung. Dua told reporters that the Asantehemaa (queen mother) selected him not because he was her son, but because he is the choice of the people.

April 26, 1999

The coronation of Ghana's new Ashanti king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II (formerly called Nana Afua Kobi Serwaa Ampen II), took place. He is the 16th Asantehene. Before becoming king he was an accountant. He is the uncle of the previous king, who died in February.

July 17, 1999

The Associated Press reports that the 44-year-old king of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II will marry 13-yearold Sarah Nsobya in a secret ceremony this summer. Nsobya will be the king's "nakku," or first wife. Traditionally the nakku remains a virgin and fulfills a ceremonial role. Nsobya has moved out of her parents' home and will live in her own palace. On August 27, the king will marry 35-year-old Sylvia Luswata, who will become his real wife and queen. The kingdom of Buganda is located in Uganda. Uganda's kingdoms were abolished in 1966 and restored in 1993 for cultural reasons. Today's Ugandan monarchs have no political role.

July 23, 1999

Morocco's King Hassan II died of a heart attack after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He was 70. Hassan ascended to the throne in 1961 after the death of his father, King Mohammed V. Hassan's successor is his son, King Mohammed VI, who was crowned a few hours after Hassan's death. The new king is 36 years old and single. He has a law degree from a French university, and speaks Arabic, French, English, and Spanish. As Morocco's crown prince, Sidi Mohammed served as coordinator of the Royal Armed Forces. He became a fourstar general in 1994.

July 25, 1999

King Hassan II of Morocco was buried in the Mohammed V Mausoleum in Rabat. Many world leaders attended the funeral, including Hassan's successor, King Mohammed VI; Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain; King Albert of Belgium; Prince Charles of Great Britain; Prince Takamado of Japan; King Abdullah of Jordan; Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdulla of Kuwait; Princess Margaret of the Netherlands; Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Crown Prince Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa alThani of Qatar; and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.

August 26, 1999

The 45-year-old king of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II married 13year-old Sarah Nsobya. Officials say the marriage is not real but symbolic. Nsobya will be the king's "nakku," or first wife, who traditionally remains a virgin and fulfills a ceremonial role.

Tomorrow the king will marry 35year-old Sylvia Luswata, who will become his real wife and queen.

August 27, 1999

Ring Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II of Buganda married Sylvia Luswata in an Anglican cathedral in Kampala, Uganda. The 35-year-old Luswata once worked at the World Bank in Washington. The king, who is 45, was a lawyer in London before Uganda restored its traditional monarchies. This is his second wedding in two days; yesterday he married a 13-year old girl, Sarah Nsobya, who will not really be the king's wife but will fill a traditional ceremonial role.

September 7, 1999

Zulu prince Mcwayizeni Ka Dinizulu, uncle of King Goodwill Zwelithini, died after a long illness. He was 67.

November 24, 1999

Ethiopians marked the 25th anniversary of the murders of Prince Eskinder Desta, grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie,and 67 other imperial officials: The killings were ordered by Marxist revolutionary Mengistu Haile Mariam. Mengistu's government collapsed in 1991, and today Ethiopia is a republic. Friends and relatives of those who died in the 1974 massacre remembered at a mass in Addis Ababa's Orthodox Trinity Cathedral. The emperor, who was murdered in 1975, is scheduled to be officially buried in May 2000.

November 26, 1999

A 26-year-old Zulu prince, Thokozani Thembenkosi Zulu, has been stoned to death near his parents' palace. The reason for the killing is not known and the police have no suspects. Reuters reports that earlier this month another member of the Zulu royal family, Prince Cyril Zulu, was murdered by gunmen. Both men were relatives of King Goodwill Zwelithini, a traditional leader who lives in South Africa.