 The Sagrenti War and the Imposition of Colonial Rule

 In the 1873/74 war, the British took the war to the territory of Asante.

 The British used sophisticated weapons and ammunition from Britain to deal with the
Asante.

 Under Sir Garnet Wolseley (Sagrenti), the British Army Commander, the Asante suffered
terrible defeat from the hands of the British.

 Kumasi was vandalized and burnt.

 After this, the Treaty of Fomena was signed in 1874.

 The Treaty of Fomena

 This Treaty was signed on 14th March, 1874 at Cape Coast.

 This was the agreement between the Kings of Asante and the representatives of the
British.

 The draft of the treaty was drawn up at Fomena, the Capital of Adanse.

 The objective of the treaty was to ensure permanent peace between the British and her
allies on one hand and the people of Asante on the other hand.

 Terms of the Treaty of Fomena

 Asante was made to pay a war indemnity of 50,000 oz of gold to the British for some
period with initial deposit of 1,000 oz of gold.

 Asante was made to relinquish claims of its dominance over states such as Adanse,
Assen, Denkyira, Akyem and the British allies.

 Asante also abandoned its supremacy over Elmina and former ethnic groups that had
links with the Dutch.

 The kings of Asante were to withdraw all their armies in Western Region to allow
freedom of movement for legitimate trade to thrive.

 Asante should repair the road from Kumasi to Pra to enhance commercial activities in the
area.

 The kings of Asante should abrogate the practice of human sacrifice.

  Relevance/Importance of the Treaty of Fomena
 It ended the preeminence of Asante as a powerful empire on the Gold Coast.

 Asante was indeed condensed to its original metropolitan status.

 Vassal states of Asante such as Gonja, Dagbon and Bono gained their autonomy or
independence from Asante.

 It led to the split of the original Asante kingdom.

 One section of Asante, Dwaben migrated to Koforidua to join their predecessors who had
earlier done same in 1834 and founded Koforidua

 Aftermath of the Sagrenti War and the Treaty of Fomena

 The Gold Coast Colony and the Protectorate

 The immediate effect of the Sagrenti War and the Treaty of Fomena was the
proclamation made by the British on 24th July, 1874.

 This proclamation finalized the process of colonialism in the country.

 The British forts and settlements on southern part of the coast were designated as the
Gold Coast Colony.

 The states south of Pra and Offin Rivers were rechristened the Gold Coast Protectorate.

 The Colony came under absolute control of the British.

 However, the states in the Protectorate were under the protection of the British.

 The chiefs in the protectorate still administered their own territories.

Emergence of New Dwaben (Juaben)

 The war compelled the people of Asante Juaben to migrate to the Eastern Region.

 The migrants settled at present-day Juaben such as Juaben, Effiduase, Asokore, Jumapo
and Suhyen.
 Uncertainty of what to do with Asante after the 1874 defeat

 After the British had subjugated the Asante, initially, and to be specific, ten years after
the defeat and signing of the treaty, they were uncertain as to what should be done to
Asante.

 They vacillated for a long time.

 This issue even affected the enforcement of the Treaty of Fomena.

 They were not sure whether to station a British Commissioner or garrison in the capital
city of Asante, Kumasi until they heard the outcome of the Berlin Conference.

 Germany and France Colonial interest as catalyst for the British annexation of
Asante
 The outcome of the decisions taken at the Berlin facilitated the annexation of Asante.

 The British Government became afraid that if Asante was not annexed, it would either
become German or French colony looking at the how such powers were spreading very
fast.

 What alarmed them was that the French had set up their base in Cote d’Ivoire and had
spread to Sefwi and Gyaaman.

 From such situation, it was not unlikely that they could annex Asante on the Gold Coast.

 Furthermore, Germans were also spreading from Togoland to Asante.

 With such cases, the British Colonial Office in London started moves to incorporate
Asante into their territory.

 They therefore decided to send British Resident in Kumasi to guarantee that it would not
fall into the hands of any European power.

 The Activities and role of Ekem Furguson

 The British Government thus saw the need to demarcate strategic areas on the Gold
Coast.

 In 1890, George Ekem Furguson, from Anomabo was sent by the British to survey and
sign a treaty of protection.
  This treaty was meant to safeguard the chief and the indigenous people of Atebubu.

Lecture slides—Dr. Peter Boakye