Kwasi Boachi

Kwasi Boakye
Prince of Asanteman
Boakye c. 1849, at the age of 22
Born(1827-04-24)24 April 1827
Kumasi, Ashanti Empire
Died9 June 1904(1904-06-09) (aged 77)
Bantar Peteh, Dutch East Indies
HouseOyoko
FatherKwaku Dua Panin
Alma mater
OccupationMining engineer
RelativesKwame Poku (cousin)

Kwasi Boakye or Kwasi Boachi (24 April 1827 – 9 June 1904) was a Prince of the Ashanti Empire who was sent to the Netherlands together with his cousin,[1] Kwame Poku, in 1837, by his father, King Kwaku Dua Panin, to receive education as part of larger negotiations between the Ashanti and the Dutch about the recruitment of Ashanti soldiers for the Dutch East Indies Army.[2][3][4]

Early life

He was the son of Kwaku Dua I who was the eighth King of the Ashanti Empire.[4] During the era of the slave trade and after, many people left Africa for the Americas and Europe. He was part of the people who left the shores of Africa to study, while others were forced out of the continent. There was an agreement that was signed between Kwaku Dua I and King William I, that Kwasi Boakye was to return with his cousin, Kwame Poku after they are done with their studies. Kwame Poku did return to the Dutch Gold Coast as planned, Boakye stayed in the Netherlands. He was trained as a mining engineer at the Delft Royal Academy, from which he graduated in 1847.[4][5]

Career

In July 1847, Boakye had lectures at the Freiberg Mining Academy (Technische Universitat Bergakademie) in Germany. During his studies he stayed with Caroline Geudtner at Petersstrasse.

Boakye was sent to the Dutch East Indies in 1850, where he found himself discriminated against by his superior, Cornelius de Groot van Embden, for which he received a financial compensation in 1857.[4] He became a member and correspondent for the Dutch East Indies again in 1871.[1] As part of the compensation, he was awarded an estate in Bantar Peteh, south of Buitenzorg. Boakye died on this estate in 1904.[5] He was a member of the Association of Civil Engineers which was later changed to Association of Delft Engineers.[1][4] He was appointed an honorary member in 1893.[1]

Legacy

Dutch writer Arthur Japin has written a historical fiction novel based on the Boakye brothers' lives, The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi, released in 1997.[4]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d "This Ashanti prince became the first black engineer in the world in the 1850s". Face2Face Africa. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ Van Kessel 2002.
  3. ^ Crabbe, Nathaniel (4 July 2019). "Meet the Ashanti prince who was the first black Mining Engineer in the world". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Meet Kwasi Boakye, Otumfuo Kwaku Dua's son who was sent to the Netherlands to study but never returned". THE POST. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Kwasi Boakye, the Ghanaian prince and world's first black mining engineer". Afrinik. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.

Bibliography

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