S8Ep5| A TALE OF TWO 19th CENTURY ASANTE PRINCES: a conversation with Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago

Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago takes us through her research journey of uncovering the remarkable stories of two 19th century Asante princes.

Cousin brothers: Kwasi Boachi and Kwame Poku were both 10 years old when they migrated to the Netherlands in 1837 on the request of Asantehene Kwaku Dua I, Kwasi’s father and Kwame’s uncle.

Boachi and Poku’s stories are both fascinating and tragic and hopefully will inspire a film one day. What I found most compelling was seeing the parallels almost 200 years apart between their migration stories and those of contemporary first-generation Ghanaians that make that journey from home to foreign lands. 

This interview was recorded in early October 2025. Andrea-Vicky kicks off the conversation.

Background

You can read more about her work in her academic paper: 

Building (b)ridges beyond the Portrait - Mapping Memories of Kwasi Boachi - Exit Frame! by Andrea-Vicky Amankwaa-Birago

https://anthropologyofglobalinequalities.com/2025/04/25/building-bridges-beyond-the-portrait-mapping-memories-of-kwasi-boachi-exit-frame/

https://voices.skd.museum/voices-mag/building-bridges-beyond-the-portrait/

The paintings depicting Kwasi Boachi and Kwame Poku 

1: Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein: Bildnis des Aquasie Boachi, Prinz von Aschantiland / Portrait of Kwasi Boachi, Prince of Ashanti Region. 1849, Öl auf Pappe / Oil on cardboard, 33,1×29 cm

Leihgabe des Stadt- und Bergbaumuseums Freiberg / Loan from the Freiberg City and Mining Museum | Inv.-Nr. 53/237. © Foto: Albertinum | GNM, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Elke Estel/Hans-Peter Klut

2: Jacobus Ludovicus Cornet: Double portrait of Akwasi Boachi and Kwame Poku in 1837, Öl auf Holz, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden

3: Nicolaas Pienemann, inauguration of King William II in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, 1840, Öl auf Leinwandm Paleis Het Loo, Apeldoorn, permanent load from Royal Collections, The Hague.

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Super Opong Stars and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

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