Rapper Okyeame Kwame has extended his sincerest condolences to the overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, following the final funeral rites of his late mother, the Queenmother of the Kingdom, Nana Afia Kobi Ampem II.

Okyeame Kwame also stated that the culture and spectacle on display proves once and for all that the Ashanti peoples constitute an empire.

He wrote on Facebook:

We have experienced our heritage, our rich culture and this speaks to the fact that Asante is indeed an empire.
This shows that we come from Royalty.
It is only sad that Otumfuor had to lose his mother for the world to behold such beauty this way.

Nana, due! Accept our heartfelt condolences.
Nana, kafra. We mourn with you and join all sympathizers to wish Asantehemaa a peaceful rest.

Interestingly, whilst semantically and symbolically, the Ashanti Kingdom obviously carries weight and wields great influence over its subjects, legally it has no standing (either as a kingdom or empire) under the executive system of governance we run. That disconnect has been at the heart of disagreements over what powers the kingdom had in declaring a curfew, for instance.

Okyeame Kwame, it seems, stands firmly in the camp of an empire within our state.