The President of Germany, HE Frank-Walter Steinmeier, had a taste of true royalty at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on a state visit to Ghana.
Wrapped in pure Asante tradition, the Palace reception was a perfect blend of warmth and formality.
From the entrance of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Jubilee Hall, where he was hosted, the guest of the Asantehene and his delegation were immersed in the rich and timeless culture of the Kingdom.
A kete performance ushered him in while Daasebre Otuo Sereboe, Juabenhene, in accordance with tradition, led him to the Monarch.
At the reception hall, the King was joined by other prominent traditional Asante chiefs, including Odeneho Okyere Kusi Ntrama, Essumegyahene, Barima Sarfo Tweneboah Kodua, Kumawuhene and Baffour Owusu Bediako, Asante Akyem Domeabrahene.
They held a closed-door meeting during which opemsuo.com understands His Majesty gifted the German President a traditional stool with an embossed Asante emblem.
Presenting it, Nana Juabenhene explained that the gift symbolises authority and power.
The visit to the Manhyia Palace was inarguably the best part of his three-day visit to the country and will stay with him forever.
Before the courtesy visit, President Steinmeier cut sod for the construction of the Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies at the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI); interacted with the Management and some alumni of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); and toured the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) in Tropical Medicine.
He has since departed Kumasi for his home country.
