Akuapem people in Ghana celebrate 200th anniversary of a victory over the Ashanti Empire

AKROPONG-AKUAPEM, Ghana (AP) — The Indigenous Akuapem people in eastern Ghana celebrated this week their military victory over the Ashanti Empire 200 years ago, a vast, sprawling and powerful 18th-century West African state.

The battle helped reshape the area into what has become part of modern Ghana.

The empire might be long gone, but the battle has not faded from memory. Two centuries later, the Akuapem people still come together to honor their victory by reenacting the war.

The festival, called Akuapem Odwira, is also a means of purification, spiritual renewal and thanksgiving, they say.

The two-week-long celebration, which started on Sept. 21, has featured an array of pageantry, a re-enactment and a durbar, or ceremonial gathering.

Both royalty and subjects engaging in the festivities were draped in traditional Kente cloth. Gold ornaments glinted in the afternoon sun as drums rolled through the streets and the chiefs arrived on decorated palanquins carried by attendants. Praise singers and dancers performed around the clock in the streets.

On the 10th day of the celebration, young men dressed as warriors marched from the palace into the hills and forest for the re-enactment of the battle, fought on Aug. 7, 1826.

The performers climbed a steep mountain into the forest, following the route toward the area where the battle is believed to have taken place. At a stream, libations were poured and other rituals performed.

Some participants, acting as captured enemy soldiers, were chained and led back toward the community, where crowds gathered to receive them before they were presented to the chief.

Nanahemaa Adwoa Awindor, the Queen Mother in charge of developmental activities, said the bicentennial anniversary was important because it showed how culture can survive across generations.

“Two hundred years of Odwira represents far more than the passage of time. It is a remarkable testimony to the resilience of the people, the continuity of tradition, and the enduring power of culture to bind generations together,” she said.

For younger generations, the anniversary has also become a means to reconnect with a heritage they say is too easily overlooked.

Kingsley Ketegu, a 36-year-old Akuapem resident who took part in the celebrations, said young people should use such occasions to learn about their history.

“As young people, we should embrace this and learn our culture,” he said. “Odwira is a very big festival. Very, very big. But we have underrated it.”

A chief dances at the Akuapem State's 200th anniversary celebration of the Odwira Festival in Akropong, Ghana, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo)

People march through their community during the re-enactment of the Akatamanso War as part of the Odwira Festival celebrations in Larteh, Ghana, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 . (AP Photo)

Children participate in a re-enactment of the Akatamanso War during the Odwira Festival celebrations in Larteh, Ghana, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 . (AP Photo)

Queen Mothers attend the Akuapem State's 200th anniversary celebration of the Odwira Festival on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 in Akropong, Ghana. (AP Photo)

Youth march in a forest during a re-enactment of the Akatamanso War as part of the Odwira Festival celebrations in Larteh, Ghana, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 . (AP Photo)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are set to begin a days-long march toward Islamabad on Sunday to demand his release after talks between the government and the opposition fell through.

Khan is current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s main political rival and has been imprisoned since 2023 on corruption and other charges that he and his party say are politically motivated. He remains popular.

The march will leave Lakki Marwat district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party holds power, with overnight stops planned along the route. Sohail Afridi, the province’s chief minister and a Khan supporter, announced the plan on X. Authorities have erected roadblocks, using containers, at the entrance to Islamabad and inside the city.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government were in talks to postpone the march but failed to reach a resolution two days ago. Gohar Khan, the party’s chairman, said negotiations remained deadlocked after two rounds.

Sharif urged postponement, citing a surge in militant attacks in the northwest, where the Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks. His government has accused PTI of sympathizing with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The organizers now vow to reach the capital after rallying with hundreds of thousands of Khan supporters.

Besides Khan’s release, protesters are demanding his transfer to a hospital and permission for his family to visit him. Officials say he is in good health and receives regular family visits but maintain that meetings with the imprisoned former leader cannot be used for political purposes.

The march was originally scheduled for Sept. 27 but was postponed after party leaders said authorities blocked key approaches to Islamabad, including Attock Bridge, a major crossing for convoys from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Previous protests by Khan’s supporters have turned violent, including one in 2024 in which security personnel and civilians were killed.

Khan, a former cricket star, was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Sharif returned to office after the February 2024 election, which Khan’s party says was rigged to deny it victory. The government denies the allegation.

Riaz reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar contributed to this story.

A resident walks past shipping containers placed by authorities to seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Vehicles drive past shipping containers placed by authorities along side on a highway for seal off an area ahead of a plan protest march by the supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan demanding his release, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)