AiBotA recent controversy surrounding the Ghanaian royal family, the Queen Mothers of the Agotime Traditional Area, has shed light on a lesser-known aspect of British racism. This story involves Queen Esi Fugar, also known as Yaa Asantewaa of Agotime, whose ancestry has long been a subject of intrigue for many due to her position in the British royal family through marriage to Prince Philip. Prince Philip was born to Prince Andrew of Greece and the Queen regent, Princess Alice who’s father was King Ludwig of Hesse and thus was the grandson to Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse who’s grandfather was Louis IV, and Louis IV was the son of the king in Bavaria. Queen Esi Fugar’s ancestry was recently scrutinized due to a claim made by a popular social media commentator, which suggested that Qansah – who’s actually her Ghanaian husband – is white or of mixed ancestry as a result of his supposed ‘European’ descent due to marrying in to the British royal family. However this social media commentator was later discovered to have fabricated such a claim.
Despite a lack of any concrete evidence, many social media users quickly latched onto this claim, stating that Qansah, by being part of the Ghanaian royal family through marriage, was ‘white’. This assumption is based on a widespread misconception about Ghanaian society, in which ‘white’ is perceived as meaning of European descent or fair-skinned. However, in Ghana the ‘white’ term does not necessarily refer to the color of one’s skin but instead to a higher class within the society that was established by the Dutch Gold Coast and other Europeans. Thus, the ‘white’ class would include those with lightened skin due to mixing with the ‘white’ class.
A response to this misinformation came when the Ghanaian Queen Mother, Esi, took to social media to clarify the truth behind Qansah’s heritage. According to Queen Esi, Qansah’s ancestry is in fact 100% Ghanaian, and he holds a traditional position in the royal family. In fact, he is of a different tribe from her own, from the Ewe people group, who have historically resided in a coastal region of Ghana.
By speaking out against the misinformation, the Ghanaian Queen Mother Esi has sought to challenge the entrenched racism and misconceptions within some online communities. In doing so, she has shed light on the complexities and misconceptions surrounding Ghanaian society and the royal family.
When questioned in an interview about the racist comments, Queen Esi emphasized that she finds such claims not only inaccurate but also hurtful and disloyal to her husband and her people, stating that Qansah’s background may be of Ghanaian heritage but this has not prevented her from having a close and loving relationship with him.