Kumasi in 3 days

Bonwire (Bɔnwire — 10km northeast of Kumasi; accessible by tro-tro (shared minibus, GHS 2, 20 min) or taxi (GHS 20 return)); the village where kente cloth (kente — the most famous textile of Africa; the name derives from the Twi word 'kenten' (basket) because the early kente patterns resembled the woven pattern of a basket) was created for the Ashanti royal court (the tradition attributes the invention of kente to Ota Karaban and Kwaku Ameyaw, two hunters from Bonwire who in the 17th century were inspired to weave by watching a spider (Ananse — the spider who is the central figure in Ashanti mythology (Anansi stories — the trickster spider who outwits more powerful animals; the origin of the Anansi stories that spread throughout the African diaspora to the Caribbean and the American South during the slave trade)) spinning its web)). The Bonwire kente process: the cloth is woven on a horizontal narrow-band loom producing strips 10–15cm wide; the strips are then sewn together to make the full cloth (the Royal Kente used by the Asantehene for state occasions can require 80 strips, taking 3–6 months of one weaver's full-time work); visitors can watch the weavers and purchase cloth directly. GHS 200–5,000+ depending on quality.

Lake Bosomtwe (Bosumtwe — 30km southeast of Kumasi; the largest natural lake in Ghana (8.5km in diameter, 90m depth); the lake formed approximately 1.07 million years ago by a meteorite impact (Bosomtwe Crater — a confirmed impact crater: the meteorite (estimated diameter 250m) created a crater 10.5km in diameter; the lake fills only the inner part of the crater; the circular shape of the lake and the uplifted rim (the hills surrounding the lake are the eroded remains of the crater ejecta blanket) are clearly visible from the air or from the crater rim roads)). The Ashanti spiritual significance of Lake Bosomtwe: the lake is sacred to the Ashanti god Twi (a lesser deity associated with water and fishing; the Ashanti belief is that the lake is the abode of the souls of the dead, who come to bid farewell to the god before moving to the afterlife; traditional fishing on Lake Bosomtwe is done using planks of wood (odom — the sacred tree whose wood is used as a float (traditional boats are prohibited as they would disturb the spirits of the dead)); the lake community surrounding the shore (the 30+ villages of the Bosomtwe basin, speaking the Twi dialect of Akan) are the guardians of the lake. Canoe hire GHS 30.

Ashanti funerals (amagyin — the Ashanti concept of death: death is a transition to the spirit world, not a tragedy; Ashanti funerals are multi-day celebrations of the deceased's life, with music (the kete drum ensemble — the royal Ashanti drum orchestra; the fontomfrom (the state drums, used only at royal funerals and state occasions)); drinking (Schnapps — the Dutch or German Schnapps (alcohol) that has been used in Ashanti funeral libation since the 18th century when European traders introduced it; pouring Schnapps on the earth is a libation to the ancestors); dancing, and the wearing of red and black (the Ashanti mourning colours) or red and gold (for royalty). If visiting on a Saturday (the main funeral day in Ghana), it is likely that several neighbourhood funerals will be occurring simultaneously within walking distance of any central Kumasi location — the funerals are public celebrations that welcome respectful observers. Free.

Kumasi night market (the food stall culture of Kumasi: the city's food markets operate 24 hours at the major junctions (Kejetia, Asafo, and Suame roundabouts) where the tro-tro routes converge): the night food: grilled tilapia (the freshwater fish from Lake Bosomtwe and the Pra River, grilled whole over charcoal with shito (Ghana's most famous condiment: a deeply savoury, very spicy dry sauce made from dried shrimp, dried herring, tomatoes, onions, and pepper — cooked for 3–4 hours until all the water evaporates and the sauce becomes an intensely flavoured dry paste; a jar of shito is the definitive Ghanaian food souvenir)); jollof rice (the West African one-pot rice dish cooked in a tomato-and-onion broth; the 'Ghanaian jollof' (as opposed to Nigerian or Senegalese jollof) uses long-grain parboiled rice with a smoky finish (the 'party jollof' is deliberately slightly scorched at the bottom, giving the 'smoky' flavour that Ghanaians consider the mark of properly cooked jollof)). GHS 10–25 for a full night meal.

Prempeh II Jubilee Museum (Kumasi National Cultural Centre, Bantama Road; named after Asantehene Prempeh II (enstooled 1931; the king who negotiated the partial restoration of Ashanti self-government under British rule); the museum has the most significant collection of Ashanti material culture on public display in Kumasi: (1) the gold regalia (the royal akrafena swords (the 'soul swords' of the Asantehene — specific swords that are the emblem of the office and are never drawn from the scabbard except in sacred ceremonies), the gold-handled flywhisk (used by the Asantehene to fan away evil), and the royal sandals (asotwe — the Asantehene cannot walk barefoot on the ground, as his feet represent the contact with the ancestors; the sandals are changed frequently during ceremonies)); (2) the royal kente (the 'Adekorade Kente' — the most valuable kente in the museum, woven from gold thread and silk with the oya pattern (the royal pattern reserved exclusively for the Asantehene)); (3) the gold weights collection (the most complete collection of abrammuo (brass gold-weights) in any museum in Ghana — 500+ weights in the form of animals, human figures, and geometric shapes, each corresponding to a specific weight unit of gold dust). Adults GHS 30.

Komfo Anokye Sword (Sword of Okomfo Anokye — at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital grounds, Bantama Road; Okomfo Anokye (also spelled Okomfo Anokye or Komfo Anokye — 'Anokye the priest') was the most powerful okyeame (royal priest) of the Ashanti Kingdom; he was the companion of Asantehene Osei Tutu I (the founder of the Ashanti Kingdom) and performed the supernatural acts that legitimised the new kingdom): his most famous deed was the conjuring of the Golden Stool (in 1701 — Anokye called the stool down from the sky in a great storm, at the court of Osei Tutu I, and declared it the 'Sunsum' (soul) of the Ashanti nation); his second act was planting a sword in the ground at a specific spot (now the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital site) and declaring that the Ashanti nation would fall when the sword is removed — no force has yet moved the sword (the hospital was built around it, and the sword remains in place embedded in the concrete floor of the hospital grounds, accessible to visitors). Free.

Suame Magazine (Suame — the northern suburb of Kumasi; the largest informal industrial district in West Africa: 200,000 artisan mechanics, metalworkers, and engineers operating 40,000+ workshops (ranging from single-person roadside repair stands to large multi-bay workshops) in a 4km² area; all the mechanical repairs and metal fabrication for the entire Ashanti Region and beyond are done here); the district takes its name from the 'Magazine' — the colonial ammunition storage area that was established here (from which all the mechanical workshops spread); the Suame economy: vehicle repairs (every make and model of car, truck, and bus operating in West Africa is repaired here; spare parts from Europe, Japan, and China are imported and distributed through the Suame spare parts market); metal fabrication (the manufacture of agricultural tools, furniture, and building materials); and informal engineering innovation (Suame craftsmen have been known to manufacture replacement parts for machines whose original manufacturers no longer produce them, using hand tools). A walk through Suame (with a local guide — essential for navigation and safety) is one of the most extraordinary urban experiences in Africa.

Oware (Owari/Oware — the Ashanti version of the mancala strategy game (the oldest strategy board game in the world: mancala games have been played in Africa and the Middle East since at least 600 CE (the earliest evidence), and possibly for thousands of years earlier); the Oware board: two rows of 6 cups (seeds are distributed and captured in a mathematical pattern); played throughout West Africa and the Caribbean diaspora (where enslaved Africans brought the game — it is still called 'Oware' in many Caribbean communities)). Ashanti farewell dinner: the complete Ashanti celebratory meal: fufu + groundnut soup + tilapia, followed by asanka (a clay pot dish — vegetables and eggs pounded together and served in the clay mortar), and the Ashanti sweet: bofrot (Bofrot — deep-fried sweet dough balls, similar to doughnuts; made from wheat flour, sugar, nutmeg, and anise seed; fried in palm oil; GHS 1–2 each). Ghana Beer (Star Lager + Club Beer (Club Brewery, established Kumasi 1958) — the local alternative to Star that is brewed in Kumasi itself). Last drinks at a Kumasi spot bar.