Burundi’s Call for Return of Royal Remains from Belgium

*Wɔatwerɛ nsɛm wei wɔ *'Asante Twi*' mu*

Burundi, ɔman ketewa bi a ɛwɔ Afrika Apuei fam a ahemman no adi tumi akyɛ, ne Afrika aman foforo aka abom rehwehwɛ sɛ wɔde amammerɛ agyapade ne nananom atrae a ɛwɔ Europa ahyehyɛde ahorow mu no ma wɔn. Saa mmɔdenbɔ yi mu nea ɛka koma paa ne Burundifoɔ a wɔsrɛ sɛ wɔmfa ahene nkae a ɛwɔ Belgium no mmra, a ɛyɛ ade a wɔhwehwɛ fi ɔman no amammerɛ mu, na ɛno nso yɛ ade a wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔde atɛntrenee ne asomdwoe ba bere a na aman no adi wɔn so no.

## Berɛ a wɔdi ɔman no so ne tete ahene nnoɔma a ɛyeraeɛ
Belgium dii Burundi so wɔ afeha a ɛtɔ so 20 mfitiaseɛ mu berɛ a Germany dii nkoguo wɔ Wiase Ko I mu no, na wɔde dii dwuma wɔ Amanaman Apam no ase na akyiri yi wɔde dii Amanaman Nkabom no so de kɔsii sɛ wɔde faahodie maa no wɔ 1962 mu. Saa bere yi mu no, Belgium yɛɛ adwuma de sɛee tumi nhyehyɛe a na ɛwɔ hɔ dedaw no, titire ahemman no, na wɔhunuu sɛ ɛno ne ɔfasu a na ɛsi nnisoɔ no kwan so.

Nneɛma a ɛkɔɔ so a ɛho hia paa wɔ asɛm yi mu baako ne Mwami Mwezi Gisabo a owui wɔ 1908 mu a na ɔyɛ Burundi hene a otwaa ne ho no wu. Nanso, asɛm a agye akyinnye sen biara no fa Ɔhempɔn Louis Rwagasore, a na ɔyɛ ɔman no ahofadi ho ɔkannifo a na ɔyɛ ahemfo abusua no muni a wokum no wɔ tebea a ɛyɛ nwonwa mu wɔ afe 1961 mu no ho. Ne wu no, a nnipa pii gye di sɛ ɛyɛ amanyɔsɛm nti na ɛbaa no na ɛfa Belgium nniso no ho no, da so ara yɛ abakɔsɛm mu awerɛhosɛm a wɔnnya nnyaa ano aduro.

Ɛwom sɛ wosiee Ɔhempɔn Rwagasore wɔ Burundi de, nanso wɔde ahemfo nkae ne wɔn agyapade kɔɔ Belgium, titiriw bere a na nniso no redi basabasayɛ ne sɛe no akyi no. Nsɛm bi kyerɛ sɛ wɔyii nnipa a wɔda so te sɛ Ganwa adehyeɛ no nnompe ne nneɛma a wɔde bɔɔ wɔn ho ban no wɔ anthropological akwantu mu, na seesei ɛwɔ Belgium mmeae bi te sɛ Royal Museum for Central Africa wɔ Tervuren.

## San a wɔbasan aba wɔn man mu no ho ahwehwɛdeɛ ne deɛ aban no yɛeɛ
Burundi bɔɔ amanneɛ sɛ wɔpɛ sɛ wɔde ahemfo nkae ne nnoɔma a wɔde yɛ kronkron no san fi Belgium wɔ afe 2020 mu. Saa adesrɛ yi yɛ nsato a ɛseɛ bi a na wɔhwehwɛ sɛ wɔde nneɛma bɛsan ama, a Sarr-Savoy Kaa ho asɛm wɔ afe 2018 mu a ɛkaa sɛ wɔsan de nneɛma bɛsan ama wɔ Francophone Afrika nyinaa no na ɛkaa ho. Burundi Amanaman Ntam Nsɛm So Ɔsomfo sii so dua sɛ saa nnompe yi a wɔde bɛsan aba no ho hia paa ma ɔman no ayaresa, amammerɛ mu nidi, ne abakɔsɛm mu nsɛm a wɔresɛe no.

Nea wɔsan bisae no bi ne ahemfo mpopaho, nneɛma a wɔde di afahyɛ, ne nnipa nnompe a wɔboaboaa ano wɔ nnommumfo asraafo akwantu anaa nnipa ho nhwehwɛmu mu. Sɛnea Burundi atumfoɔ kyerɛ no, saa nneɛma yi ho hia paa wɔ atetesɛm mu amanne ne nananom a wɔawuwu ho nkae mu. Wɔn a wotuu wɔn fii hɔ no, ɛnyɛ amanne ahorow a na ɛyɛ kronkron no nko na wɔagu ho firĩ, na mmom ɛmaa wɔsɛee ɔmanfo no tumi ne wɔn abakɔsɛm nso.

## Belgium mmuaeɛ ne nkɔmmɔbɔ a ɛrekɔ so
Belgium agye ato mu sɛ wɔrehyɛ wɔn so sɛ wɔnsan mfa Afrika agyapade no mma, na wɔabɔ mmɔden sɛ wɔbɛhwɛ nneɛma a wɔaboaboa ano wɔ n'ahemman mu no yiye. Wɔ afe 2020 mu no, Royal Museum for Central Africa yɛɛ nhwehwɛmu de huu baabi a nneɛma no fi a wɔbɛtumi de aba. Belgium aban no nso hyehyɛɛ mmarahyɛ baguani bi sɛ ɔnhwɛ n'ahemman mu abakɔsɛm wɔ Congo, Rwanda, ne Burundi, a nea ɛka ho ne nnipa nnompe ne ahemfo agyapade ho asɛm.

Nanso, nkɔso no akɔ fam. Bere a nkɔmmɔ bi asi wɔ Burundi ne Belgium ntam no, ahemfo nkae no a wɔbɛsan de aba no da so ara gyina hɔ. Belgium kyerɛ sɛ mmara a emu yɛ den ne hia a na ehia sɛ wɔhwehwɛ mu kɔ akyiri no na ɛma wɔtwentwɛn wɔn nan ase. Nanso, Burundi amammui ahyehyɛde ahorow kɔ so hwehwɛ sɛ wɔbɛyɛ nneɛma nyinaa mu tew, wɔfa amanaman ntam ntam ntamgyinafo, na wɔsan de sika no ma wɔ UNESCO akwankyerɛ ahodoɔ no ase.

## Ɔsom ne amammerɛ ho mfasoɔ
Wɔ Burundifo amammerɛ mu no, wɔsom ahemfo nananom a wɔawuwu no, na wobu wɔn sɛ wɔn na wɔkasa ma ateasefo ne anyame ntam. Asieyɛ ho amanne a ɛfata ho hia na ama ɔman no anya honhom fam ahobammɔ ne biakoyɛ. Wɔhwɛ sɛ ahemfo nnompe a enni hɔ, titiriw ahemfo anaa ganwa ahemfo nnompe no, yɛ biribi a wɔnyɛɛ ho hwee a ɛnyɛ nnipa nkae nko na ɛhaw no, na mmom amanne a ɛfa amansan ho nso.

Sɛ wɔsan de saa nnompe yi ba a, ɛbɛma Burundi atumi ayɛ ɔman nsie anaa amanne ahorow a ɛbɛma abakɔsɛm akɔ so, te sɛ nea Rwanda de Ɔhene Mutara III siee wɔ Nyanza wɔ afe 1995 mu anaa Ethiopia de Haile Selassie siee wɔ afe 2000 mu no. Saa nneyɛe yi nyɛ amanne bi kɛkɛ - ɛyɛ tumidi, ahosodi, ne abakɔsɛm mu nsiesie ho adeyɛ.

## Awieeɛ
Sɛ Burundi hwehwɛ sɛ wɔsan de ahemfo nnompe firi Belgium ba a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ Afrika nyinaa pɛ sɛ wɔsan de nidi, nkae, ne amammerɛ mu tumidi ma wɔn. Berɛ a ɔhaw ahorow da so wɔ mmara ne amanne mu no, abrabɔ ho asɛm no da adi pefee: ahemfo nnompe a wɔde kɔe wɔ nnommumfa mmere mu no yɛ amammerɛ ho hokwan a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan de siesie no denam nsiesie ne ayiyɛ foforɔ a obu wom so. Burundi ɔsatu no nkonimdie bɛgyina nkitahodie a wɔbɛkɔ so ayɛ, amanaman ntam nkabom, ne Belgium pɛ a ɛda adi sɛ wɔbɛdi n'ahemman no agyapadeɛ ho dwuma no so.

## Mmeaeɛ a menyaa mmoaa firiiɛ
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