Chapter Nine

The idea began as a whisper — a suggestion passed between elders in Biriwa and Dunkwa. What if, instead of silence, there was song? What if the legacy of the Denkyira chiefs and the rise of Jacob Wilson Sey could be honored together, not as rivals, but as threads in the same tapestry?

And so, the Festival of Two Rivers was born.

Held in the dry season, when the Ofin River (Denkyira’s lifeline) and the Ayensu River (flowing near Biriwa) ran low but clear, the festival would commemorate the journey of the golden chiefs and the rediscovery of their treasure. It would be a celebration of memory, unity, and ancestral resilience.

🪘 The Gathering

Delegations arrived from both kingdoms. The Denkyira Traditional Council, led by Nana Odeefuo Boa Amponsem IV, came with drummers, linguists, and ceremonial regalia. The Fante elders of Biriwa, proud descendants of coastal traders and Sey’s own lineage, welcomed them with open arms.

For the first time in living memory, the two communities stood side by side — not in competition, but in reverence.

Ama Nyarko was invited to speak. She stood beneath the twisted tree, now adorned with cloth and beads, and told the story:

“This tree watched over silence. It held the gold of chiefs who fled, and the dreams of a man who rose. Today, we do not dig. We remember.”

🔥 The Ritual of Return

At sunset, a symbolic procession began. Young men from Dunkwa carried a carved stool — the Stool of the Silent Chiefs — from the palace to the grove. Young women from Biriwa carried palm wine calabashes, honoring Sey’s humble beginnings.

They met beneath the tree.

There, a libation was poured. Not to claim ownership, but to offer thanks. The elders spoke the names of the fallen: Ntim Gyakari, Nana Kofi Agyeman, and others lost to history. Then, they spoke Sey’s name — not as a thief of treasure, but as a keeper of legacy.

🌍 A New Tradition

The Festival of Two Rivers became an annual event. Schools taught the story. Chiefs invoked it during enstoolments. And the tree, once silent, became a sacred site — not for gold, but for memory.

The Denkyira Traditional Council, now aware of the link, began funding cultural research into the flight of the golden chiefs. The Fante elders established a heritage center in Biriwa, preserving Sey’s story and the oral traditions that surrounded it.

And Ama Nyarko? She continued to write. But more importantly, she listened.

Because some stories are not written — they are lived.