Speech by Verhagen at transfer of the remains of King Badu Bonsu II

Speech | 23-07-2009

Ceremony for transfer of remains of King Badu Bonsu II

Mr Odoi-Anim, Nananom, distinguished guests,

I am most honoured to welcome you to the Netherlands. You have travelled here on important business, and yours is by no means an ordinary visit. You have come to take home the remains of King Badu Bonsu II of Ahanta, which have been kept in the Netherlands for some 170 years. I would like to extend a special welcome to Mr Joseph Jones Amoah, District Chief Executive in the Ahanta Traditional Area and the great-great-grandson of King Badu Bonsu II. I would like to wish the entire Ghanaian delegation a stay in our country that lives up to your expectations and gives you the sense of closure you have been looking for.

The relations between Ghana and the Netherlands date back to the seventeenth century. We are gathered here today because of our shared history. We are also here because of our mutual desire to lay to rest episodes in that history that were unfortunate and shameful. The close bonds of friendship between Ghana and the Netherlands enable us to discuss all aspects of our common past. This includes the form that the Dutch presence took on the Gold Coast. King Badu Bonsu II lived and ruled while the Dutch controlled the trading posts. He has posthumously become a symbol of those volatile times.

Our common past also includes the infamous slave trade, which our traders engaged in and sustained and which inflicted so much harm on so many people in so many parts of the world. I am glad that our two peoples, Ghanaians and Dutch alike, are able to face these parts of our history squarely and together. We do not ignore our common heritage in our present-day relations. On the contrary, we work together to preserve that heritage. In Elmina, for example, both the Castle, once a major port of call for slave traders, and the surrounding village have been restored by the Ghanaian government with Dutch assistance.

Facing the past together does not distract us from facing the future together. What we can do and must do is uphold the values that we share today, including respect for human rights and human dignity and on that basis build strong relations for the future.

Ghana and the Netherlands have succeeded in doing this. We are great friends and strong partners in today’s rapidly changing world. And opportunities still abound to deepen our relationship: economically, politically and culturally. The fact that many Ghanaians have made their homes in the Netherlands and started successful businesses here is an additional bond between our two nations.

Our relations are multifaceted. As Ghana transforms itself from a developing country into a middle-income country, the volume of trade and investment between our two nations is becoming greater and greater. Ghana is also one of the biggest recipients of Dutch development assistance. A large part of that assistance is spent on budget support: a clear sign of our confidence in the way in which Ghana, a free and democratic country with a promising future, is governed.

Nananom, ladies and gentlemen,

People the world over strive to live peaceful and prosperous lives, to feed and educate their children, and to protect themselves from violence and disease. And all over the world, people attach great importance to burying their ancestors in a way that nurtures their souls. We need to be able to bid farewell to those we honoured in life. And we need to know that our ancestors can rest in peace; that the ‘circle of tradition’, as you call it, is complete. This is about paying our last respects to the ones who raised us, to the ones who taught us, and to the ones who walked ahead of us in time. It is no different in the Netherlands than it is in Ghana. Human nature is the same everywhere. Precisely as your fellow countryman, one of the world’s greatest men, Kofi Annan, said, ‘We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race.’ In matters of life and death, we understand each other perfectly well.

This is why I felt it was important to heed the request of the Ghanaian authorities to return the remains of King Badu Bonsu II to Ghana. This request came after President Kufuor’s State visit to the Netherlands last year, when this issue was first brought up. I am very grateful to all parties involved, including Leiden University Medical Centre, for making a swift transfer possible.

Mr Odoi-Anim,

In a few minutes, y ou, Nana Etsin Kofi II and I will sign the Declaration of Transfer. First, however, I would like to thank you and your staff for working closely with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the past few weeks to shape today’s ceremony. Your cooperation has been invaluable and much appreciated.

Sir, I would now like to invite you to say a few words on this solemn occasion.

Thank you.

Responsible ministry