All Hail Nana

We Americans can be so unwittingly rude. In a country where there is no actual royalty (celebrities don’t count), we have no idea how to interact with the blue bloods. So here are some friendly pointers before you make an idiot of yourself when you meet Nana Kwame Akuoko Sarpong,...

By Patrice Elizabeth Grell Yursik

July 12, 2007

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We Americans can be so unwittingly rude. In a country where there is no actual royalty (celebrities don’t count), we have no idea how to interact with the blue bloods. So here are some friendly pointers before you make an idiot of yourself when you meet Nana Kwame Akuoko Sarpong, who has reigned for 30 years as king of Agogo, Ghana. Don’t call him by his first name, Kwame; call him Nana. “Nana is a royal title. My name is also Nana, because [the king] named me Queen Mother, so I am a part of the royal family,” explains Priscilla Stephens Kruize, curator and president of the Black Heritage Museum at Jungle Island. The museum occupies a spacious corner of the verdant outdoor attraction, and fills the space with a colorful and beautiful display of artifacts from Ghana, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast.

“We’ve got items that are more than 5000 years old. We will have drummers to pave the way of the king, and there will be a red carpet. People cam come and ask questions as he sits in state,” says Kruize. His Majesty arrives at 10:00 a.m., and visitors are advised to come early to greet him. Admission to this regal affair is free, but parking at Jungle Island costs seven dollars.
Tue., July 17, 10 a.m.

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