The King of cross-cultural understanding received the traditional leader of the Asante

29 juillet 2006

Rabat, July 27, 2006 – His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, the heir second in line to the throne, received King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II of Kingdom of Asante. Prince Moulay Rachid as a visionary leader spearheads many educational projects that aim to provide deep cross-cultural understanding, despite the challenges.

King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, leader of the Asante (in English: Ashanti), the largest ethnic group in Ghana, wore magnificent traditional robe as he met with His Royal Highness.

The Asante were one of the Akan-speaking people who settled in the forest region of modern Ghana between the 11^th and 13^th centuries. The separate Asante chiefdoms were united by Osei Tutu in the 1670s and in 1696 he took the title of Asantehene (king) and founded the Asante Empire.

Osei Tutu became king in 1999 after the death of Nana Opoku Ware II. Since his ascension in 1999, the king has attempted to revitalize his nation and to use its resources to promote education, health services, industry, and international partnerships and cooperation.

Prince Moulay Rachid’s dear friend Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange and his wife Crown Princess Máxima paid a state visit to the Kingdom of Asante in 2002 on the occasion of 300-year relations between The Netherlands and Ghana. It was Crown Princess's first foreign state visit.