#Torgbuiga_Wenya
III (Dutor of Anlo Kingdom)
(WHO IS WHO ACCORDING TO HISTORY)
The good people of the Anlo kingdom have
installed a new King under the name “Torgbuiga Wenya III”, and he becomes the
“Dutor of the Anlo Kingdom” which means “Overlord of the Anlo Kingdom”.
I hear his role would be to serve as the
head of the Loafe clan of Anlo, sit on a Royal stool as the Founder of the Anlo
Kingdom and also serve as the head of state of Anlo Land.
The title was conferred on one “Lawyer
Ephraim Agbeko Vordoagu” of the VORDOAGU, DZEBLE & CO (Chambers) at a
ceremony attended by the Elders and Kingmakers of Anlo.
Also former Big Brother Africa contestant
and renowned female Entrepreneur, Confidence
Haugen was made his Queen and so She is now the “Queen of Anlo” under the
title of “Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II”.
Confidence now “Mamaga” becomes the highest
female-led office holder of the Anlo Kingdom.
I am yet to see if there would be any legal
tussle or verbal disputes over this installment but then I am grateful that
“Torgbuiga Wenya” the great is finally being fully recognized and his name
cemented in history for his important roles as Founder and Leader of the Anlo
Kingdom.
And I have this feeling this would be a
great opportunity to start an interesting discourse about the Ewe history for
we the Youths to learn more about our history, heritage and culture.
History puts “Torgbui Wenya” as arguably the
most instrumental and influential leader in our stay and escape from Notsie. He
was the first Leader and Founder before any other person. And there’s no record
of Who made Wenya the leader of the “Dogbo community” like how he selected
“Sri” for the Awomefia position.
“Amega Wenya” is the one who made his nephew
named “Kponoe”, the Awomefia over the Anlo in Notsie and gave him the title
“Torgbui Sri”. History has it that “Kponoe” who became “Torgbui Sri I” got into
a dispute with his Paternal brothers in Tado, a town in Togo over the
succession of the “Awoamezi” which is the name for the “Awomefia Royal Stool”.
He therefore took off with the Stool and run off from Tado to his maternal
Uncle, Amega Wenya in Notsie.
It was in Notsie that the stool was
conferred on “Kponoe” as “Torgbui Sri I” by his maternal Uncle “Wenya” who was
then the leader of the Dogbo community in Notise. And so it means Sri would
have never been Awomefia of Anlo if his Uncle Wenya wasn’t the leader of the
Dogbo community in Notsie.
And Sri also in his lifetime decided that
his nephew “Adeladza” should also rule after him as a reward for bringing back
the Anlo Awomefia stool that was left in Notsie after they escaped from King
Agorkorli.
And despite “Torgbui Sri” was the Awomefia
of Anlo during their escape from Notsie, it was the same Torgbui Wenya who
still led the Anlo people in his old age from Notsie to their present home in
Anloga.
And He is also the one who gave the name
“Anlo” to the Anlo tribe when he told his entourage that he could no longer
continue the journey because he was old and bent and would want to coil here.
He used the words “me nlo de afisia” which means “I’ve coiled or folded up
here” when they arrived in present day Anloga.
And it is also worth also knowing that
history defines “Awomefia” as the “Spiritual head” and not a ceremonial head of
the Anlo Kingdom. And he is suppose to stay in seclusion in the “Awoveme” which
means “Awo”s forest”.
Traditionally the Awoamefia as a “SPIRITUAL
KING" never went out into public and His face was never to be seen by the
citizens. Citizens were supposed to cover their faces or genuflect whiles in
the presence of the Awomefia.
“Awo” pronounced “Awor”, from my oral
research is a wild thorny plant that bears a certain type of red fruits. And
“me” in Ewe means “Inside” and “Fia” means Chief or King.
So “Awomefia” literally means the “Chief
that resides inside the Awo plants forest”.
Not an expert in Ewe history but then this
is what I know and just sharing so we can start a healthy conversation to
understand our diverse and intriguing history and heritage.
In all I am just supercool “Torgbui Wenya”
finally gets the recognition he deserves.
But then now the question is that “Who among
the 2 Overlords is the true Leader of Anlo?
Because as it stands “Wenya” has a solid
history to demand being recognized as the Founder and Ceremonial head of the
Anlo just as Torgbuiga Wenya I was. History gives him that bragging right.
Dagbe neva Anlo nyigbadzi
Tsitsidedzi neva Anlo nyigbadzi
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