Stories and facts

The Armed Forces Museum, a prominent military history museum, is situated in Kumasi, Ghana. Established in 1953, it has become a significant site for those interested in the military history of the region.

The museum's origins are closely tied to the Third Anglo-Ashanti War. During this conflict, the Aban Palace was destroyed. The British utilized the rubble to construct a fort in Kumasi in 1896.

This fort was subsequently destroyed in an armed rebellion against the British that same year. However, a replacement fort was erected in 1897, which survived and became known as the Kumasi Fort, now home to the Armed Forces Museum.

A notable event in the history of the fort occurred in March 1900 when Yaa Asantewaa, a key figure in the Ashanti resistance, along with other rebels, held 29 Britons captive in the fort for several weeks.

Eventually, the detained women and children were released and alerted colonial forces from present-day Nigeria, who then rescued the remaining captives.

Fifty years later, between 1952 and 1953, the fort was taken over by the Armed Forces and converted into a museum. Today, the Armed Forces Museum highlights the rich and complex military history of Ghana, preserving and showcasing artifacts and stories from past conflicts.