© A. Alberghina
Just over 200 kilometres from the chaotic Abidjan, the country’s economic capital, is the small town of Abengourou, itself the capital of a small kingdom, the Agni of Indeniè. An iron but peaceful monarchy that relies on the wealth generated by the produce of the land and shares with the Ashanti of neighbouring Ghana the cult of gold and the person of the king.
The Agni, descendants of a branch of the Akan group, migrated from Ghana to Côte d’Ivoire in the 18th century and, led by the ruler Nanan Amoakon Dihye II, settled in the region of Abengourou, which became the capital of the kingdom and, from 1883, the seat of the royal palace. A two-storey building, built entirely of bank, which was the residence of the Indeniè sovereigns until King Boa Kouassi II ordered the construction of a second, larger and more sumptuous palace in 1910, in which to live with his family and court dignitaries.
The former residence, which temporarily fell into disuse, has recently been renovated at the behest of the current king, Boa Kouassi III, the 17th of the Agni dynasty, and has become the seat of the royal court and an interesting museum housing artefacts and artefacts relating to the history and culture of the Indeniè kingdom.
Court traditions are kept alive to this day thanks to the presence at the palace of dignitaries, notables and elders of the ‘chefferie’ council, who regularly hold lively celebrations that actively involve the entire population, who are called upon to bear witness to and renew their loyalty to their sovereign.
Indispensabili prima di ogni celebrazione tradizionale, e prima che il re si manifesti ufficialmente alla popolazione, sono i riti di purificazione delle sacerdotesse komian, uniche depositarie dei segreti della trance, di cui è ancora oggi attivo il principale centro di formazione a Aniassoué, un piccolo villaggio non lontano da Abengourou.
