Campbell Kitts Blog

King Kaku Ackah, also known as Awulae Kaku Aka I, was a significant historical figure in the Nzema Kingdom, located in what is now southwestern Ghana and southeastern Côte d'Ivoire, particularly associated with Appolonia (also spelled Apollonia) in the Western Region of Ghana. His reign, primarily in the 1840s, was marked by resistance against European colonial powers and efforts to unify the Nzema people. Below is a detailed overview based on available information:  Kaku Ackah I ruled the Nzema Kingdom during a turbulent period in the mid-19th century, with his kingship peaking in the 1840s. He sought to unite the Nzema people and free them from external oppression, notably from the Anyi people. He reportedly led a successful campaign against the Anyi, annexing portions of their land to strengthen Nzema control in the region.  Kaku Ackah I is most notable for his refusal to sign the Bond of 1844, a treaty proposed by British Commander Hill that aimed to formalize British judi...

Oscar Wilde, the renowned Irish playwright, faced a series of legal battles in 1895, culminating in his conviction for "gross indecency" under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. Wilde initiated a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who accused him of sodomy. The libel case collapsed when evidence of Wilde’s relationships with men was presented, leading to his arrest and subsequent trials. He was convicted and sentenced to two years of hard labor.  Wilde’s public image as a celebrated literary figure was destroyed. The trials exposed his private life to intense public scrutiny, with newspapers like The Times and The Daily Telegraph publishing lurid details. He was vilified as a moral degenerate, shunned by society, and his works were boycotted. The imprisonment at Reading Gaol was physically and mentally gruelling. Wilde’s health deteriorated due to harsh conditions, including malnutrition and illness. While explicit self-harm is not documented, his letters,...

Imagine a forest where the animals gather under the shade of an ancient oak, their voices rising in a cacophony of complaints. Among them is a frog, small and unassuming, who croaks loudly about the lack of order in their watery home.  The Frogs Who Desired a King, these amphibians, tired of their anarchic existence, petition Zeus for a ruler. Amused, Zeus tosses a log into their pond, declaring it their king. At first, the frogs are awestruck, but soon they climb atop the motionless timber, mocking its stillness. Dissatisfied, they demand a livelier monarch. Zeus, now irritated, sends a stork instead—a predator who promptly begins devouring them.  The moral:  as Aesop frames it, be careful what you wish for when disrupting the natural order. But beneath this simple tale lies a deeper question: Were the frogs mad to seek a king, or was their madness a sane response to chaos? This fable introduces us to the paradox of the "sanity of madness"—the idea that what appears irra...