Yahu Blackwell is history’s first ‘Osu chief’ since the capture of Odofo from the Gold Coast

Henry Asare September 05, 2023
Yahu Blackwell. Photos credit: @yahu_rockblackwell/Instagram

Yah’Kwame Kariuki Nii Ayi Kushi Amaa Blackwell, who is professionally recognized as Yahu Blackwell, has been crowned by HRM Nortse Nii Nortey Owuo IV (Paramount Stool) as “Osu Noryaa Mantse” — the Development King At Large — for the Osu Monarchy. The newly crowned monarch and chieftain will oversee all the developmental affairs of the Osu Empire.

Blackwell, raised in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), is of the “400-year diaspora” but has direct ancestral lineage to the Gadangme, The Ashanti (Osu Ashanti), Mali, Anjiru, and Senegal Tribes. The “Ashanti’s” are North of Accra, including “Osu”, which is on the coast.

Many slaves from Ashanti and Osu were brought to coastal towns to board slave ships to the Americas. After 400 years, a chief who shares the blood of the slaves has emerged.

Yahu Blackwell is now globally and traditionally recognized as the very first “Osu Chieftain and Monarch” from the African Diaspora.

Yahu Blackwell is history’s first ‘Osu chief’ since the capture of Odofo from the Gold Coast
Yahu Blackwell made chief in Osu. Photo: Supplied (Henry Asare)

The “Blackwell” family heritage began when the ship “Doddington” landed at Yorktown (VA) in 1735. Jack (Odofo) of the Ashanti Tribe (West Africa) and Tabitha from the West African Republic of Senegal arrived on that ship.

The ship commander sold Tabitha and her daughter to James Glen Blackwell, a plantation owner. Jack Odofo married Tabitha, and they acquired the Blackwell name from the plantation owner.

Yahu Blackwell is history’s first ‘Osu chief’ since the capture of Odofo from the Gold Coast
The “Blackwell” family heritage began when the ship ” Doddington ” landed at Yorktown (VA) in 1735. Photo: Supplied (Henry Asare)

Hamit Blackwell, born in 1839, helped the family grow when he had 36 children in two marriages. Over time, the Blackwells expanded across Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland.

Yahu Blackwell is history’s first ‘Osu chief’ since the capture of Odofo from the Gold Coast
The “Blackwell” family heritage. Photo: Supplied (Henry Asare)

Yahu Blackwell is a professional boxing champion, ranked by the WBC and the WBA. Sources say Blackwell is scheduled to fight again on October 27, 2023. The chieftain is also a serial entrepreneur, capitalizing in the franchise space, with a net worth of 10 million dollars.

He is the owner of;

  • Rita’s Italian Ice
  • Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
  • Jamba Juice…..With multiple locations in the Baltimore, Maryland area.

The final stages of coronation are in motion and projects have already begun for the benefit of the Osu people. This is a historical moment, where the African soil reconnects with its missing limbs, the African diaspora.

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: September 5, 2023

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