Asantehemaa Burial 2025 ADP

This dataset documents how the 2025 Asantehemaa’s Dɔte Yie (royal funeral) in Kumasi, Ghana, unfolded across digital space and became a site of cultural learning. It was compiled to test the hypothesis that royal ritual, when shared on social media, functions as a form of Africana Digital Pedagogy (ADP) — a mode of teaching and knowledge exchange grounded in African traditions but mediated through modern platforms.

The data comprise screenshots and archived comment threads from X (formerly Twitter), collected between 24 and 30 September 2025, when the Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III was laid to rest. Posts were selected using purposive sampling based on their cultural relevance, visual symbolism, and depth of interpretation. They include images of the Asantehene’s regalia, intertribal performances, and ritual gestures, alongside thousands of public reactions.

Each screenshot captures a distinctive layer of online engagement: official accounts offering explanations of royal symbolism; local users interpreting rituals through everyday language; humorous or sceptical posts reflecting generational perspectives; cultural defenders affirming Asante heritage; and AI-assisted responses (Grok) that translated complex traditions into accessible descriptions. All usernames were anonymised to preserve privacy while maintaining the contextual integrity of discussion.

The dataset was analysed using qualitative content and visual semiotic methods to understand how symbols, costumes, and gestures were re-signified online. Four major themes emerged: the visual mediation of royal power; digital pedagogy through explanatory threads; tensions between belief, scepticism, and science; and the transformation of ritual into communicative performance.

The findings show that the Asantehemaa’s funeral was simultaneously a sacred event and a mediated cultural classroom. Through commentary and explanation, users enacted forms of collective learning, revealing how digital publics extend the pedagogical reach of tradition. The conversations also exposed deep tensions — between Indigenous spirituality and rationalist critique, between reverence and ridicule — illustrating how digital mediation multiplies perspectives on heritage.

This dataset provides a rare empirical record of how an African royal ceremony was performed, debated, and taught through social media. It offers valuable material for research on digital ethnography, performance theory, African media culture, and ADP, showing how ritual meaning is preserved and reinterpreted through online participation. All data were drawn from publicly accessible sources, collected ethically, and anonymised in accordance with digital research standards.

Ultimately, the dataset demonstrates how Asante funerary rituals continue to educate and unite communities in new digital spaces. It preserves the moment when mourning became pedagogy, and ritual communication evolved into a networked act of cultural continuity.