The Ghanaian king whose wife supports Germany (Feature)

By Jasper Rothfels Jun 20, 2010, 15:32 GMT

Ludwigshafen, Germany - Cephas Bansah is a traditional king from Ghana who lives in Germany and has a minor family problem: he will be supporting his native country in their final World Cup group game on Wednesday but his wife will be rooting for Germany.

'My wife is for Germany,' said Bansah, the 61-year-old African who rules over some 200,000 members of the Ewe people in eastern Ghana from his home in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Bansah runs an automobile workshop and collects donations for his people, whom he visits about eight times a year. One look at his flag- decorated house and it's easy to see that the World Cup is a big deal.

But during the games he is subdued, wearing his colourful and noble regalia not even a smile is allowed for a goal, instead there is just a regal nod of the head.

Bansah is watching most of the World Cup in the kitchen with his wife and his 84-year-old mother and interest is big in the African teams.

'You really have to root for them,' said Bansah's German wife, Gabriele. The family sticks together through all and King Bansah does not expect any real conflict during the Ghana-Germany match.

Bansah will be leaving the kitchen for the big game on Wednesday, saying a television crew wants to follow him to a public viewing event.

The ruler believes the two teams will play out a draw and go on to meet again on July 11. 'Ghana will play Germany in the final. And we will let Germany win,' he said.

One thing is clear for Bansah, the World Cup comes before politics and work. And he is clearly a friend of the much-debated vuvuzelas.

'It is their tradition. You cannot go into a foreign country today and ban their traditions,' he said.

'Today no white man has the right to come to Africa and say: 'You cannot do that anymore'. Those times are long passed.'

Bansah rules his people some 6,000 kilometres away with the help of a fax machine and the Internet. The grandson of the former king of the Ewe, he arrived in Ludwigshafen in 1970 as an exchange student. And he just stayed.

He earned two German Master Craftsman certificates - as mechanic for agricultural machinery and as a vehicle mechanic - and opened his own automobile shop in 1982.

Five years later, his grandfather died and in 1992 the leaders of the Ewe said they wanted Bansah as their king. His father and brother were both candidates as king but both are left-handed. The left hand is considered impure in Ghana.

Since then, Bansah has built five schools in Ghana thanks to donations. A sixth is due to be finished this year. Ludwigshafen's neighbouring city Mannheim donated discarded school furniture. And as a thank you, the new facility will be called Mannheim School.