Amsterdam - A middle-aged, paunchy, unemployed white man plops down on the sofa to watch TV with his kids.
Meet King Togbe Korsi Ferdinand Gakpetor II of Ghana.
In Holland, the king is Henk Otte, a construction worker on welfare. In West Africa, he rules part of the Volta Region, home to tens of thousands of Ewes who revere him as their king.
Like his parents, Otte (43) was born and raised in Amsterdam. He lives in a housing project with his wife and two children, and an ordinary life would have suited him just fine. But, while visiting the hometown of his Ghanaian-born wife in 1995, he was identified as the reincarnation of the late chief, his wife's grandfather.
Now, when he goes to Ghana, Otte is carried by throne-bearers and surrounded by cheering crowds. Drummers pound and dancers swirl. He wears a crown and monarch's garments and lives in a home built for him.
The region he rules, about 70km east of the capital Accra, comprises about 40 villages populated by more than 100 000 people. It was leaderless for almost 17 years until the Dutchman was proclaimed king.
His attraction to Ghana began as a child, while reading about its geography and history. Later, he says, a Ghanaian fortune teller predicted he would obtain a position of power.
On a visit to his wife's village of Mepe, people said his "aura" reminded them of the late king. One day, Mepe's leaders told him he was the chosen one. "They asked me how I'd feel about becoming king," he said. "I looked at them and thought: 'You've got to be completely insane'."
Otte is considering moving to Ghana. For now, phone calls and faxes are the only way he maintains a say in community decision-making. He also collects donations.
He will undergo a traditional instalment ceremony on the fifth anniversary of his crowning this August.
Otte now agrees with his subjects that his appointment was predetermined by a higher being. "If you think about it, it's pretty weird," he said. "But it's my destiny." - Sapa-AP