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The book traces the journey of the people of Gonja from their original home in the ancient Songhai Empire to their present location in the northern region of the Republic of Ghana. Gonja was once an important kingdom before the entire land mass known today as Ghana was colonised and brought under British rule. An important feature of this book is that it also touches on the history and relationships of the neighbours of Gonja including the Dagomba and other tribes in the northern region and the other parts of Ghana.
This is a general survey of Ghana and its people. Subjects covered include the country's regions and their people; Ghana's identity as a nation and how it faced challenges to national unity during the struggle for independence; the nature of the post-colonial state; the asymmetrical relationship between the north and the south rooted in the colonial era, a structural imbalance which continues to have a negative impact on the wellbeing of northerners and which could perpetuate inequalities between the two parts of the country; Ghana's place in the Pan-African world because of the leadership provided by the country's first prime minister – later president – Kwame Nkrumah; and its success in forging unity on the anvil of diversity. Among the people the author has covered include an African American community whose members were given some land in the Volta Region in the eastern part of the country for permanent settlement of the descendants of African slaves who want to return to the motherland. He describes it as a distinct ethnic group with the same attributes indigenous groups have and which they use to identify themselves as ethnic entities. The community has acquired an identity of its own and qualifies as an ethnic group because its members have a common history, language and culture as diasporans who lost their African identity under white domination in the United States and were forced to adopt a Euro-American culture and the English language. The author was closely associated with the founders of the African American community in Ghana, known as Fihankra, when he was a student in the United States and has written about them in some of his works including his autobiography, “My Life as an African.” Members of the general public and students may find this work to be useful if they want to learn some facts about Ghana, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to win independence.
A History of Ghana (1958) uses both European archives and considerable research among African traditional histories to examine the history of the Gold Coast and Ghana. The African histories are particularly important, as many village traditions, and more so those of larger towns, have traditions that date back hundreds of years, and whose accuracy can be tallied with those of their neighbours. Accounts from Western sources do not shy away from detailing British mistakes in government, and the resulting book is an even-handed history with much under-read research direct from African sources.
Chieftaincy is one of the most enduring traditional institutions in Ghana, which has displayed remarkable resilience from pre-colonial through colonial to postcolonial times. In the past, the role of a chief was to lead his people in war to defend, protect and extend their territories. The modern role is to combat poverty and other social ills: illiteracy, ignorance, environmental degradation, and the depletion of resources. Nowadays, chiefs are under pressure to achieve good governance in their traditional areas. They are challenged to integrate tradition and modernity, a process about which there is considerable debate. They carry out their duties in an increasingly globalised world where the accent is on democracy, human rights, health delivery, employment, human development and regional integration. Their ability to come to terms with these challenges will provide an indication of their relevance and the relevance of the institution to Ghana?s long-term development. This massive volume is arguably the most comprehensive and detailed scholarly study of the institution of chieftaincy to appear on the subject to date. The subjects and approaches are wide- ranging, and cover most aspects of the institution in every geographical area in Ghana. Some thirty contributors from the humanities and social sciences tell the story of chieftaincy past and present from a multitude of perspectives: anthropological, historical, economic, sociological, gender, literary, religious and philosophical.
"Library of Congress publications on Africa since 1960": pages 316-317. Includes index.