The Republic of Ghana: A History

           

Flag Map of Ghana. By Maphill, 2011. http://www.
maphill.com/ghana/maps/flag-map/flag-middle/.

            The Republic of Ghana is a small West African nation situated on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Lying only a few degrees above the Equator, Ghana possesses a tropical, humid climate, and is comprised primarily of low-lying grassy plains and savanna. An area of hills and tropical rainforest extends north from the coast along Ghana’s western border. The Volta, Ghana’s only navigable river, flows through the center of the country into the Gulf of Guinea; the Volta is dammed by the Akosombo Dam, creating Lake Volta, which provides electrical power, transportation, and irrigation. Ghana derives its name from the ancient West African Ghana Empire, which comprised the area of present-day southwestern Mali and southeastern Mauritania. The Ghana Empire was properly known as Wagadugu; the word ghana, meaning “warrior king,” actually referred to the kings of Ghana.[1] Prior to gaining independence from Britain in March 1957, Ghana was known as the Gold Coast.

Map Showing Modern Ghana and the Old Empire
of Ghana. By Martin W. Lewis, December 10, 2011.
http://www.geocurrents.info/historical-geography/
ethnic-politics-and-the-relocation-of-ghana-benin-
and-mauritania. 

             Ghana possesses a rich cultural and ethnic diversity, boasting approximately 100 ethnic and linguistic groups.[2] Religious diversity is a feature of Ghanaian culture as well; according to a 2010 census, 71.2% of the population are Christian, including 28.3% Pentecostal, 18.4% Protestant, 13.1% Catholic, and 11.4% “other;” 17.6% profess to be Muslim; 5.2% follow Traditional African religions; .8% adhere to other religions, such as Buddhism; and 5.2% claim no religious beliefs.[3] English is the official language of Ghana.

Ghana has a rich and interesting history, though not much is known about the region or its peoples prior to the colonial era; what is known is derived from traditional oral histories and scant archaeological evidence.[4] Oral histories record migrations of peoples from the north and east into the northern and central regions of the country; the Akan peoples dominated the southern region, extending their influence north into Ghana’s central and forest regions. The greatest factor in shaping the region has been trade: Berry notes that “… the area known today as Ghana has been involved in all phases of Africa’s economic development during the last thousand years.”[5] Gold, which was so abundant in the area Europeans would give the region the sobriquet “the Gold Coast,” was traded via the trans-Saharan trade routes as early as the third century A.D.[6] The trans-Saharan gold trade stimulated the formation of early Akan states in southern Ghana.

 Seeking to gain control of the flow of gold from West Africa, Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal initiated advances in shipbuilding and navigation and encouraged the exploration of Africa; soon, Portuguese trading vessels began to extend their influence south along the Atlantic coast of the continent. The Portuguese landed on the Gold Coast in 1472, and began trading with the Akan-speaking peoples of the coastal region for slaves, gold, and ivory- the Atlantic slave trade had come to the Gold Coast. They built a castle at El Mina, meaning “the mine;” this was the first European settlement on the West Coast of Africa below the Sahara.[7] Prince Henry had realized his ambition of redirecting the trans-Saharan gold trade to the coast, where it was subsumed by Portuguese traders. Portugal would monopolize trade with West Africa for the next century.

Elmina Castle. By the Ghana National Museum on Slavery and Freedom, 2016.
http://www.gnmosaf.org/the-castles/

In the seventeenth century, Portugal encountered competition for the West African trade from the Netherlands, France, and England. In 1642, the Dutch took El Mina from the Portuguese; Dutch traders expanded the Atlantic slave trade, supplying slaves to British and French sugar plantation colonies in the Caribbean. Soon, however, the French and British, envious of the wealth the Dutch were amassing, ousted the Dutch and assumed control of the slave trade.[8] By the latter half of the 1800s, only the Dutch and British remained. With the departure of the Dutch, the British declared the coastal region of the Gold Coast a crown colony in 1874.

After gaining control of the Gold Coast, the British turned their attention to acquiring inland territories. The largest ethnic polity in the region was the Ashanti Kingdom; the Ashanti controlled the central region of present-day Ghana. Tensions between the British and the Ashanti resulted in conflict that lasted until 1901, when Britain finally defeated the Ashanti and annexed the Kingdom to the Gold Coast colony. The following year, the northern territories of present-day Ghana became British protectorates.[9] In 1956, the Volta region voted to become part of Ghana, completing the territory comprising modern Ghana.[10]

Ghana Voice. "Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Speech on 6th march 1957 at the 

independence square". Filmed March 6, 1957. Youtube video, 15:07.

Posted May 16, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTTdi8AjZg8.

On March 6, 1957, the newly renamed Republic of Ghana became the first sub-Saharan nation to declare independence; Kwame Nkrumah became the Republic of Ghana’s first president. Despite a promising economic and political outlook, Ghana suffered economic and political instability for much of its post-colonial history, enduring successive republics and military juntas.[11]  In 1992, Ghana’s current constitution was adopted, and in November the Fourth Republic was declared; the Fourth Republic continues today.

Trade, which has played such an important role in Ghana’s history, continues to be a factor in the country’s development. According to Professor Kwame Henaku Addo, mineral and ore production accounts for nearly 40 percent of the nation’s exports. Agricultural products include timber, oil palm, rubber, cocoa, and kola nuts. Furthermore, Ghana is considered a “world-class” producer and exporter of gold and cocoa, as well as an emerging oil-producing nation.[12] Recent discoveries of oil and natural gas deposits in the Gulf of Guinea have attracted the attention of world oil consuming nations, including the United States, promising to make Ghana an important player in the energy sector.[13]

dasiba. "Cultural Dance in Northern Ghana". Youtube video, 9:57.

 Posted August 6, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A481tGo_T7o

Ghana is rich in ethnic, cultural and religious diversity and possesses a fascinating history. The greatest factors influencing the history of Ghana were trade, especially in gold and slaves, and contact with Europeans, which resulted in exploitation and colonization. Gaining independence in March 1957, Ghana has endured political and economic instability for much of its post-colonial history. However, recently Ghana has enjoyed a stable government and economic growth, and is poised to become an important factor in the world economy. As Owusu-Mensah asserts, “Ghana over the last twenty years has earned recognition internationally as the beacon of democracy in Africa south of the Sahara and indeed in most of Africa.”[14]  

Robbins, William. "Final Multimedia Project, HIWD 320-D01".Filmed October, 2016. Youtube video, 4:42. Posted October, 2016.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3J6pXB6Kzw&feature=youtu.be.

 Bibliography

Addo, Kwame Henaku. "Naturally Resourced." Government of Ghana. 2013. Accessed September 22, 2016. http://www.ghana.gov.gh/images/documents/naturally_ resourced.pdf.

An Introduction to the History of Ghana. 2016. Accessed October 13, 2016. http:// exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/module-twenty-four-activity-two/.

Berry, LaVerle Bennette. Ghana : A Country Study. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1995. Accessed October 13, 2016. https://www.loc. gov/item/95018891/.

Chouin, Gerard L., and Christopher R. Decorse. "Prelude to the Atlantic Trade: New Perspectives on Southern Ghana's Pre-Atlantic History (800-1500)." Journal of African History 52 (2010): 123-145. Accessed October 19, 2016. doi:10.1017/ S0021853710000241.

Ethnic Groups. 2016. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/tribes/.

Garrard, Timothy F. "Myth and Metrology: The Early Trans-Saharan Gold Trade." The Journal of African History 23, no. 4 (1982): 443-461. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://www. jstor.org/stable/182035.

General Information. 2016. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/general/statistics.php.

Ghana at a Glance. 2016. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/ about-ghana/ghana-at-a-glance.

"Ghana Strikes Oil in Commercial Quantities." GhanaWeb. June 18, 2007. Accessed September 22, 2016. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghana-strikes-oil-in-commercial-quantities-125783.

History of Ghana. 2016. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/history/ (accessed October 18, 2016).

Owusu-Mensah, Isaac. "Politics, Chieftancy and Customary Law in Ghana's Fourth Republic." Journal of Pan African Studies 6, no. 7 (February 2014): 261-278. Accessed October 19, 2016. http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=vic_liberty&id= GALE|A367421052&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1999.

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[1] “History of Ghana,” Ghanaweb, 2016, accessed October 18, 2016, http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/history/.

[2] “Ethnic Groups,” Ghanaweb, 2016, accessed October 19, 2016, http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/tribes/

[3] “General Information,” Ghanaweb, 2016, accessed October 19, 2016, http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/general/statistics.php

[4] Garrard L. Chouin and Christopher R. Decorse, “Prelude to the Atlantic Trade: New Perspectives on Southern Ghana’s Pre-Atlantic History (800-1500),” Journal of African History 52, (2010): 125, accessed October 19, 2016, doi:10.1017/S0021853710000241.

[5] LaVerle Bennette Berry, ed., Ghana: A Country Study (Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 1995), 133, accessed October 13, 2016, https://www.loc.gov/item/95018891/.

[6] Timothy F. Garrard, “Myth and Metrology: The Early Trans-Saharan Gold Trade,” The Journal of African Studies 23, no. 4, (1982): 458, accessed October 19, 2016, http://www.jstor.org/stable/182035.

[7] John Reader, Africa: A Biography of the Continent (6^th ed.), (New York: Vintage Books, 1999), 343.

[8] Reader, Africa, 382.

[9] “An Introduction to the History of Ghana,” Exploring Ghana, 2016, accessed October 13, 2016, http://exploringafrica. matrix.msu.edu/module-twenty-four-activity-two/.

[10] Berry, Ghana, xxx.

[11] “Ghana at a Glance,” Government of Ghana, 2016, accessed August 30, 2016, http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/about-ghana/ghana-at-a-glance

[12] Kwame Henaku Addo, “Naturally Resourced,” Government of Ghana, 2013, accessed September 22, 2016, http://www.ghana.gov.gh/images/documents/naturally_resourced.pdf.

[13] “Ghana Strikes Oil in Commercial Quantities,” Ghanaweb, June 18, 2007, accessed September 22, 2016, http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghana-strikes-oil-in-commercial-quantities-125783.

[14] Isaac Owusu-Mensah, “Politics, Chieftancy and Customary Law in Ghana’s Fourth Republic,” Journal of Pan African Studies 6, no.4, (2014): 261, accessed October 19, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A367421052&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty

The Formation and Political History of Modern Ghana

Political Map of Ghana. Accessed October 13,
2016. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/
map/ghana_map.htm.

          The borders of the Republic of Ghana are derived from the territory of the British colony of the Gold Coast. These borders have little to do with cultural boundaries. Ghana boasts approximately 100 ethnic and linguistic groups; in fact, “Ethnic rivalries of the precolonial era, variance in the impact of colonialism upon different regions of the country, and the uneven distribution of social and economic amenities in postindependence Ghana have all contributed to present-day ethnic tensions”  (GhanaWeb n.d.). As late as the mid-1990s, ethnic tensions in modern Ghana have resulted in conflict and bloodshed. The largest cultural boundaries which were included in the Gold Coast colony were those of the Ashanti Kingdom; the Ashanti comprised most of the central section of modern Ghana.

Evolution from the Gold Coast colony to the
current size of Ghana. Accessed October 13,
2016. http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/
module-twenty-four-activity-two/.

            Britain declared the coastal region of the Gold Coast a crown colony in 1874, then turned their attention to acquiring inland territories. Tensions between the British and the Ashanti resulted in conflict that lasted until 1901, when Britain finally defeated the Ashanti the Ashanti Kingdom became part of the Gold Coast colony. The following year, the northern territories of present-day Ghana became British protectorates (An Introduction to the History of Ghana 2016). The final addition to the territory included within the borders of modern-day Ghana was the Volta region, previously known as British Togoland, voted to become part of the Gold Coast (Berry 1995, xxx).

Nkrumah declaring Ghana independent on March 6, 1957 at mid-
night. Accessed October 13, 2016. http://exploringafrica.matrix.
msu.edu/module-twenty-four-activity-two/.

           In 1956, the Gold Coast, renamed the Republic of Ghana, declared independence from Britain (GhanaWeb n.d.). Kwame Nkrumah, a political activist with socialist views, became the Republic of Ghana’s first president (Reader 1999, 646).  Due to economic problems and increasing unrest stemming from government crackdowns on political dissenters, Nkrumah was overthrown by a military coup on February 24, 1966. The Second Republic was formed in 1972, only to fall victim to a military coup three years later in January 1972. 

Ghanian Pres. Jerry J. Rawlings addressing the
United Nations Millennium Summit, Sept. 7,
2000. Tom Mihalek-AFP/Getty Images. Accessed
October 13, 2016.  http://exploringafrica.matrix.
msu.edu/module-twenty-four-activity-two/.

          In May 1979, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings led a military uprising against the ruling junta; the coup failed and Rawlings was imprisoned, but was soon freed by military supporters. Rawlings led a second coup on June 4 1979, this time successfully overthrowing the junta. Elections were held soon afterward, and the Third Republic was inaugurated in September 1979. However, becoming disillusioned with the new government, which failed to curtail corruption, Rawlings led a third coup on December 31, 1981. In 1992 a new constitution was adopted, and in November of that year the Fourth Republic was declared; the government organized under the constitution of 1992 and the Fourth Republic continues today (GhanaWeb n.d.).

Bibliography

 An Introduction to the History of Ghana. 2016. http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/module-

           twenty-four-activity-two/ (accessed October 13, 2016).

Berry, LaVerle Bernadette. "Ghana : A Country Study." Library of Congress. 1995. https://www.loc.gov/item/95018891/ (accessed October 13, 2016).

GhanaWeb. n.d. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/country_information/ (accessed August 30, 2016).

Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1999.

Early Missionaries to Ghana

Mosque at Nakori, Ghana. Accessed October 5, 2016. http://easytrackghana.
com/cultural-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#religion

The earliest non-African religion introduced to the region which would become the modern-day Republic of Ghana was Islam, which was introduced to northern Ghana in the fifteenth century. Mande peoples migrated to the region from Ancient Ghana and Nigeria, subjugating the peoples of northern Ghana and founding the earliest kingdoms in Ghana–Mamprusi, Dagomba, Gonja among them (GhanaWeb n.d.). While the rulers of these early kingdoms were not themselves Muslims, “they either brought with them or welcomed Muslims as scribes and medicine men, and Muslims also played a significant role in the trade that linked southern with northern Ghana. As a result of their presence, Islam substantially influenced the north” (GhanaWeb n.d.). The influence of Islam in the northern territories of Ghana is still evident today; the greater part of Ghana’s Muslim population is located in the northern part of the country.

Mosque at Tamale, Ghana. Accessed October 5, 2016. http://easytrackghana.
com/cultural-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#religion

            Christianity was first brought to Ghana in the fifteenth century by Catholic missionaries when the Portuguese began trading with the peoples of what was then known as the Gold Coast. However, the ouster of the Portuguese by the Dutch, who captured Elmina castle in 1637, virtually eliminated the presence of Catholicism on the Gold Coast. When French traders began to vie with the Dutch for control of the Gold Coast trade in the latter part of the seventeenth century, French Catholic missionaries tried to build a church at Komenda; however, raids organized by the Dutch frustrated their attempts. It was not until after the Dutch withdrew, leaving the British to declare the Gold Coast a royal colony in 1874, that Catholic missionaries were able to establish a stable, successful mission presence in the Gold Coast (Catholic Re-entry to the "Mina" Coast in the 18th & 19th Centuries 2016). This was accomplished by the Society for African Missions (SMA), who arrived at Elmina–the spot where the first Catholic missionaries had landed 400 years earlier–in 1880. The mission philosophy of the SMA was based upon education, for, it was believed, “…‘a mission without schools is a mission without a future’” (A Prefecture Apostolic of the Gold Coast for the SMA Fathers 2016). Because Catholicism is inherently syncretic, the new religion was easily compatible with traditional African beliefs, allowing the Catholic faith to spread quickly. The Catholic church continues to be an important advocate for education in Ghana today.

Catholic service in Ghana. Accessed October 5, 2016. http://easytrackghana.
com/cultural-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#religion

            The first Protestant missionary to the Gold Coast was Thomas Thompson, an Anglican minister and former dean of the University of Cambridge, who was sponsored by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). Thompson opened a school in Cape Coast in 1752; in 1754 he sent Philip Quaque to be educated, with the intention of training him to teach in the school. Philip Quaque became the first non-European Anglican priest and the first African Christian missionary to the Gold Coast, returning to the Gold Coast with his English bride in 1766. Unfortunately, due to various factors both personal and professional, his missionary efforts were largely unsuccessful (Bansa n.d.).

Christian Church in Ghana. Accessed October 5, 2016. http://easytrackghana.
com/cultural-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php#religion

            In 1765, the Dutch Guinea Company hired five United Brethren missionaries to teach in schools in Cape Coast. Later, in 1828, the German Basel Mission established a mission in Accra, soon followed by missionaries from the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1835 (Missions Timeline 2015). Others were to follow. These early Christian missionaries spread the Gospel to such effect that today over 70 percent of the population of Ghana are Christian (GhanaWeb n.d.).

Bibliography

A Prefecture Apostolic of the Gold Coast for the SMA Fathers. 2016. http://www.archcapegh.org/entries/history/a-prefecture-apostolic-of-the-gold-coast-for-the-sma-fathers (accessed October 5, 2016).

Bansa, Grace. Philip Quaque. n.d. http://www.dacb.org/stories/ghana/quaque2_philip.html (accessed October 5, 2016).

Catholic Re-entry to the "Mina" Coast in the 18th & 19th Centuries. 2016. http://www.archcapegh.org/entries/history/catholic-re-entry-to-the-%E2%80%9Cmina%E2%80%9D-coast-in-the-18th-19th-centuries (accessed October 5, 2016).

GhanaWeb. n.d. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/country_information/ (accessed August 30, 2016).

Missions Timeline. January 29, 2015. https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/line.htm (accessed October 5, 2016).

History Without Words

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1 African Storyteller, Tales from Africa, accessed October 5, 2016. https://claytonpl.org/events/tales-africa/.

2 “Anansi the Spider,” MrPsMythopedia, accessed October 5, 2016, https://Mrpsmythopedia.wikispaces.com/Anansi.

3 Anansi and Nyame, the sky-god, Anansi Gives People Stories from a Ghanaian Folktale Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager, accessed October 5, 2016, https://slideplayer.com/

slide/9408513/.

4 “Anansi’s Web of Life,” Anansi Stories, accessed October 5, 2016, https://anansistories.com/Three_Spiders.html.

5 Noah MacMillan, Nyame the sky-god creating people, Noah Macmillan Wordpress, accessed October 5, 2016, https://noahmacmillan.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/new-new.jpg.

6 Melissa Guerrette, The People, Melissa Guerrette Blog Spot, accessed October 5, 2016,

http://melissaguerrette.blogspot.com/2014/11/imanis-moon-authorillustrator-interview.html

7 African Storyteller (close-up), Tales from Africa, accessed October 5, 2016, https://claytonpl.org/events/tales-africa/.

Bibliography

Belcher, S. (2005). African Myths of Origin. New York, NY: Penguin Books.