Early European Contacts with Gold Coast Peoples

Elmina slave castle. Accessed September 30, 2016. https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle.

The area of West Africa which was to become the modern Republic of Ghana was heavily impacted by contact with Europeans. The first Europeans to visit the area were the Portuguese, who found gold in such abundance they named the location El Mina, meaning “the mine” (GhanaWeb n.d.). Later, Dutch traders established trading posts on what was by then known as the Gold Coast; the British supplanted the Dutch, and declared the Gold Coast a colony in 1874.

Prince Henry the Navigator. Accessed September

30, 2016. http://justalittlefurther.com/people-and

-culture/prince-henry-the-navigator/.

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, determined to redirect the trans-Saharan gold trade to the West African coast, where it could be subsumed by Portuguese traders, established the world’s first naval academy at Cape St. Vincent and inspired important advances in shipbuilding and navigation. (Reader 1999, 331). Portuguese trading vessels began to extend their influence south along Africa’s west coast. The Portuguese arrived at the Gold Coast in 1472, and began trading for slaves, gold, and ivory with the native inhabitants. They built a castle at El Mina; this was the first European settlement on Africa’s west coast below the Sahara (Reader 1999, 343). For a time, West African maritime trade was monopolized by the Portuguese.

Portuguese slave ships at Elmina. Accessed September 30, 2016.

http://www.soldiers-of-misfortune.com/galleries/slavery-slavetrade

.htm.

In 1637, 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 took over the slave trade (Reader 1999, 382). Others, such as Denmark and Sweden, established trading posts along the Gold Coast, but by the second half of the 1800s only the Dutch and British remained. When The Dutch ceased their involvement in the Atlantic slave trade and vacated their trading posts, the British gained control of the Gold Coast, declaring it a colony in 1874 (GhanaWeb n.d.).

Ashanti figure depicting African

warrior loading European musket.

https://www.pinterest.com/Tribal

ArtT/figures-gold-weights/.

The impacts of contact with Europeans on African peoples was enormous. The wealth acquired by peoples engaged in supplying slaves to the Europeans allowed them to grow in power and influence and subjugate their neighbors. European firearms contributed to the creation of these powerful states. One example of this is the rise of the Ashanti and the establishment of the Ashanti Kingdom; the Ashanti continue to be a major influence on the politics and society of Ghana today. African art of the time changed, and began to depict European vessels, characters, dress, and weapons (The Scramble for Africa 1986).

Ashanti chief with European musket. Accessed

September 30, 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/

pin/254734922645292322/.

The slave trade impacted peoples of the Gold Coast who were not actively engaged in the trade; fear of raids or kidnapping by slavers changed the lives of these peoples. Some groups migrated away from their homelands to escape the slavers; others were forced to change how they lived and worked to avoid being captured and forced into slavery. Finally, as some groups rose to power, others became impoverished as their resources were commandeered by wealthier, more powerful tribes.

Trade with Africa also affected Europeans. Europe developed an intense demand for sugar, driving the demand for sugar and thereby the demand for slaves to work the expanding plantations and meet the demand for sugar. Europeans became fascinated with ivory, using it to fashion everything from knife and cane handles to jewelry and billiard balls (The Scramble for Africa 1986).

Slavers and their captives. Accessed September 30, 2016.http://

ihuanedo.ning.com/forum/topics/yoruba-enslavement-of-African.

These early contacts with Europeans transformed West African culture. European trade and influence resulted in wealth and power for a select few, but for the bulk of the peoples of the Gold Coast, the result was subjugation, impoverishment, and enslavement.  

Bibliography

GhanaWeb. n.d. Accessed September 30, 2016. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/ country_information/.

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

"The Scramble for Africa." Landmark Media, 1986. Accessed September 30, 2016. http://search. alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/cite/display/default/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C1792557.