Ghana, whether an ancient kingdom or centrally governed nation in Western Africa, has been in the fabric of economic development and exchange in Sub-Saharan Africa for the past thousand years (Berry, 1994, p. 63). Known for its abundance of gold, the nation of Ghana, touted as “The Gold Coast” by European traders (Berry, 1994, p. 63), has felt the political and economic aftermath of the world becoming less isolated over the past six centuries by virtue of growing European power. In this essay, by examining the current state of Ghana and drawing upon historical exchanges between Europeans and Ghanaians, I intend to reveal the ramifications of both British colonialism and globalization on Ghana’s political and economic infrastructure.
Political and Economic Conditions in Pre-Colonial Ghana
Before British colonization, Ghana employed a decentralized form of governance such as the Akan political system, where towns were autonomous and leadership was entrusted to local traditional leaders, namely chiefs, elders, and civil militia leaders (Odotei, 2008). The framework of the Akan indigenous political system also involved facets of democracy via the consultative process of electing political officials and each chief’s administration of his town, for which the Akan symbols tumi te se kosua and kurontire ne akwamu give insight (Assanful, 2013). The symbol tumi te se kosua, which translates to “power is like an egg”, describes the fragility of political power if not justly wielded or incorporating accountability, because if power is “held too tightly, it may break, if it is held too loosely, it might fall and break” (Assanful, 2013, p. 202). The symbol kurontire ne akwamu, derived from a saying “one person does not rule a nation”, draws...
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...as introduced to the Gold Coast in 1878 by a blacksmith named Tetteh Quarshie (Ludlow, 2012, p. 7).
After the Dutch withdrew their presence entirely in the Gold Coast by 1872, tensions between the Asante Kingdom and the British began to rise. The Asante, who saw the Dutch as a source of economic support, viewed the recent absence of the Dutch and increasing British presence along the West African coast as a threat to their trade access (Berry, 1994, p. 7). The Asante subsequently orchestrated an invasion of the coast in 1873, which was quickly extinguished by Britain’s military forces. With their defeat to the British in 1874, the Asante were forced to relinquish their southern territories along the coastline to the European empire, and the area soon became a British crown colony with Accra rather than Cape Coast as the new colonial capital (Berry, 1994, p. 8).
Prior to colonialism of Africa, it was far from being economically unstable and had a good standing economy compared to the rest of the world. African countries such as Mali were involved in international trade and their wealth depended profoundly on the trade in gold, but also on the collecting of taxes. The Europeans detected how successful the African gold trade was and wanted to use this success for their own self-interested gains. This was a paradox towards Europeans because they were seen as this powerful nation because they colonized Africa, but still depended greatly on Africa’s supply of gold. “Caravans of Gold” expresses how significant Africa was in many situations, including how they contributed to the Europeans success as a nation.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting a land grab on the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economic, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation. Europe in this period was a world of competing countries. Britain had a global empire to lead, France had competition with Britain for wealth and so did other nations like Germany and Russia.
In Kevin Gaines’ book, American Africans in Ghana, Gaines combines both African and African American history together unlike others have done in the past. Gaines’ book gives his audience insight on the relationship that many prominent African Americans in the Mid-nineteenth century had with Africa. Gaines tackles many issues that were prevalent during this time period, for instance, he tackles race, class, citizenship, independence and freedom. Gaines does this to change the narrative that existed about Africa. Many Black Nationalist, had romanticized Africa to be this place that once had thriving empires but lost everything due to colonization, and westernized blacks needed to go to Africa to help liberate it. Gaines dispels these myths, and
In conclusion, during the 15th and 16th centuries Europeans visited the Atlantic Coast in the African states to observe for gold and silvers. They took advantage of the Africans to get their desires when the Africans acknowledged them to be equal which drove into Africa’s downfall.
With Europe in control, “the policies of the governing powers redirected all African trade to the international export market. Thus today, there is little in the way of inter-African trade, and the pattern of economic dependence continues.” Europeans exported most of the resources in Africa cheaply and sold them costly, which benefited them, but many Africans worked overtime and were not treated with care.
The Portuguese arrived in Benin, in modern Nigeria, between 1472 and 1486 to find an established and ancient kingdom with remarkable social and ritual complexity, with art that was comparatively naturalistic, and with a political system that was, on the surface, recognizable to the Europeans: monarchy. Even more importantly, they found a land rich in pepper, cloth, ivory, and slaves, and immediately set out to establish trade (Ben-Amos 35-6). Though we often imagine "first contacts" between Europeans and Africans as clashes of epochal proportions, leaving Europeans free to manipulate and coerce the flabbergasted and paralyzed Africans, this misjudges the resilience and indeed, preparedness, of the Benin people. The Benin were able to draw on their cultural, political, and religious traditions to fit the European arrival in an understandable context. Indeed, as the great brass plaques of the Benin palace demonstrate, the arrival was in fact manipulated by the Benin to strengthen, not diminish, indigenous royal power.
For my essay I will be evaluating the sub-saharan African country of Liberia. Over the course of this essay i shall try and shed some light on the main threats to peace and stability in the country. Threats that, if not treated responsibly and correctly, could throw Liberia, the Liberian people and potentially a large proportion of West Africa back into the violence and political instability that has plagued the region over the last few decades.
“Ghana, a land full of gold. Africa, a land full of resources.” Where is Ghana and what is it known for? In my paper, we will learn the location, population, how they citizens received their known name, and many more interesting facts.
“They don't want to build Schools and Hospitals anymore but build private mansions and buy flashy and political campaign cars.” This compelling quote from Francis Tawiah identifies the constant struggle facing the country of Ghana during their shift towards development. From pre-colonial times to today politicians have neglected the health of their fellow Ghanaians and in turn have cause the slow development of the country. Through a combination between global and local influences from past centuries originated the demise of the possibly great empire of Ghana.
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...
In this paper I ask, how did slavery begin in Ghana? What impact did it have on Ghana? How badly is Ghana underdeveloped due to this enslavement that took place? Lovejoy, Northrup, and Rodney argue that the transatlantic slave trade did in fact contribute to the underdevelopment of Africa. I support their arguments and believe the trade didn’t exactly “destroy” Ghana, but it did affect it by not letting the country improve faster, although eventually Ghana was able to depart from that “underdeveloped” category.
Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
Ghana: The Gold Coast of Africa The Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, is one of many civilizations of Africa. It was a British Colony until March 6, 1957, when it became independent as the State of Ghana. In 1471, the Portuguese invaded this area and became involved in gold trade, giving the region the name, The Gold Coast.
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