African Photo Magazine Issue #6

trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt
allowing for larger urban centres to
develop. It furthermore encouraged
territorial expansion to gain control
over the different trade-routes.
Between the 9th and 11th centuries,
the kingdom of Ghana was so rich
that its dogs wore golden collars, and
its horses, which were adorned with
silken rope halters, slept on plush carpets.
Based on animal luxuries alone,
it is no wonder that foreigners touted
Ghana’s kings as the richest men in
the world, and they began greedily
calling the land, the Gold Coast.
Recorded history shows that in 1471,
the Portuguese were the first Europeans
who actively sought to settle in
the coastal regions of West Africa in
order to promote trading. In 1482 they
built a castle at ‘El mina’ (the mine),
near the beach of the present town
Elmina. The Danes were among the
last Europeans to arrive in Ghana in
1650. They built one of the most imposing
castles in Africa in 1661. They
called the castle, Christianborg but
it is now popularly called the Osu
Castle, which currently contains the
President’s main offices.
Beyond this point is the sad tale of
trade where the products were human
beings. The vast continent of
America was short of labourers for
their cotton and cane farms. Where
initially the Portuguese had arrived in
the Gold Coast for the sole purpose
of trade in goods, it became clear that
trading slaves, in human beings, was
much more profitable.
So for over 300 years the Portuguese,
British, French, Swedish and the Germans
saw the Gold Coast and the
neighbouring African countries as
bounty fields. In addition to the gold
and mineral resources which were
shipped, were human beings chained
and packed like sardines for the long
and torturous journeys to the Americas.
By the 1870s all European countries
but Britain had left the Gold Coast
after some bargaining arrangements
with Britain. Most of the Gold Coast
was still under the control of native
chiefs. The one area offering the stiffest
resistance, was the Ashanti region.
But in 1874, Britain declared the Gold
Coast as a crown colony even though
there were still vast areas opposing
their occupation. In the same year,
however, Britain with the help of the
southern part of the country attacked
and took over the stronghold (Kumasi)
of the Ashanti tribe.
Accra became the capital of Gold
Coast in 1877 and between 1884-85,
with the scramble for Africa, the Berlin
Conference resulted in most of
Ghana, as we know it now, becoming
a British colony.
When the Gold Coast in 1957 became
the first country in sub-Saharan Africa
to regain its independence from colonial
rule it was renamed in honor of
the long gone empire from which this
great nation was birthed.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Ghana Mumtie
US History.Org
8. The origin of Kente cloth is
explained partly with an intriguing
legend. A man name Otaa Kraban
and his friend Kraku Amoagya from
Bonwire learnt the art of weaving by
observing a spider weaving its web
in the year 1650. Taking the cue from
the spider’s web they wove a strip
of raffia fabric and later improved
upon the skills. They reported their
discovery to their chief who in turn
reported to the Asantehene. The
Asantehene adopted the royal arts
as precious and prestige cloth, and
became the custodian of Asante
Kente.
9. Medicine Man- Gold Coast, West
Africa. (1899)
10. King Mate Kole of East Krobo.
Gold Coast Ghana. July 1892 ©
Basel Mission
11. Fanti women from Sekondi, 1900
© Basel Mission
12. King Prempe after his
reinstatement, Kumase, Ghana,
January 1926 © Basel Mission
13. The War of the Golden Stool,
also known as the Yaa Asantewaa
War, the Third Ashanti Expedition,
the Ashanti Uprising, or variations
thereof, was the final war in a series
of conflicts between the British
Imperial government of the Gold
Coast (later Ghana) and the Empire
of Ashanti, a powerful, semi-autonomous
African state that fractiously
co-existed with the British and its
vassal coastal tribes.
When the Ashanti began rebelling
against British rule, the British
attempted to put down the unrest
and demanded that the Asante turn
over to the British the Golden Stool,
the throne and a symbol of Asante
sovereignty. The war ended with
the Ashanti maintaining its de facto
independence. Even though the
Ashanti were annexed into the British
Empire, they ruled themselves
with little reference to the colonial
power. However, when the British
colony of the Gold Coast became
the first independent, sub-Saharan
African country in 1957, Ashanti was
subsumed into the newly created
Ghana.
14. Ashanti warriors.
15. March 6th Ghana 1957
commemorates independence
from Great Britain, celebrating the
end of colonial rule and the dawn
of their independence. The photo
is that of Kwame Nkrumah, the first
Prime Minister of the state. Ghana
was the first African nation to throw
off the terrible yolk of colonialism.
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