Heritage of Osu, Ghana. Past and Present


Book Description

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2014 in the subject History - Africa, University of Ghana, Legon, language: English, abstract: The town of Osu, being a Danish colonial town in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, has a rich cultural heritage. The heritage of Osu can be traced from its contact with the Danes which led to the adoption of the name, Danish Osu or Danish Accra. Their heritage has however grown from being a colonial town into a contemporary urban settlement which is noted as one of the most vibrant places in Accra with its night life and massive inflow of tourists. This apparent rich history of Osu has called for the study into the heritage of Osu, as heritage is believed to be all aspects of culture that are part of a society. The study sought to establish among others what tangible sites have existed in the past and what have propelled their existence presently. Particular reference was made to the Christianborg Castle, Richter Fort, Nii-Okantey Shikatse We, Osu Salem School and Frederichs Minde which were all developed in the Danish era. The study also covered other heritage sites such as the Danquah Circle in Osu, the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Osu Cemetery and the State House. The study furthermore brought into light the distinction of the economics, governance system and education in Osu in terms of how these features were in the past and how they are presently. At the end of the study, findings (primary and secondary sources) established that the heritage of Osu have been propelled by culture contact and globalization and with the implementation of sustainable development the heritage of Osu will be properly protected for an increasing tourists’ consumption. Recommendations were made for further research into the intangible heritage of Osu as well as establish the divergent cultural traits between those living around the "Oxford Street" and those in the traditional quarters.







Oxford Street, Accra


Book Description

In Oxford Street, Accra, Ato Quayson analyzes the dynamics of Ghana's capital city through a focus on Oxford Street, part of Accra's most vibrant and globalized commercial district. He traces the city's evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. He combines his impressions of the sights, sounds, interactions, and distribution of space with broader dynamics, including the histories of colonial and postcolonial town planning and the marks of transnationalism evident in Accra's salsa scene, gym culture, and commercial billboards. Quayson finds that the various planning systems that have shaped the city—and had their stratifying effects intensified by the IMF-mandated structural adjustment programs of the late 1980s—prepared the way for the early-1990s transformation of a largely residential neighborhood into a kinetic shopping district. With an intense commercialism overlying, or coexisting with, stark economic inequalities, Oxford Street is a microcosm of historical and urban processes that have made Accra the variegated and contradictory metropolis that it is today.




Heritage and Democracy


Book Description

Examining cultural heritage within the context of democracy Cultural heritage is a powerful tool in society, capable of producing both social harms as well as social goods and benefits, which can be distributed unevenly via political channels. Reaching across disciplines and national boundaries, this volume examines cultural heritage work within the context of both democratic institutions and democratic practices, including participatory, deliberative, and direct democratic practices. Case studies highlight how democratic politics and cultural heritage shape, impact, and depend upon one another. The rising crisis of democracy across the globe brings these dynamics into sharp relief. The unfinished and fragile nature of democratic politics shines a spotlight on both its shortcomings and its aspirational potential. This is a paradox that heritage practitioners and stakeholders navigate daily, serving as both critics and collaborators of democracy. At the same time that heritage practice embraces participatory approaches, it must also address the challenge of reconciling multiple, often unequal, and frequently incompatible claims for control over heritage. Grappling with democracy’s crises also increasingly means recognizing the power of heritage to reinforce or undermine democracy. These essays ask: What are the democratic motives of heritage practice? Why do democracies need heritage? How do the social and cultural referents of heritage infuse democratic practices? Emphasizing the interplay of heritage and democracy in practices and institutions across scales of governance, Heritage and Democracy pinpoints a dynamic that has not been widely examined. Contributors: Stacey L. Camp | Jon D. Daehnke | Kasey Diserens Morgan | Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann | Dorothy Ann Engmann | Bobbie Foster Bhusari | Peter G. Gould | Erin A. Hogg | Kathryn Lafrenz Samuels | Magda E. Mankel | Chelsea H. Meloche | George P. Nicholas | Ellen J. Platts | Jasmine Reid | Paul A. Shackel | John R. Welch A volume in the series Cultural Heritage Studies, edited by Paul A. Shackel







Routledge Handbook of Critical African Heritage Studies


Book Description

This handbook is a foundational reference point for critical heritage research about Africa and its diaspora. Foregrounding the diversity of knowledge systems needed to examine heritage issues in such a diverse continent, the contributors to this volume: argue for an understanding heritage that is at once both natural and cultural, tangible and intangible, political and dissonant, going beyond the physical and objective to include subjective narratives, performances, rituals, memories and emotions examine the pre-coloniality, coloniality, post-coloniality, and decoloniality of current African heritage discourses and their consequences analyse how heritage legislation derived from colonial law is compatible or otherwise with how heritage is perceived, identified and remembered in African communities discuss questions of repatriation, restitution and reparations in relation to the return of artefacts from Western countries illuminate the importance of ‘difficult heritage’ within Africa and its diaspora consider the role of heritage for development in Africa Making a crucial contribution to our understanding of African conceptions and practices of heritage, this book is an important read for scholars of African Studies, heritage and museum studies, archaeology, anthropology and history.




Korle Meets the Sea


Book Description

Ghana has played a key role in African/Western relations since medieval times. For this reason and others, Ghana has evolved into a linguistic quilt that contains forty-four indigenous languages and several exotic ones, of which most Ghanians speak at least two. Using Accra, Ghana's capital, as a microcosm, Dakubu conducts a linguistic, historical, and ethnographic investigation of the origins and durability of this multilingualism and how it has effected Ghanaian society.




Current Perspectives in the Archaeology of Ghana


Book Description

This collection of essays on archaeology and heritage studies is authored by local and expatriate scholars who are either past or current practitioners in archaeological work in Ghana. They are from Ghana, UK, US and Canada. The subject matter covered includes the history and evolution of the discipline in Ghana; the method and theory or 'how to do it' in archaeology, field research reports, and syntheses on findings from past and recent investigations. The eclectic or multidisciplinary strategy has been the research vogue in Ghanaian archaeology recently, and this is reflected in the various chapters. The essays engage with current theoretical trends in global archaeology and also focus on the role and status of archaeology as a discipline in Ghanaian society today. Archaeology is a relatively 'novel' subject to many in Ghana. This Reader will, therefore, be a huge asset to local students and experts alike. Foreign scholars will also find it very useful.




The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013)


Book Description

This book is an instructive historical record of the First Republic of Ghana and the triumphs and tribulations of successive governments since 1950. It reminds us of the struggle between Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his political opponents in the period preceding the achievement of political independence for Ghana, the events leading to his overthrow, and its impact on the course of Ghanas history. It is perhaps the most comprehensive history to date of the Rawlings era, the establishment of the Fourth Republic, and the formation of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The NDC came to eclipse the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) as the rival of the DanquahBusia tradition manifested in the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the countrys oldest national political movement originally formed to pioneer the independence struggle but later eclipsed by the breakaway CPP. The UGCC has undergone several transformations since and today is represented by the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The book well documents the challenges facing independent Ghana, including those related to the growth of democracy nationwide and within political parties. The African liberation struggle, the drama of the Congo crisis of the 1960s, and the Liberian crisis of the 1990s are graphically re-enacted to highlight Ghanas significant role in the events. It is perhaps the best account of the sacrifices Ghana and other ECOWAS countries, particularly Nigeria, made in returning peace to Liberia after a bitter civil war through the successful peacekeeping and peace-enforcement efforts of ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). The book sheds light on Dr. Obed Yao Asamoahs evolution into a politician of no mean achievement during the creation of the Fourth Republic and as the longest serving Foreign Minister and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Ghana has ever known, offices he held simultaneously between 1993 and 1997.




Sources for the Mutual History of Ghana and the Netherlands


Book Description

Annotated guide to the Dutch archives on Ghana and West Africa in the "Nationaal Archief" offering a comprehensive overview of available sources. Part I: description of archival materials. Part II: historical overview of the Dutch in Ghana and selected themes from Ghana's history. With bibliography and index.