Institute of African Studies
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Item The Depiction Of Women In The Struggle For Cultural, Political And Economic Freedom In The Works Of Some Selected African Writers.(University of Ghana, 2016-07) Agu, T.A.Gender stereotypes have existed in African societies for a long time. In these societies, it is generally believed that women are the weaker sex, subservient to men, objects of sexuality, and incapable of taking critical decisions affecting their own lives and those of their communities. Following these assumptions, male writers have often been accused of projecting these stereotypes in their works. Indeed, this is true to a large extent as many male writers seemed to play down the role of women in the African society. While Cyprian Ekwensi presents the city girl as a prostitute, Oyono, in Houseboy, depicts Madame and Sophia as beautiful sexual objects fit only for male consumption. But at the same time that most male authors and indeed some female writers were presenting female characters as second-class human species, others had begun to see the potential in women to assume roles previously thought to be exclusive to men. One of these is Sembene Ousmane. God’s Bits of Wood (originally Les Bouts de Bois de Dieu) is a protest novel that has been given a contemporary political setting, and tells of the strike along the Dakar – Niger railway in 1947/48 in demand for better working conditions. Though they are beaten, murdered and tortured by the white employers, they win in the end with the women playing active roles. There is also Asiedu Yirenkyi’s Kivuli from which he has Blood and Tears which also unearths the wind of change that is blowing with the strong desire of women fight for equality and freedom. We can also make mention of the late Efo Mawugbe in his novel In the Chest of a Woman, which also exposes us to the wind of change in issues concerning women from male perspectives. Mention can be made of Wole Soyinka in his Kongi’s Harvest and Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of The Savannah which are some of the selected texts for this research. This study seeks to examine the economic, political and social roles played by the female characters to alleviate the privations of the daily sufferings they encounter in the society. This will be done by library research involving primary and secondary texts.Item Sacred Spaces and Women: A Case Study of Okomfo Akosua Atuobua in the Koankre Shrine(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Aduako, H.BThe pivotal role of priestesses in traditional religious shrines is not as heavily researched as that of their male counterparts. These shrines regularly adhere to socially constructed gender roles, which reinforces patriarchy. Shrines such as Koankre have male priests who are often the primary focus of many studies on traditional African religion. This is because of cultural norms that prescribe gender roles and responsibilities for men and women in society. Nevertheless, there are shrines that are run by priestesses who defy the traditional concept of womaness in their communities. This dissertation interrogates the role of priestesses in the traditional priesthood institution based on a case study of Okomfo Akosua Atuobua operating at Koankre shrine in the Eastern region of Ghana. The study examines how her gender impacts her ability to perform the diverse roles that she is obligated to execute as the ultimate spiritual leader in the Koankre shrine and Ohene Akura village. The study is based on field work that consists of interactions with 34 respondents from the Koankre shrine and Ohene Akura village. The research indicates that even though she operates in a patriarchal shrine, she is equipped by deities to perform her roles and duties without being confined or subordinated. The complexity of being a priestess in a predominately male dominated institution presupposes that the priestess must alternate between “genders” to perform her roles to varied groups of people and in diverse spaces. Finally, it suggests that the institution that is male dominated allows limited spiritual space for women to serve as priestesses.Item 20TH and 21ST Century Literary Voices on Colonialism and Beyond: The Case of Adichie and Achebe(University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Opare, P.D.Colonialism and its aftermath remain a perennial theme of modern African literature. This theme has attracted a lot of comments from literary critics: there have been concerns that African literature has sacrificed art for politics, that it has remained imaginatively timid and dull. African literature of the 21st century is expected to have a new face, a new face it will have, perhaps, by putting behind her the dark past of colonialism, racism and marginalization so that she can be more imaginatively aggressive and expansive. Yet the theme of colonialism remains, sitting side by side with the new concerns that 21st century African writers address in their works. This thesis seeks to examine the perennial theme of colonialism in 20th and 21st century African literature. I examine the peculiar approaches that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie adopts in writing stories about colonialism and beyond, comparing her works to Chinua Achebe in a bid to identify where they converge and diverge in telling the African story. I also examine how the concepts of transnationalism, cosmopolitanism and interstitial postcoloniality impact the commitment a writer takes in telling stories of colonialism and beyond. The study argues finally that the bold new approaches that Adichie has adopted in telling postcolonial stories are as a result of the heritage of Achebe as a forerunner in African literature, and more importantly because of her expansion of her work through extra-territorialism and cross-cultural initiations (Bhabha, 1994.)Item Popes’ Complicities in the ‘Negro’ Slave Trade, 15th Century to 19th Century.(University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Mensah, I.S.N.Catholic Church historians and the Papacy had claimed to have vehemently condemned slave trade at every instance. Catholic historians and scholars like Luigi Conti and Panzer have done their best to grant an intellectual absolution to the seat of the Pope by carefully whitewashing the ugly part of their history and eulogizing the Catholic Church for being at the forefront of the abolitionist movement. I contend that a thorough analysis of Papal bull, treaties and the classic works of scholars like John Francis Maxwell 1975, Howard Erskine-Hill 1998 and Pius Onyemechi Adiele 2017 and other published works would bring to bear the involvement of the Pope in the process of the enslavement of the ‘Negro’. I will advance this debate to show the authority of the pope in medieval European politics by examining archival sources on the alliances, diplomatic relations and international treaties ratified with such European countries concerning the slave trade. I will extend this debate further to show that not only did the church blessed and supported the trade, but the Church directly purchased African slaves in Rome. This work also takes a closer look at the extent of the papacy’s direct and indirect involvement in the Negro slave trade. An analysis of the financial system and fiscal policy of the Catholic Church in medieval times and assessment of largest Slave Corporation in Maryland by the Jesuit Order based on archival materials from Georgetown University Slave Archive show that not only was the leadership of the Church involved in the trade but also benefitted from the trade.Item An Analysis of Vote Selling and Its Impact on Voting Behaviour in the Ashaiman Constituency(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Appiah, E.A.The thrust of this study was to analyze vote selling and its impact on voting behaviour in the Ashaiman constituency. Specifically, it sought to examine the reasons why voters sell their votes, explore how vote selling transactions are conducted and analyze the implications of vote selling for Ghana’s democracy. The study adopted the qualitative approach within which the case study design was used. The population comprised all voters in the Ashaiman constituency. The targeted population numbered 136,989. Using purposive sampling 60 voters were selected. In the end 45 respondents were interviewed. From the study, it was found that voters sell their votes because after elections politicians fail to fulfill their campaign promises, low level of incomes and readiness of politicians to spend money on their campaign and their strong support for the party. It was also found that voters approach politicians through agents (local champions) who use it as a way of making money for themselves. They also appear in a form of organized groups and or on individual basis to make pledges for immediate reward in order to throw their support at the polls. The study again established that vote selling does influence voting behaviour since after receiving their packages most voters felt they had to hold their end of the bargain. Also, it was established that vote selling leads to larger public deficits and public sector inefficiencies and higher levels of corruption in government. It is recommended that a serious nationwide education is embarked on against vote selling by the EC, NCCE and IPAC especially in the run up to elections. Voters should also be educated on the core business of MPs in order to remove the burden of campaign promises from the shoulders of aspirantsItem Environmental Discourses, Charcoal Production and Plantations in the Kintampo Area(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Owusu, S.The study involves farmers, charcoal producers, and plantation developers in Weila, a community in Kintampo, a district in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Plantation suggested as a sustainable alternative for charcoal production does not support other rural livelihoods and rural inhabitants are excluded from its development due to the high capital required. The nature of integration between farming and charcoal production and tree plantation is investigated. Also the study examines the access available to rural inhabitants in engaging in charcoal production and plantation development; as well as the contribution of the three livelihoods to the rural inhabitants. The study comprised 180 farmers, charcoal producers and plantation developers from Weila, who were interviewed concerning their livelihood and its impact on the environment. The study revealed that charcoal production successfully integrates with farming while plantation after 3-4 years displaces farming and other livelihood in the same environment. Also, farming is the most important livelihood to the rural inhabitants. While access to capital is the main challenge for developing plantations since plantations demands a lot of capital hence limiting rural inhabitants’ access to large-scale plantations. Access to sacks and transportation are the major limitation to rural inhabitants in having maximum profits from charcoal production. All the same charcoal production is a low entry activity which is easily accessible to most rural inhabitants, particularly, the youth. It is noted that woodlot plantations can cause food shortage, and affect the sustainability of the environment. Woodlot plantation may not support the state’s goal of sustainable charcoal production and sustainable environment. Importantly, the rural inhabitants are likely to be denied or segregated in benefiting from charcoal production should regulations be introduced by the state. Therefore, rural inhabitants should not be compelled to use woodlot plantation for charcoal production. Advanced regeneration methods should be encouraged. Regulation of charcoal production should be reconsidered. Finally, there is the need for area specific study of the impact of plantation development.Item Images and Representations of Women in Ghanaian Paintings(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Asare, N.M.This thesis is a visual analysis of the representations of women in the works of Adjo Kisser and Serge Attukwey Clottey both contemporary Ghanaian artists. Drawing primarily on Edmund Feldman‘s (1971) models for art criticism, the study investigates Kisser‘s drawings within the context of feminist humour with attention to the agency of creativity, play, and notions of artistic license. Clottey‘s charcoal drawings demonstrate some unique approaches to and perspectives on techniques and resources of exaggeration; they provide new insights into processes, ideologies and artistic impulses associated with the commodification of the female body. Both employ similar and sometimes dissimilar artistic tools and devices to reposition the nude female body in contemporary times. This study is an addition to the corpus of discourses that interrelate visual ethnography, art history and gender studies.Item The Phenomenon of Children Beggars on the Streets of Accra(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Tetteh, W.The phenomenon of children living on the street has become frequent worldwide, and is of immense social concern. Street children devise varied survival strategies to cope with the hardships they encounter in their daily lives. This study investigates a particular group of street children in Accra, which is child street beggars. Using the qualitative research approach, the study uses interviews, observation, drawings and focus group discussions to interrogate the lifestyle and examine the aspirations of child street beggars. It specifically identifies the familial background of children street beggars and their relationship with their families, and also examines the reason why children choose to beg on the streets. Cases of five boys, being the primary participants, and their families were studied over a period of four months. The boys were between the ages of 11 and 15 were recruited at three busy street interchanges in Accra, and followed up to their families in their respective homes. The study revealed that, children come from both female-headed and male-headed households. Among the causal factors for child street begging, peer influence emerged the most influential causal factor. Children street beggars who participated in this study were not bread winners to their families. As such they were not forced into begging by any adult family member, and kept every money they make on the streets. The dreams and aspirations of the children include having families they can take care of and having lucrative jobs to become rich.Item Natural Hair and the Ghanaian Woman.(University of Ghana, 2018-10) Tseyi, F.S.Evidence abounds to show that natural hair is an evolving phenomenon among Ghanaian women. This study investigates the diverse types of hairstyles categorised as natural hair and examines the increasing preference for natural hair over chemically altered or adulterated hairstyles in Ghana. It also explores the variables that enforce and redefine the wearing of natural hair as a form of cultural heritage in the country. The study employed a qualitative study design. It used ethnographic field methods such as observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion to collect data from women aged between twenty and sixty years, natural hair specialists and locticians. Data was analysed thematically. Findings of the study suggest six types of natural hairstyles, namely; Afro short, Afro long length, twist, cornrow, braids and locks. Of these hairstyle types, five of them namely Afro short, Afro long length, twist, cornrow and braids were identified as temporary hairstyles, which were subject to various forms of modifications. Dreadlocks or locks are observed as a permanent form of natural hairstyle. It is often seen as the final stage of natural hair. Peer and societal pressure as well as promotional videos on social media were identified as factors that contributed into women‟s desire for the natural hairItem Ghana’s 2016 Presidential Election: A Study of Electoral Campaigns in the Age of Social Media.(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Aidoo, G.S.Political Parties across the world have in recent time’s integrated social media as part of their campaign strategy to woo voters online. This is because social media has proven to be an effective medium for electoral communication given its several features like photo sharing, status update, tags, post sharing, likes, live videos, video sharing among others. Most importantly, social media facilitates access to political information and its networked structure enables users to create interest groups, interact with each other and engage in political debates. This study explores the various ways social media is revolutionizing political campaigns in Ghana using the 2016 election campaigns as a case study. It argues that the extensive integration of social media tools particularly Facebook in the 2016 electoral campaigns has introduced newer forms of campaigns in Ghana. Although social media was used extensively in the 2016 election campaigns in Ghana, it did not replace the traditional media rather it augmented the parties’ efforts to reach many voters.