Women as Agents of Change: A Case Study of Women in Cape Coast (1877-1957)

Abstract

Whilst the dominant narratives in historiography consider markets to be male dominated spaces in pre-colonial Cape Coast, this study contends that women became the principal agents of trading activities during the colonial period. With the increasing visibility of women in market spaces during the colonial period, women, both elite and ordinary, played an active role in the shaping of the colonial urban town of Cape Coast whilst conducting their trading activities. Through the analysis of women’s activities in the markets in Cape Coast, it is evident that women became instrumental in the conceptualization of a market space. This study also contends that market women became key agents in promoting developmental projects in the community. Before European contact with the people of the Gold Coast in 1471, African women were prominent in economic activities such as agriculture and trade. European presence enhanced trading activities in the Gold Coast especially along the coastal areas. Cape Coast, one of the coastal towns, later emerged as a prominent centre of trade and headquarters of trade for the British residents. Prior to the British abolition of slave trade, slaves were the major commodity of trade in the coastal markets and this trade was mainly controlled by men. Women only gained access through their relationships with European merchants. The abolition of the Atlantic slave trade resulted in an increase in legitimate trade in the Gold Coast, especially along the coastal areas. By the colonial period however, women had become active in the changing economy. They were vibrant in the spatial markets along the coast, specifically in Cape Coast. Though the transfer of the colonial capital from Cape Coast to Accra in 1877 resulted in economic decline of the town, trading activities within the spatial markets in Cape Coast did not come to a halt. Women continued to be active participants in trade in the Gold Coast. It is within this context that this study examines how market women contributed towards the development of Cape Coast during the colonial period through their trading activities.