Trends in the development of archaeology and heritage studies in Ghana

Abstract

The discipline of Archaeology and Heritage studies is of cardinal importance in Ghana, largely because writing as a medium of heritage and historical transmission was a relatively recent introduction. Western written documentation on Ghana's past has superficial time-depth going only as far back as the fifteenth century AD. This gave the impression, in historical terms, of a country of utter darkness in pre-European times. Moreover, the European interpretation of Ghana's cultural heritage record was replete with biases and distortions and depicted African peoples and traditions as backward and stagnant entities. This distorted image is seen by modern African scholars as literary product of colonial scientific imperialism. For the onerous task of correcting this negative image, and providing an authentic reconstruction of past heritage, that portrays long-range time-depth, Ghana's scholars have to rely chiefly on archaeology which currently provides scientific chronology back to 40,000 years at least and also on oral traditions, ethnographies and art history. These are all authentic indigenous sources. They provide the raw material for local academics to process and package the only export commodity that is most unique to Ghana that is its historical and cultural heritage.