Trends in indigenous forms of mutual cooperation: Cases from Ghana

Abstract

Mutual cooperation has been a feature of African societies, particularly of Ghana. In the pre-colonial era, traditional societies relied on cooperation to mobilize social capital. Through a network of interdependence, individuals exchanged different types of help based on their relationship. Colonial rule, the impact of urbanisation, education and religion led to the invention of new forms of ethnic or indigenous voluntary associations in urban areas, which acted as bridges between the migrants and their communities. Indeed, these changes find explanation in the complexity theory, which helps us to understand the changes associated with the voluntary associations in terms of emergence, adaptability and self-organisation. This study, which was a case study research, collected data from leaders and members of associations through in-depth interviews and documentary sources. The result reveals that as associations adapt through co-evolution and internal and external changes, those who are not able to change to their environment atrophy. Those associations, such as the Mpraesoman kuo the Peki Union and BONABOTO, that have adapted to their environment continue to be in a state of flux.