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Ghana: An African Portrait Revisited (Photo Book, Hardcover)
Ghana: An African Portrait by the American photographer Paul Strand was published in 1963 at the request of Kwame Nkrumah. It became a classic but is now out of print. Over 40 years after that landmark work, and coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebrations of Ghana’s independence, the country is documented again as it enters the 21st century.
With more than 150 photographs, this book presents Ghana at a historic moment in time remembering its past and tradition, while looking ahead to a bright future. Six photographers with six points of view of working present a unique portrait of the country, through these photographs. From Accra to Bolatanga, and Elmina to Aflao, these are images of a country that is changing yet still retains much of its traditional character.
There are photographs of bead makers, wood carvers, kente weavers and coffin makers; and of Ghana’s unique fishing industry, its historic slave forts, outdoor markets, and the diverse religious community. And at the same time, a country poised to compete in world markets is seen through Accra’s rising skyline buildings and Tema’s modern port facilities. Abena Busia’s essay provides a capsule history of the country.
₵155.00 -
A Panorama of Ghana’s Heritage: Una mirada al patrimonio de Ghana – in English & Spanish (Photo Book, Hardcover)
Ghana, with Forts and Castles inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the African country with the oldest and greatest number of slave Castles dotted along the whole length of its coastline from which slaves were shipped. The capture and forced transfer, over the centuries, of millions of Africans to other parts of the world, along with their cultural traditions, skills, ideas and general heritage, not only had a profound impact on the African continent, but ultimately left a major mark in the formation and shape of cultures and civilizations of the world.
Ghana, con fuertes y castillos inscritos en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO, es el país africano con los más antiguos y númerosos fuertes situados a lo largo de la costa, desde donde los esclavos eran embarcados. La captura y el traslado forzoso, a lo largo de los siglos, de millones de africanos a otras partes del mundo, junto con sus tradiciones culturales, habilidades, ideas y herencia en general, no sólo tuvo un impacto profundo en el continente africano, sino que dejó en última instancia una huella profunda en la génesis y forma de las culturas y civilizaciones del mundo.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-106) and index.
English and Spanish.
₵165.00 -
Art and the Power of Goodness: A Collection of John Agyekum Kufuor (Hardcover)
**Available from 16 June 2021
FOREWORD BY GORDON BROWN, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
There is a strong correlation between art and power and in this book, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, a cultural and literary historian, looks at it from the art collection of the former President of Ghana – John Agyekum Kufuor.
From a matrilineal household in Kumasi that is connected to the visual and palace art in the ancient imperial Kingdom of Ashanti, Kufuor travelled the world from Oxford into the pantheon of great personages and power. Along the way, whether in villages in Ethiopia or among the Maasai in Kenya, across the Maghreb into Morocco, infatuation with the Persia classical period, Ottoman or Asia Minor’s remains of modern day Turkey, northern Lebanon and parts of Greater Asia, some of these acquisitions came by way of gifts and purchases.
They reflect family life and belief, ancient trade relations and routes as well as patterns of contemporary geo-politics. It could be through Benin bronze sculpture with facial stratifications or of metal smelted Malian Islamic crusaders on horseback or a herdsman from a Sahel water well.
These works, seventy of which form the basis of this book with few external ones, include resistance art in the fashion of the ‘empire fights back’ against British West African colonial conflict engagements and resultant Independence.
₵200.00 -
The Heart of God’s Music
The Heart of God’s Music is a well-researched and inspirational book on music that touches God’s heart. The author summarizes this exciting and engaging work in the following words: “As I continue towards my destination and expected end my desire is that God will be pleased and blessed by the sound of continuous music being offered in His name and for His glory on earth. God’s music ministry is a high calling which is founded on and ought to be saturated with Biblical truth, a sound blend of doxology and theology.”
It is our prayer that God will bless those who read this book and draw them to Himself in intimacy.
₵200.00The Heart of God’s Music
₵200.00 -
Highlife Time 3
Highlife is Ghana’s most important modern home grown dance-music that has its roots in traditional music infused with outside influences coming from Europe and the Americas. Although the word ‘highlife’ was not coined until the 1920s, its origins can be traced back to the regimental brass bands, elite-dance orchestras and maritime guitar and accordion groups of the late 19th and very early 20th centuries. Highlife is, therefore, one of Africa’s earliest popular music genres.
The book traces the origins of highlife music to the present – and include information on palmwine music, adaha brass bands, concert party guitar bands and dance bands, right up to off-shoots such as Afro-rock, Afrobeat, burger highlife, gospel highlife, hiphop highlife (i.e. hiplife) and contemporary highlife.
The book also includes chapters on the traditional background or roots of highlife, the entrance of women into the Ghanaian highlife profession and the biographies of numerous Ghanaian (and some Nigerian) highlife musicians, composers and producers. It also touches on the way highlife played a role in Ghana’s independence struggle and the country’s quest for a national – and indeed Pan-African – identity.The book also provides information on music styles that are related to highlife, or can be treated as cousins of highlife, such as the maringa of Sierra Leone, the early guitar styles of Liberia, the juju music of Nigeria the makossa of the Cameroon/ It also touches on the popular music of Ghana’s Francophone neighbours.
There is also a section on the Black Diasporic input into highlife, through to the impact of African American and Caribbean popular music styles like calypsos, jazz, soul, reggae, disco, hiphop and rap and dancehall. that have been integrated into the highlife fold. Thus, highlife has not only influenced other African countries but is also an important cultural bridge uniting the peoples of Africa and its Diaspora.
₵250.00Highlife Time 3
₵250.00 -
From Britain to Bokoor: The Ghanaian Musical Journey of John Collins
Highlife, a popular West African genre, is easily the soundtrack to the life journey of the nation Ghana. And if there is one personality who has contributed the most to documenting it, it is Professor John Collins, a naturalized Ghanaian of British descent and a professor of music at the University of Ghana, Legon. Collins originally accompanied his parents to Ghana in 1952, when his father was setting up the philosophy department at the University of Ghana. Returning to Britain with his mother, Collins was educated in Bristol, Manchester and London, earning a science degree. He was also playing music and then he returned to Ghana in 1969 to study archaeology and sociology at the University of Ghana.
Eventually he himself became an academic teaching and researching popular music. This book captures the life and music career of Collins. What makes him an enigma is his personal involvement on the road as a guitar playing member of concert party bands. His working relations with Fela, E.T. Mensah, Kofi Ghanaba, Victor Uwaifo, Prof. J. H. Kwabena Nketia and many legendary names in the music space of West Africa make him a legend in his own right. This is the story of a “white man” man who came to Africa to legitimize the place of highlife as consequential to world music
₵250.00 -
Nana Otuo Siriboe II, 1971-2021: Fifty Years of Distinguished Service to Juaben, Asanteman and Ghana
Foreword by President Nana Akufo-Addo
Nana Otuo Siriboe II was enstooled as Juabenhene – Paramount Chief of the Juaben Traditional Area of Asante − on August 31 1971, at the age of 26. An electrical engineer by training, he decided to leave the employ of the Electricity Corporation of Ghana and make the development of his State a priority.
Fifty years on, from the days of Dr. K.A. Busia, Acheampong, Akuffo, Rawlings, Limann, Rawlings, Kufuor, Mills, Mahama to Akufo-Addo in 2021, he has transformed Juaben into a modern town. He uses every opportunity that he has to advance the cause of Juaben. Every development agency that has ever dealt with Nana Otuo Siriboe has been persuaded to leave a mark in Juaben. Under his supervision and guidance, Juaben has benefitted from electricity, potable water, a market, hospital, police station, some bungalows for the police, a circuit court, an asphalted road network, street lighting and other modern amenities.
He has also changed the economic circumstances of his people by not only establishing a rural bank, but also making farming attractive through his own oil palm farming activities and his setting up of Juaben Oil Mills, the largest indigenously-owned palm oil processing facility in Ghana, with over 400 employees. An interesting feature of the processing plant is the conversion of its waste materials into electricity to power the factory’s plant and equipment, the Juaben Hospital and the town’s water pumping station.
In spite of this unparalleled service to his people, Nana Otuo Siriboe has stretched his influence way beyond Juaben. A trusted lieutenant of both Otumfuo Opoku Ware II of blessed memory and the reigning Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, today Nana Otuo Siriboe II is a well-known and respected statesman across Ghana. He has had the privilege of serving in many sectors of public life in Ghana. In 1979, he was a Member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the 1979 Constitution. Nana Otuo Siriboe II has also served on several Boards and Councils such as the Boards of the Lands’ Commission, GBC, The Trade Fair Authority and The Komfo Anokye Hospital and on the KNUST University and the Prisons Service Councils.
In 1992, he was thrust further into the limelight when, as a nominee of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, he became a Member of the Consultative Assembly, serving as the Chairman of the Business Committee, that spearheaded the drafting of the 1992 Constitution. He was a Member of the Council of State between 2001 until 2008 under President J.A. Kufuor. In 2017, he was appointed a Member of the Council of State by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and was unanimously elected as Chairman of the Council of State becoming the first traditional ruler in Ghana’s history to occupy that august position. Reappointed to the Council of State in 2021 and re-elected as Chairman, he has also become the first Ghanaian in history to be a two-term chairperson of the Council of State.
This 308-page Golden Jubilee coffee table book chronicles the major milestones of Nana Otuo Siriboe II’s reign through captivating photographs, interesting newspaper clippings, and thought-provoking newspaper editorials; and has travelled through a 25-year journey to get to this point.
The History of Juaben was authored by Emeritus Professor Albert Adu Boahen of blessed memory and the Juabenhene’s biography and key achievements by Professor Robert Addo-Fening for the 25th and 40th anniversary brochures respectively. Abyna-Ansaa Adjei, on her part, documents Nana Otuo Siriboe II’s activities of the past 10 years, his views on his 50-year reign as well as the views of some Juaben citizens.
A simple read, it comes highly recommended with a goodwill message from the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and a foreword by President Nana Akufo-Addo, which states at its conclusion: “I recommend, most enthusiastically, this beautiful book that chronicles these events.”
₵300.00 -
Methodist Hymn Book with Tunes – Stave Notation (Hardcover)
First published in 1933, this contains the hymns in the Methodist Hymn books accompanied by their staff notations. It also includes tunes for the Canticles, Psalms and other Bible passages included the Beatitudes. It is a useful resource for church choirs and all music lovers.
₵320.00 -
More Than My Scars: The Power of Perseverance, Unrelenting Faith, and Deciding What Defines You
The first thing you will notice when you meet Kechi Okwuchi is her scars. One of just two survivors of a devastating plane crash that killed more than 100 people, 16-year-old Kechi was left with third-degree burns over 65 percent of her body. More Than My Scars is her incredible story. A story of not just surviving impossible odds but thriving in a world that is too often caught up with how we look on the outside rather than seeing that our true value is within.
Now in her early 30s, Kechi has spent the last 16 years refusing to be defined by her trauma. Follow her as she decides for herself what role her scars will play in her life before society decides for her. Her strong sense of identity, rooted in seeing herself the way God sees her, has allowed her to live authentically in a world that constantly seeks to define us by its ever-changing (and ever-shallow) standards. Kechi’s story will inspire you to love and accept yourself as you are and confidently present your true self to the world.
₵330.00 -
Falls in Ghana: Unified Guide Book (Chasing Waterfalls with Steve Ababio & Gina Arthur)
This is a guide based on our experience – designed to help you get out and go have your waterfall adventure. This book details our experiences on and off the road, encounters, processes, ease of access and what sight awaits you.
This guide will help reduce the unknown variables and provide some structure in terms of what to expect and what approaches to take on your journey as you interact with different communities.
The stories and experiences shares should also help boost your confidence and encourage you to make a plan and embark on a waterfall chase of your own!
₵400.00 -
Abusua Pa Jigsaw Puzzle: The Black Star Square (216 Puzzle Pieces) – Pre-Order
Independence Square, also known as Black Star Square, is a landmark in Accra, Ghana, with historical and cultural significance. It serves as the venue for Ghana’s Independence Day celebrations and features symbolic elements like the Independence Arch and the Independence Square Monument. The square is one of the world’s largest and can accommodate large gatherings. It has surrounding landmarks and is open to the public for recreational activities. Independence Square holds historical significance as the site where Ghana proclaimed its independence from British colonial rule in 1957. It stands as a symbol of national pride and hosts events that commemorate Ghana’s freedom.
The soldier facing the Independence Arch in Ghana symbolizes the country’s struggle for independence and its emergence as the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain freedom from British colonial rule. The soldier represents the Ghanaian military’s dedication to protecting the nation’s sovereignty and symbolizes the courage and sacrifice of the people in their fight for self-rule. It serves as a reminder of Ghana’s commitment to preserve its independence, uphold values of freedom and democracy, and promote national unity. Overall, the soldier facing the Independence Arch represents the historical significance of Ghana’s independence, the contributions of the military, and the ongoing commitment to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty.
₵450.00 -
Abusua Pa Jigsaw Puzzle: Chief Dancing (140/216 Puzzle Pieces) – Pre-Order
A Chief’s Dance in Ghana holds great cultural significance as a symbol of the chief’s authority, heritage and community unity. It preserves Ghanaian traditions and passes down ancestral knowledge. The dance has ritual and spiritual elements and honours ancestors and historical lineage.
It showcases cultural identity and attracts tourists, promoting cultural pride and understanding. The Chief’s Dance plays a vital role in Ghanaian society, connecting the past with the present and ensuring the continuity of cultural heritage.
₵450.00 -
Abusua Pa Jigsaw Puzzle: Fort Amsterdam (216 Puzzle Pieces) – Pre-Order
Fort Amsterdam is a historic fort located in the town of Abandze in the Central Region of Ghana. It was built by the Dutch in 1638 as a trading post for gold and ivory, and later served as a slave trading station.
The fort was strategically located on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the Dutch to have a clear view of incoming ships. It was also built with stone walls and cannons to protect against attacks from rival European powers and indigenous groups.
During its occupation by the Dutch, Fort Amsterdam was an important center for the transatlantic slave trade, with thousands of Africans passing through its gates before being shipped off to the Americas.
Today, the fort is a popular tourist attraction and a reminder of Ghana’s colonial past. Visitors can tour the grounds and learn about the fort’s history through exhibits and guided tours.
₵450.00 -
Abusua Pa Jigsaw Puzzle: Fort William (216 Puzzle Pieces) – Pre-Order
Fort William, originally known as Fort Anomabo, is a historic fortress located in Central Region of Ghana. During the 19th century, under the command of Brodie Cruickshank, the fortress was renamed Fort William in honour of King Charles II.
Constructed primariily using local resources, this remarkable stronghold earned the reputation of being one of the most splendidly designed and sturdily built fortresses along the coast.
Throughout its existence, it served diverse purposes. Initially functioning as a rest house and a post office, Fort William underwent a transformation and was repurposed as a state prison, a role it fulfilled until 2001. Today, the fort has undergone another metamorphosis and currently serves as a community library, enriching the lives of the people of Anomabu. This conversation not only preserves its historical significance but also stands a a beacon of knowledge and learning within the local community.
₵450.00 -
Abusua Pa Jigsaw Puzzle: Elmina Castle (140/216 Puzzle Pieces) – Pre-Order
Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, is a historic fortress located in the town of Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana. It was built by the Portuguese in 1482 and is recognized as the oldest European-built structure in sub-Saharan Africa.
The castle was originally constructed as a trading post for the Portuguese to establish and maintain their presence in the region. It served as a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade, with thousands of enslaved Africans passing through its doors on their way to the Americas.
Elmina Castle played a significant role in the colonial history of Ghana. It changed hands several times, with the Dutch capturing it from the Portuguese in 1637, and later the British taking control in 1872.
Today, Elmina Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a powerful symbol of the transatlantic slave trade. It attracts visitors from around the world who come to explore its dungeons, learn about its history, and reflect on the profound impact of slavery on Africa and the African diaspora. Guided tours are available to provide insights into the castle’s dark past and the harsh realities faced by those who were held captive within its walls.
₵450.00