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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: 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 -
Baffour Osei Akoto: A Royal Patriot and the Making of Ghana (Hardcover)
Foreword by President John Agyekum Kufuor
This book is primarily composed of speeches presented at the 16th edition of the annual Re-Akoto Memorial Lectures held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. The Re Akoto Memorial Lectures, instituted by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, life patron of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law, seeks, amongst other things, to promote research, study and educate the citizenry on the development of Ghana’s constitutional democracy and human rights. Over the years, it has been presented by a good number of eminent Ghanaians and through which they have illuminated various spheres of life, especially issues regarding law and fundamental human rights, which are the key components that form the genesis of the famous Re-Akoto Case.
The presenters included Kwame Pianim, one of Ghana’s eminent economists; Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang, then-acting Director of the Ghana School of Law; Chief Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah and Attorney-General Godfred Dame. Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye, a veritable political scientist and accomplished politician, knitted the strains together to discuss how Baffour’s strides and successes reaffirmed the liberal democratic political philosophy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He indicated that human beings have a dignity that must be protected and that dictatorial tendencies must not be accepted. Finally, provided a historical trajectory of Ghana’s stint with an authoritarian regime focusing on the country’s post-independence one-party political system.
“Baffour excelled in this career as an Asante diplomat, a valuable repository of Asante and Ghanaian social, cultural and political history, and a defender of the power of traditional leadership in the face of the onslaught of modern post-colonial politics in Ghana.” – His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene
₵350.00 -
Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency
Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush: The Politics of Complacency is an insider’s account of how the governing New Patriotic Party lost power in the closest elections in Africa’s history. The writer believes that providing an accurate account will begin the process of correcting the rumours, lies and myths that are out there about the 2008 elections in Ghana.
Throughout, the book is liberally sprinkled with quotes and historical references that makes it very informative and interesting. He begins with the state of the nation and the governing party as Ghana approached 2008.
He then takes the reader through the NPP primary and his own experiences as a losing candidate. There is candid discussion of the rivalries in the campaign that undermined its effectiveness. He takes the reader inside meetings and quotes some of the key players at key moments in the campaign.
There is candid discussion of the roles of the media, the security forces and civil society. The identification of issues and their use in the campaign is discussed thoroughly. While his sympathies are never in doubt, he is very objective and acknowledges the mistakes made by the campaign, the government and the party. He credits the NDC Campaign for doing certain things well. Amongst these are the deployment of President Mills and former President Rawlings as well as Vice-President John Mahama.
He reveals the roles of key people, including the President, the Presidential candidate and powerful groups, like the “Kyebi Mafia”. He offers candid assessments of all the key players. He suggests reasons for the NPP defeat and the way to recapture power.
This will be a very significant first cut and reference point for an account of the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.
₵320.00 -
‘The History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself’ and Other Writings
The History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself is a key text for understanding the history of the great West African kingdom of Asante (now in Ghana). It is also an early–and perhaps the earliest–example of history writing in English by an African ruler and his amanuenses. It was begun in 1907 in the Seychelles on the instructions of the Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I, who had been in British captivity with his family since 1896, during which time he had acquired proficiency in English.
The chief source of information was his mother the Asantehemaa Yaa Kyaa, who possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the oral history of her own lineage, which was also the royal dynasty of Asante. The result is an indispensably detailed document that charts the history of the Asante monarchy from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Context is provided by the inclusion of other writings by or about Agyeman Prempeh, together with four introductory essays by the world’s leading scholars of Asante history.
This fascinating volume evokes the rich historical experience of a renowned kingdom, and is of compelling interest to all concerned with the production of indigenous historical knowledge in Africa.
₵300.00 -
The Fall of The Asante Empire: The Hundred -Year War for Africa’s Gold Coast
In 1817, the first British envoy to meet the king of the Asante of West Africa was dazzled by his reception. A group of 5,000 Asante soldiers, many wearing immense caps topped with three foot eagle feathers and gold ram’s horns, engulfed him with a “zeal bordering on phrensy,” shooting muskets into the air. The envoy was escorted, as no fewer than 100 bands played, to the Asante king’s palace and greeted by a tremendous throng of 30,000 noblemen and soldiers, bedecked with so much gold that his party had to avert their eyes to avoid the blinding glare. Some Asante elders wore gold ornaments so massive they had to be supported by attendants. But a criminal being lead to his execution – hands tied, ears severed, knives thrust through his cheeks and shoulder blades – was also paraded before them as a warning of what would befall malefactors. This first encounter set the stage for one of the longest and fiercest wars in all the European conquest of Africa. At its height, the Asante empire, on the Gold Coast of Africa in present-day Ghana, comprised three million people and had its own highly sophisticated social, political, and military institutions. Armed with European firearms, the tenacious and disciplined Asante army inflicted heavy casualties on advancing British troops, in some cases defeating them. They won the respect and admiration of British commanders, and displayed a unique willingness to adapt their traditional military tactics to counter superior British technology. Even well after a British fort had been established in Kumase, the Asante capital, the indigenous culture stubbornly resisted Europeanization, as long as the “golden stool,” the sacred repository of royal power, remained in Asante hands. It was only after an entire century of fighting that resistance ultimately ceased.
₵300.00 -
The Legislative System of Ghana
This book focuses on the legislative system of Ghana. It contains sixteen chapters, each focusing on a unique aspect of the legislative system of Ghana. It outlines the rules, the practice, and procedure that govern the conduct of business and Members in the Parliament of Ghana and its committees, and the various actors involved in the organisation of the legislative business. It breaks into minute forms, the procedural norms, and attitudes that influence members’ behaviour and the various parliamentary outcomes.
“This study is well researched and presented in a very lucid form…. Indeed, it is a very useful source for students, parliamentarians, and academics on the parliamentary history, procedure, and practice of Ghana’s Parliament.” – Hon Dr. Benjamin Kunbour, Former Majority Leader, Former Minister of Defence and Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana School of Law
₵300.00The Legislative System of Ghana
₵300.00 -
Absolute Radio: The Inspiring Story of the First Private Radio in Ghana’s Western Region
*Available from 6 September 2022
From the heart of Africa, a spellbinding true story of entrepreneurship, media, culture and tradition, all tastefully rolled into one! Absolute Radio is an authentic story of girls and boys who became women and men – and heroes – on the wings of a radio station. Running the course of 25 years, the story comes from the culturally stylish twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, with global footprints.
It is the most tantalising and ground-breaking body of work about Ghana’s private broadcasting industry. The author, former journalist Phillip Nyakpo, is himself an eye-witness and a participant in these true events.
From his base in Perth, Australia, Phillip interviewed women and men across four continents who made it happen over a quarter of a century.
The result is that he opened up to the world, a character and spirit of Africa that is all too often missing.
In telling the story, he writes a compelling narrative that is delicate, witty, eye-opening and wonderfully inspiring.
₵250.00 -
The Children of House No. D13 South Suntresu Kumasi: An Ahwoi & Adu-Gyamfi Siblings’ Collective Biography
*Available from 15 June 2022
To describe The Children of House No. D13, South Suntresu, Kumasi, as an intriguing project is an understatement. A collective biography of eight siblings was always going to be a daunting challenge, even if each person told their own story and got it together in one volume. To do it in a coordinated combination of first and third person “voices” would appear to be a bit implausible. To actually achieve the purpose and turn it from a project into an enthralling reading experience deserves all the plaudits this book is likely to gather.
This book is a collection of life stories of the eight children of Madam Maye Charlotte Hudson, also known as Esi Tutuwa but known to some people as Esi Nkwagye and to the people of South Suntresu, Kumasi as Mrs. Ahwoi. The ‘Ahwois” principally is the collective name of three brothers – Ato, Kwesi and Kwamena – who have played prominent roles in Ghana’s recent history, but the siblings also include five girls, Ama, Adoma, Efua, Naana and Sister Aggie, who also played their part in this thrilling story in their own unique ways.
For such a collective recall of personal histories to work, a principal requirement is a willingness of all the parties involved to treat the project seriously; of equal importance is the need to treat everyone’s personal history as important, which is what this book has succeeded in doing. It would be right to describe it as an exercise in literary democracy!
It is not every book project that produces a good book, but this book has done so because at the heart of the project is a good story. And at the heart of that good story is human progress against the odds capsuled in the life of these eight individuals.
These are the dramatis personae in order of appearance – from the womb – Ato Ahwoi, Kwesi Ahwoi, Mrs. Ama Twum, Kwamena Ahwoi, Mrs. Ama Adoma Bartels-Kodwo, Mrs. Efua Bram-Larbi, Theodora Naana Adu Gyamfi and Mrs. Agnes Appiagyei-Dankah. Theodora Naana Adu-Gyamfi passed away at the age of 28 and so her role ends early except in passing references. However, it is worth recalling that before she died, and in an act that exemplifies the major theme of this book, Naana secretely transferred all the money in her own bank account into that of her six year old niece, Abena Tutuwa Ahwoi, the daughter of her brother, Kwamena.
The structure of the narrative, which makes it possible to flow, is simply to follow the fortunes of these siblings sequentially in turn through the main phases of their development. The person whose presence permeates the story is the matriarch – Mrs. Ahwoi, nee Maye Charlotte Hudson.
The book achieves the purpose of showing the “remarkable togetherness and the mutual support system that enabled the children of House No. D13, South Suntresu, Kumasi, to overcome the many hurdles along their individual paths in life as being due to their mother, Madam Maye Charlotte Hudson (Mrs. Ahwoi). Indeed, the matriarch herself is effectively the ninth subject of the biography of the eight children” as Honourable Kwame Preprah states in the Foreword.
Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng
Consultant in Communication, Media and Culture
Former Chairman, National Media Commission (NMC)
Former President, Ghana Association of Writers (GAW)
₵250.00 -
History of the Gold Coast and Asante
First published in 1889, this history became an out-of-print classic, and is now brought back into print. The work has been used as an authority in the Law Courts of Ghana, where customs and their usages are relevant to interpretation of the law. The author (1834-1917) stated his purpose as the need for such a history by a Ghanaian, conscious of the customs and tradition of the people. He himself, a distinguished medical practitioner, was a key actor in some of the pre-colonial wars.
Twenty-nine chapters are arranged chronologically. Chapter 1 covers a short description of the Gold Coast; the Kingdom of Guinea; expeditions sent by Pharaoh Necho and the Carthiginians; F. Romber’s reference to the Kingdom of Benin; traditional accounts of emigration to the coast; tribes assumed to have been the aboriginal races on the coast, and their conquest. The period covers BC600-750 and AD1400-1700.
Chapter 29 covers 1851-1856: administration of justice according to English law & its effects; imposition & collection methods of a poll tax, and conspiracy to refuse payment; bombardment of Christiansborg, Labadi and Teshi; peace and the rebuilding of Christiansborg.
₵250.00₵300.00History of the Gold Coast and Asante
₵250.00₵300.00 -
The Evolution of Parliament in Ghana
This study provides an overview of the development of Ghana’s parliament from 1844 when it was under British colonial jurisdiction, through transition to sovereign rule in the 1950s. It further covers the period post the 2000 elections, the third successive multiparty elections, and consolidation of multi-party democratic governance. Some of the topics covered include: the various post-independence constitutions, the committee system, the introduction of women to parliament, and parliament and the media. An essay analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the parliamentary system and snapshot portraits of the presidents and speakers conclude the volume.
₵250.00 -
The Dreamer – Komla Dumor: The Boss Player In His Own Words (Hardcover)
This is a collection of the personal writings of Komla Dumor a young man, very intellectually vibrant, an erudite communicator, a passionate patriot and an emerging Pan Africanist. The book highlights experiences he had had during his worldwide travel pursuing his career as a Broadcast Journalist.
These essays rekindle hope and offers opportunities for his generation to build on his dream and the dream of the precursors of African Renaissance. This book raises the question about what constitutes his legacy which would lead us to celebrate him. The book shows clearly that Komla was an icon of International Broadcast Journalism working across different platforms. In his writings he exhibited the audacity of faith, from which emerges his unassailable courage to stand on an international digital platform, as an African, telling his own story and stories of old. The book also shows Komla’s stature, versatility in media practice on radio and television broadcasting, as well as the print media.
Komla was a stage performer with style and substance. His scholarly work was punctuated with extreme humor. In spite of his status, he remained amazingly humble. But the most outstanding passion in his writings was his concern for the future of his country Ghana and the African Continent.
This book presents balanced images of Ghana and Africa. But implicitly, it compels everyone to ask the question “Are we satisfied with the images we see? He lays the foundation for every Journalist of African decent to insist on accountable and transparent governance. He ends the story on racism, ethnic and tribal divisions showing clearly his uncompromising, progressive rejection of these divisions which have been historically and culturally conditioned and presents a new hope and opportunity for Africans to dream again. Here we have The Dreamer – Komla Dumor: The Boss Player in His Own Words.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Komla Dumor Foundation.
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Komla Dumor: In His Element (Hardcover)
This story is about Komla Dumor’s meteoric rise to the enviable position of an icon in International and African Broadcast journalism. The story is largely woven on at least three fundamental principles. Namely journalism as a vocation and a calling, journalism and its practice is driven by only one ideal standard.
Journalism is defined both in theory and in practice as defined by an ethical compass and the discipline of verification. It is the adherence to these tenets of journalism that placed Komla at the top of the pile. Indeed Komla argued passionately that, to be a successful journalist within the context of the new digital enterprise, one must accept journalism as a vocation a gift of grace and must make a total commitment and be willing to put his or her hands on the spokes of the wheel of the new African History.
Secondly, Komla believed that the practice of journalism is driven by only one ideal standard that cuts across nations within the global system. This ideal standard and the pursuit of it create the contours for best practices. Those who pursue the ideal standard comprising unethical compass, the discipline of verification are the ones who reach the top of the mountain where the sheep and the goats are separated.
The book Komla Dumor: In His Elements explores Komla’s practice of journalism in Ghana and the United Kingdom against the tested values including personal moral responsibility to the public, personal integrity and the commitment to finding the truth and protecting the public interest. In essence this book is an illumination and exploration of Komla’s journey into the incomparable iconic status – the Icon of International Broadcast Journalism. It is indeed Komla Dumor in His Elements.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Komla Dumor Foundation.
₵250.00 -
Plenty Talk Dey 4 Ghana: Radio Eye, Plural Broadcasting & Democracy
*Available from 16 March 2020
Few places on earth have the broadcast density as Ghana does. Every hour of everyday, different tongues articulate different topics on air. Expectedly, the nearly five hundred commercial stations have significantly dynamised the national narrative. Or have they? One thing is remarkable, though. Just over two decades ago there was not a thing as private radio or TV.
Focusing on the very intriguing story of Radio Eye, this commemorative publication historicises the nation’s relationship with the electronic media. Two insightful interviews – one with the maverick who broke the glass ceiling; the other with the man who took up the baton to consolidate private broadcasting – provide a rare but enjoyable insight. Enriching the discourse further are six well-researched, peer-reviewed articles that provide a 360-degree perspective on plural broadcasting as a critical development factor.
Plenty Talk Dey 4 Ghana is a well-curated, retrospective and introspective panorama of an African country’s media landscape. What makes it a keepsake for the local and global audience is how the book demonstrates the workings of plural broadcasting to the realisation of democracy.
₵225.00 -
The Mumfordians: Memories of a Sea Boy
In one beautiful swoop, this book takes you to the nostalgic past and the aspirational future of an African nation still in the throes of defining self-determination. With the brilliance of powerful recalls, it dissects the socio-cultural as well as the political. It is one man’s journey from an idyllic African fishing village, through his self-improvement to become the executive secretary of a Pan-African body travelling several capitals of the world in the service of his employer.
It is also a book about people − their history, their dreams and the ills they seem unable to decidedly confront. But what makes The Mumfordians a keepsake is its richness in national promise and communal nostalgia.
₵210.00