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Revolution and Democracy in Ghana: The Politics of Jerry Rawlings
Flight-Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, who passed away on 12 November 2020, aged 73 years, dramatically appeared on Ghana’s political scene 40 years earlier. In May 1979, Rawlings was briefly jailed following an unsuccessful coup attempt. Rawlings and his comrades were revolted by Ghana’s corruption and economic decline at the hands of its ruling generals. A few weeks later, on 4 June 1979, Rawlings was released from prison by a group of disgruntled soldiers and took power following a successful coup d’état. Following a brief, but turbulent, few months in power, Rawlings’ Armed Forces Revolutionary Council handed over to an elected government in September 1979. Twenty-seven months later, on 31 December 1981, he was back in power, again by coup d’état. This time it was not a brief stay in the hot seat: Rawlings, leader of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), comprising three civilians and three armed forces personnel, remained in power for more than a decade. Seeking to justify the coup, Rawlings claimed that the PNDC was a necessary response to Ghana’s political and economic crisis. In January 1993, democracy returned to Ghana. Jerry Rawlings was popularly elected president twice, eventually standing down in January 2001, as the 1992 constitution demanded. Beginning his political career as a military figure with revolutionary aspirations, Rawlings ended it as a twice democratically-elected civilian president.
These are the brief facts about the political career of Flight-Lieutenant, later President, Jerry Rawlings. More than three years after his passing, Rawlings remains a pivotal, absolutely central, figure in Ghana. His enduring influence in Ghana may be second only to that of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah. On the other hand, there is no more controversial figure in Ghana’s political and economic history than Rawlings. More than two decades after he left political office, nothing divides Ghanaians more than their opinions regarding him. This book seeks to explain how and why Rawlings and the PNDC progressed from an undemocratic military-based regime to laying the foundations for Ghana’s three decades of multi-party democracy. Was Rawlings a patriot who believed passionately in Ghana and did all he could to make the country succeed? Or was he a wrecker who wanted to bring the post-colonial edifice tumbling down in a misguided attempt at revolution? The aim of this book is to enable the reader to draw their own conclusions on these questions.
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The President Ghana Never Got
When the President asks a Supreme Court Judge to resign and prepare for a promised elevation, the Judge asks for a letter based on which to leave his job. The judge is still waiting for that letter when the media named another man for the same job the President promised him. The judge and the “usurper” lose the job because of a military-style operation, which the minority caucus in Parliament executes with precision.
Ghanaians question why the President yanks a man from a political campaign platform to the high court and elevates him to the Supreme Court under controversial circumstances in less than two years.This book reveals that the contentious Supreme Court appointment is meant to appease the disappointed judge who was promised elevation. Also in this page-turner, Ghana’s leading investigative journalst is granted rare access to the innermost circles of the Akufo-Addo presidency, and he reveals how the man who caused many Ghanaians to hope again became the reason many lost the little faith they had in the Nation’s Politics and its future before he emerged.₵270.00 – ₵300.00The President Ghana Never Got
₵270.00 – ₵300.00 -
A Legacy of Service to Humanity- Brig. Gen. Joseph Nunoo-Mensah
In the book “A Legacy of Service to Humanity” author Korletey Jorbua Obuadey reveals to the reader the humanitarian activities of Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah. The book inspires all especially the youth of Africa to service to our fellow country men and women and to our nation.
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History of Ashanti by Otumfuo, Nana Osei Agyeman Prempeh II (Hardcover)
History of Ashanti is unusual, perhaps unique, in that it provides a long historical account of the great West African forest kingdom of Asante by a ruler of that society. Thus, it is African history written by an African king and his assistants. This is, without a doubt, a very important document for historians of Africa. It has too a much wider resonance at the present time: here the Asante ‘voice’ is speaking directly to all those across the globe who claim ancestral links to the African continent, and who are still engaged in the struggle to define, to strengthen and to assert their identities in a world that long discounted the value, or even the existence, of their historical experience.
₵712.00 -
‘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.
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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.
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The Pen at Risk: Spilling My Little Beans
“The Pen at Risk is more than a memoir. It is a piece of authentic, ungarnished history by a writer and public intellectual who is too modest to accept the title of a historian, but who witnessed and chronicled the most intriguing epochs of Ghana’s national life. Laced with the innate Fante humour, this book is a piece of deep but entertaining non-fiction that is told with the demystified simplicity of one of Ghana’s greatest academics and writers. Kwesi Yankah is a gift to humanity, and this memoir is a greater gift to an unfortunate generation like mine that did not live in the era of the incisive writings of the great Kwatriot.” – Manasseh Azure Awuni, Editor-in-Chief, The Fourth Estate
“When a citizen who has spent his whole life scrutinising society, turns the spotlight on himself, the risks include this epic engagement that spares no one, him included. In this bare-it-all memoir, the Yankah enigma is fully bared, warts and all. As it turns out, Yankah has had more than his fair share of privileged roles, ultimately impacting the national narrative. The richness of ethnography here, is as riveting as his urban-savvy accounts of the intrigues of university and national politics. While we watch him weave his wizardry of words, we are also awed by the totality of his humanity. The Pen at Risk is a hilarious package of eruditions. It is about the exalted gossips of our Motherland. The narratives are so sweet they hurt. If this isn’t the best book you have read in years, call me illiterate.” – Kofi Akpabli, Scholar, Author, Journalist
“In this memoir, Kwesi Yankah delivers a sparkling tableau of key aspects of his life, tabling his charmed childhood and amazing trajectory as an academic. He then rolls out his long stint as an audacious social commentator and columnist for leading papers (which may have put his pen at risk). With a penmanship characterized by a keen eye for detail, this autobiography is an entertaining and captivating book that should be read by all interested in media and social history as well as autobiography as a literary genre.” – Professor Mansah Prah, University of Cape Coast
“Intriguing, revealing, and brilliant. The Pen at Risk is unvarnished introspection beautifully strung together with anecdotes in a way that is vibrant and colorful. Kwesi Yankah’s work is a refreshingly modest invitation to see life through a different lens, even for a fleeting moment.” – Dr Obeng Amoako Edmonds, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
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The Lady in Boots: Memoirs of Ghana’s First Female Major General
Available from 11th September, 2023
The book is Major General Constance Edjeani-Afenu’s remarkable memoir. It chronicles her 43-year extraordinary journey in the Ghana Armed Forces.
She was the first female Commanding Officer, and the first female Major General. Her story is a testimony to dedication, leadership, and resilience.₵100.00 -
Anansi’s Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World (Paperback)
**Available in 3 weeks after order
‘Fabulously entertaining’ Daily Telegraph
‘This astonishing book reveals some of the most important global events of the twentieth century’ Afua Hirsch
‘Perfect for fans of Frank Abignale Jr.’s Catch Me If You Can‘ Publishers Weekly
The astounding, never-before-told story of how an ingenious Ghanaian con artist ran one of the 20th century’s longest and most audacious frauds.When Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957, it immediately became a target for opportunists determined to lay hold of whatever assets colonialism hadn’t already stripped. The military ousted the new nation’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of stealing the country’s gold and hiding it overseas.
Into this story stepped one of history’s most charismatic scammers, John Ackah Blay-Miezah – a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty, Blay-Miezah declared himself the custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece, if only you would help him rescue it – with a small investment. Over the 1970s and ’80s, he grew his scam to epic proportions, amassing hundreds of millions of pounds from thousands of marks all over the world. He baffled Henry Kissinger, scandalised Shirley Temple-Black, and had Nixon’s former attorney-general at his beck and call. Many tried to stop him, but Blay-Miezah continued to live in luxury, protected by ex-SAS soldiers while he deceived lawyers, businessmen and investigators around the globe.
In Anansi’s Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases the ever-wilder trail of Blay-Miezah – and unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements and African dreams – revealing the untold story of the grifter who beat the West at its own thieving game.
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The Military, My Life: 43 Years – 5 Months – 25 Days: Autobiography
The Military, My Life: 43 Years – 5 Months – 25 Days: Autobiography is General Frimpong’s fifth book.
Starting from his primary school days across Ghana, his secondary education and enlistment into the Ghana Armed Forces in 1970, he discusses his long career in the military, community service, diplomatic life, incursions into academia, retirement in 2014 after over forty-three years’ service, and life after retirement.
He also discusses his sojourns in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Canada and the USA.
Maj Don-Chebe states in the Foreword:
“For the officers who have schooled peacefully and smoothly in the Ghana Armed Forces, spare a thought for officers like Brig Gen Dan Frimpong, who blazed the trail and suffered all kinds of indignities to his person and unholy twists in his career path. His numerous runs-in with the Military High Command is a subject that should inform commanders at various levels that, a knowledge-based and future-focused Armed Forces needs a certain kind of officer hungry for knowledge and determined to compete with the best inside and outside.
“The autobiography of Brig Gen Dan Frimpong should give hope and confidence to young persons, inside and outside the Military to continue to pursue their dreams and aspirations. Any setback can only be temporary; persistence, perseverance, determination and grit should drive you forward.”
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Politics in Ghana: From the Earliest Times to the Eve of the Fourth Republic
Politics in Ghana: From the Earliest Times to the Eve of the Fourth Republic has been introduced to equip political science students and avid readers interested in the subject as well as both budding and seasoned politicians with effective tools that give them a firm understanding of Ghana’s political development.
The book provides a bird’s eyes view and a penetrating insight into controversial issues that shaped events and developments of the country from the pre-colonial times through the struggle for independence to the post-independence era.
In an accessible and engaging writing style, the book effectively analyses the nexus between the geographical features of the country, particularly the ethnic and regional distributions of the people and how they impacted on the political development during the period under review. It also traverses the constitutional development and other factors that triggered political action from the late 1800s to the eve of the Fourth Republic. Ghana witnessed three republics each of which was truncated by military juntas that provided interim administration to fill the hiatuses before the eventual transition to democratic rule for the fourth time. Factors that occasioned the interruptions and the subsequent return to constitutional rule together with the performances of the various regimes and their ramifications are incisively analysed.
Politics in Ghana: From the Earliest Times to the Eve of the Fourth Republic is an authentic reference document for any person who is thirsty for a better understanding of political events that preceded the final return to constitutional rule in 1993.
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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 -
Kofi Chokosi Speaks: From Archaeology to Zoology (1985-2015)
This book provides all connoisseurs of Social Literature with a delightful array of bite-sized vignettes of man as a social animal. Kofi Chokosi’s extensive travels as a soldier have provided us with various perspectives of the enthralling human condition, whether in the military Cantonment of Burma Camp, Ghana, the hot steamy jungles of Cambodia or the lush green meadows of Southern England…next time you buy the Daily Graphic, look out for the musing of Kofi Chokosi – soldier, scholar, teacher and writer.
₵60.00 -
Retirement Musings
This collection of articles in the author’s personality captured in writing. They show his versatility and depth. General Frimpong’s writing is a model for writing crisp, straight-to-the-opinion pieces for mass circulation newspapers. But that doesn’t mean the pieces are dry. On the contrary, they shine with his sense of humour while retaining the discipline of word economy and sweet crunchy sentences.
It is especially telling that the General studied and taught at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ghana, Legon. No subject is off limit and all thoughts are allowed! So, he discusses football, discipline, Kofi Annan, history and airplanes in this breathless book which reads like a single narrative, even though it is a collection of stories.
₵60.00Retirement Musings
₵60.00 -
Kwame Nkrumah: A Leninist Czar or Radical Pan Africanist and Visionary?
There have been several misconceptions and distortions concerning the Man Kwame Nkrumah. This book attempts to correct these. It sheds light on the life and accomplishments of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and Africa’s Man of the Millennium. It does an objective appraisal of him through critical issues that engaged his energies during his time; including his world outlook, the nature and direction of the African revolution; African unity and the role of the state; the DR Congo and imperialism; democracy, the nation and social justice; etc.
₵20.00