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These Bones Will Rise Again
What are the right questions to ask when seeking out the true spirit of a nation?
In November 2017 the people of Zimbabwe took to the streets in an unprecedented alliance with the military. Their goal, to restore the legacy of Chimurenga, the liberation struggle, and wrest their country back from over thirty years of Robert Mugabe’s rule.
In an essay that combines bold reportage, memoir and critical analysis, Zimbabwean novelist and journalist Panashe Chigumadzi reflects on the ‘coup that was not a coup’, the telling of history and manipulation of time and the ancestral spirts of two women – her own grandmother and Mbuya Nehanda, the grandmother of the nation.
Chigumadzi successfully nests the intimate charge of her poignant personal story in the sweeping historical account and mythology of Zimbabwe. – Brian Chikwava, author of Harare North
Chigumadzi’s exploration of personal, family and national history reincarnates in stark, vivid images, many of those interred in the shadows of her country’s ‘Big Men’. – Tsitsi Dangarembga, author of Nervous Conditions
₵80.00These Bones Will Rise Again
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The Fear of Failure: An Autobiography
From Agomanya in the Eastern Region of Ghana, a 65 year old J. P. Adjimani narrates his life and how his fear of failure spurred him on instead of derailing him. In his autobiography, the biochemist unravels why he was never promoted to be a professor despite having a 28-year admirable career in Ghana’s premier university, University of Ghana.
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The Danquah-Busia Tradition in the Politics of Ghana: The Origins, Mission and Achievements of the New Patriotic Party
The book traces the nation’s political history from its status as a model British African Colony, the Gold Coast, to its attainment of political independence as the modern state of Ghana in 1957, under the leadership of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The author gives full recognition to the overwhelming debt that Ghana in particular and Africa in general owe to Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision as one of the giants of Pan-African Emancipation.
The book systematically documents the contribution of Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah and Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia in the freedom struggle. The courageous and impressive role of Professor Adu Boahen in the breaking of the so called “culture of silence” in 1988 at the height of the PNDC regime under Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings is acknowledged.
In the concluding Chapter 13 all the leaders of the tradition are assessed – Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah passes the litmus test as a doyen of Ghana politics, with impeccable democratic credentials for human rights and the rule of law. The deviation from the ideals of the Danquah-Busia Tradition by Dr. Busia during his two and half years as Head of Government is commented on. Dr. K.A. Busia challenged the rule of law in its response to the ruling of the Supreme Court in the infamous case of Sallah vs. The Republic.
Other serious deviations from the principles of the Danquah-Busia Tradition were the way in which Dr. Busia implemented the Aliens Compliance Act in 1969. Then also the throwing overboard the belief in meritocracy and the shortcomings of the “zero tolerance of corruption” by President J.A. Kuffour led administration of the Patriotic Party are discussed.
However, the important and positive achievements of the NPP Government under President Kuffour such as the successes in establishing the Ghanaian economy, upholding the rule of law, enhancing good governance, improving the education and health copulation and thus lifting the flag of Ghana high in Africa and in the international community are not ignored.
Some of the criticisms may be harsh but the author is a committed member of the Tradition and he justifies his criticism of the Kuffour government with its own commitment to “ensure that the high ideas and objectives which have guided the Tradition through good and bad times should not at any time and under any circumstance be sacrificed for narrow partisan interest or worse still for personal gain”.
The form and force of the impact of these criticisms must be left to individual assessment and experience. The author has succeeded in intellectually stimulating and provoking democrats and non-democrats of whatever affiliation to digest the contents of this book and make their own judgment. He has opened the door for a fresh appraisal of the noble ideals of the Danquah-Busia Tradition.
In the Way Forward, the author makes some reflections on the future direction of the NPP.
Politicians, opinion leaders, the media, social observers and social critics as well as students of history and political science will find this book invaluable.
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Perseverance Conquers All: The Autobiography of Kantinka Kwame Donkor Fordwor
As a very poor boy, Kantinka sustained himself in school by selling firewood. He walked four miles every day from village, Breman, to Kumasi to attend school. He recounts how by dint of hard work, he sailed through elementary and secondary school to the Graduate School of Wharton even though fate had prevented him from doing sixth form studies. He recollects how at St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast, he was cured of a strange disease by a traditional priest. His beloved wife had to discontinue her studies to help him complete his. Kantinka thus passed through a darkness of life which continued in his working life.
His decision to provide a house for the Executive Chairman of the Capital Investments Board, in order to save the Board huge sums of money in rent payments, was so maliciously interpreted that he was editorially castigated and lambasted. His ingenious polices that eventually helped to raise the capital of the African Development Bank from US $200 million to US $100 billion was rewarded with his dismissal as the President of the Bank.
He incurred the ire of his enemies for the appreciation he received from three Kings of Asante Kingdom.
Perseverance Conquers All portrays these midnight sides of Kantinka’s life to let his sun shine brightly. His wife gave him six children any father could wish for, whom he educated as a very responsible father. Providence made him help Ghana in its financial difficulties when he became the virtual Minister of Finance during the reign of Colonel Acheampong. His input to the progress of the Catholic Church has even been more monumental as explained beautifully in the book. Kantinka is indeed the sun at midnight.
Reliance on God, patriotism, philanthropy, hard work, good family life, good parenthood, honesty, and magnanimity is what this life story portrays. This is a book that all must have and read: the student as well as the teacher; the Christian, husband and patriot.
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5 Presidents, 8 Elections, 30 Years Later: How Ghanaians See Their Democracy
Ghana’s Fourth Republic, a multiparty democracy, has seen five presidents, held eight successful elections and, as of this writing, is in its thirtieth year. This makes it unique in several ways, compared to previous attempts at multiparty democracy, in that it is the longest-lasting republic so far in the country’s post-independence history. It has outlived the first, second, and third republics combined by more than eighteen years.
What explains this unique period and change in the political trajectory of Ghana? Why has the country’s most recent attempt at multiparty democracy lasted this long?
Drawing on answers to questions in the Afrobarometer survey, administered nine times at periodic intervals between 1999 and 2022, this book describes in twenty themes and fifty-one observations, how Ghanaians see their democracy. The book covers themes such as trust in institutions, partisanship, support for democracy, governments handling of the policy priorities of Ghanaians, among many others. The book points out the key lessons of the last thirty and the challenges ahead in the country’s efforts to deepen democratic governance.₵95.00 -
The River in the Sea: The Autobiography of Akenten Appiah-Menka
The River in the Sea is a story of courage, determination, a clear sense of mission and vision on the part of a rural Ghanaian who, from humble beginnings, has risen to the highest echelon in society as a lawyer, an industrialist, a politician and statesman.It is a welcome addition to the limited literature available on the Ghanaian elite; a must read for all lawyers, politicians, academics and the populace at large.
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Aspects of Ghanaian Ethos: A Compendium of Articles, Lectures and Talks on Various Socio-Cultural and Religious Topics (Hardcover)
Aspects of Ghanaian Ethos is a compendium of twenty one articles, lectures and talks on various socio-cultural, religious, education, peace building and politics. These are some of the articles that cover over twenty years of the works of the author, a well known theologian and anthropologist. The intended readership is wide; theologians, politicians, students of various fields and teachers will find this compendium an interesting reading.
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Death of an Empire: Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana and Africa
A participant-witness in the history of the transition from Gold Coast to Ghana, Jantuah who died in 2011 at the age of 89, reflects and interprets with unique understanding some of the major events of the 1950s and 60s as well as foreign policy formulation including his role as a diplomat during the Algerian struggle for Independence and France’s Charles de Gaulle’s retrogressive policies; his dealings with the African National Congress and it’s president, Oliver Tambo, an Apartheid and Southern Rhodesia; becoming at the end an executor to his friend – Nkrumah’s Will.
The book also has reflections on Ghana’s Fourth Republic and development on the African Continent since. It is edited with a detailed introduction by Jantuah’s nephew, the development specialist and literacy writer, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, who he worked with over the years on this and is currently a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
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J. A. Braimah: Biography of a Trailblazer (Hardcover)
This well researched book is not just a biography of the first-ever Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister from Northern Ghana, but a packed chronicle of the stormy political period of the pre- and immediate post-independent Ghana, narrated through the lens of a man in whose soul the development of Ghana – and Northern Ghana in particular – burns. It highlights the slow but momentous inclusion of Northern Ghana in the affairs of the Gold Coast.
The mistrust that characterized the relationship between Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the leaders of Northern Ghana, which culminated in the formation of the Northern Peoples Party, and Northern Ghana’s struggle for a dignified independence; makes this biography a must have for scholars, students, politicians and all who are interested in the twists and turns of this period.
₵100.00₵150.00J. A. Braimah: Biography of a Trailblazer (Hardcover)
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Judgement Day: The Story of Ghana’s 2020 Election Petition from the Diary of a Journalist
Throughout the 2020 Election Petition hearing in Ghana, the evidence, facts and theories were played out in a kind of ‘theatre’, with its own characters, costumes and settings.
The judges, the lawyers, the witnesses and the political party supporters all strove to play their parts in the quest to establish the validity or otherwise of the petition. Judgement Day is a book that also presents the behind-the-scenes and out-of-courtroom events that had some bearing on the substantive matter in court.
This book reproduces the story of the 2020 Presidential Election Petition in an ‘as it happened’ manner. The author also perceptibly recounts portions of the story of the 2012 Presidential Election Petition that were relevant to the 2020 Presidential Election Petition in a language that is straightforward, easy to read and easy to understand.
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Understanding Political Institutions (AsanteBrako Political Series)
Understanding Political Institutions comprehensively addresses both the theoretical and practical aspects of institutions in governance and politics. Written in an accessible style, the text is designed to introduce readers to political institutions and how they function to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the state.
The focus of the text is on meanings, origins, features, structures, principles, theories and functions of both formal and informal political institutions, including the legislature, executive and judiciary, as well as civil society organizations, such as political parties, interest groups and the media. Other institutional processes and principles like separation of powers, checks and balances, rule of law, electoral processes and systems and constitutions are discussed.
Each chapter features the key issues discussed, a summary of contents and sample examination questions. Understanding Political Institutions is indeed an essential reader and a must-read for anyone who is interested in gaining adequate knowledge about how both formal and informal political institutions function in a state.
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West to East: My East African Sojourns
West to East is about the author’s experiences in two East African countries, Kenya and Uganda.
After a successful interview in December 2016, the author was offered the appointment of CEO, African Peace Support Trainers’ Association in Kenya. Surprisingly, he developed cold feet. He had to be coaxed, cajoled and “ordered” to take the job in 2017.
The author’s premonition turned right when he arrived in Kenya to find an organization torn-apart by internal/external politics, personality conflicts and without money. The three-year offer ended in less than a year.
For a continent struggling for unity, this experience was unfortunate.
Earlier, between 2008 and 2009, the author had served in Uganda as Senior Military Adviser to former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique. He was UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative for the Lord’s Resistance Army-Affected Areas of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. A summary of the author’s experience in Uganda is provided.
Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng describes the book as “a good textbook or supplementary-reader for people in all disciplines, but will be indispensable for professional and lay-people seeking information about Peacekeeping and International Multilateral responses to crisis.”
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Investigative Journalism in Africa: A Practical Manual
“Few African investigative journalists I know are as invested in principled investigative journalism as Manasseh Azure Awuni. That trait has always come through in his exhaustive, impactful stories (some of which have featured in GIJN’s monthly and annual picks of top investigative stories from Africa). It is also abundantly evident in his new book, Investigative Journalism in Africa: A Practical Manual. In his own distinct, matter-of-fact style, Manasseh crafts a book that borrows from his own experiences to map a path for journalists who want to follow in his footsteps or learn from his unique experiences. By doing so, Manasseh has laid a crucial brick towards building African literature on investigative journalism on the continent. Most of the watchdog journalism study materials available in Africa come from the West. Manasseh’s effort is a commendable and timely step in the right direction, which I hope other investigative journalists across Africa can aspire to emulate.” − Benon Herbert Oluka, Africa Editor of Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
“Manasseh Azure Awuni makes investigative journalism so practical in this manual. He dissects the thorny and hidden issues that you would not get in your average classroom. This book crafts the very basis of my intellectual thinking of what investigative journalism should be about. It is a must- read for every student who wants to achieve greater heights in investigative journalism across the world.” − Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Award-winning Ghanaian investigative journalist
“This book is rich with practical and theoretical knowledge from one of the foremost investigative journalists in Africa. An invaluable resource for both professionals and students.” − Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, former Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies, University of Ghana
“Students with a dream to pursue public interest and accountability journalism will find exceptional value here, but practitioners will do themselves a world of great value if they also keep a copy on the reading table.” − Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times, Nigeria
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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 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