• 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.

  • ‘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.

  • The Silver Stool Stabilised

    The Silver Stool, Asante Mampong, occupies an important position within the hierarchy of Asanteman. The occupant is the second-in-command after Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene. This book is a commemorative project exploring the history of Asante Mampong, a roll call of the previous occupants of the Silver Stool. The current occupant, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, Mamponghene has experienced a stable reign for over 25 years; the distinguished profile of Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, and persons who have contributed to the stable and successful reign for the Silver Stool are also profiled. Finally, the book explores the impact of stability for the Traditional Area and Asanteman.

  • What I Choose to Remember: An Autobiography of Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng

    What I Choose to Remember: An Autobiography of Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng

    “What l choose to Remember” is representative of the deepest essence of Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng. A free but focused mind, he chooses to share his relevant experiences at various stages in his remarkably eventful life – from Asamankese to the city of Accra, traveling extensively – which he filled with drama, scholarship, idealism, joy, pain, selflessness and passion. His media presence, to which l proudly played a role, raised his optimum self culminating in his publication entitled “ Truth Over Speed”.
    The choices he presents in this book illuminate the personality who meant differently to different people, as a radical student, an ideologue and a chief.
    His engaging style of writing is clearly demonstrated in this book and explains why anybody would love to read this anywhere, anytime, anyhow. This is Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng.
    Hon Kojo Yankah,
    Founder, African University of Communications & Business (AUCB);
    Founder, Pan African Heritage Museum (PAHM);
    Former Editor of the Daily Graphic & Minister of State.

    What I Choose to Remember is a powerful autobiography by one of Ghana’s most influential and finest media figures. The book details his leftist journey through student activism, journalism, and political advocacy. Written with humor and sharp storytelling, the book blends personal experiences with Ghana’s political historical changes, from early childhood rebellion to Marxist-Leninist student leadership, exile, human rights advocacy and his eventual return home to media work.
    In addition to its captivating narrative, the book provides valuable insights for students of political history, political science, sociology, human rights, and above all else, media studies. It also highlights the author’s ideological growth, as he embraces both religion and traditional leadership in later years.
    Nana K A Busia, Jr
    Assistant Professor & Research Fellow, Public International Law,
    School of Advanced Studies, University of London, UK;
    Former Senior Legal & Policy Advisor, UN.

    Price range: ₵300.00 through ₵350.00

    What I Choose to Remember: An Autobiography of Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng

    Price range: ₵300.00 through ₵350.00
  • Reparations: History, Struggle, Politics and Law

    This book is born out of a longstanding wound, one etched deep into the soil, psyche, and soul of Africa. It is a wound that bleeds across centuries of slavery, colonial violence, and economic theft. But it is also a call to action, a demand for Repair, Justice, and transformation.

    As an African committed to decolonization, Pan-African Unity, and socialist liberation, I have long felt the absence of a comprehensive framework that ties together the historical crimes committed against Africa with the concrete proposals for restitution. This book aims to fill that void. It is not a work of abstraction. It is a fierce, unapologetic, and urgent call for reparations.

    This work is written not just for academics or politicians but for activists, students, community leaders, and the African Youth. It draws upon the insights of Pan-African revolutionaries, Marxist theorists, anti colonial fighters, and Contemporary grassroot movements. It seeks to expose the systemic roots of underdeveloped and articulate a bold vision for what reparative justice could mean in practice.
    I offer this work as a contribution to an ongoing struggle, a struggle that demands not only memory, but mobilisation.

  • Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities (African Humanities Series)

    Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities by Kwesi Yankah is the first title in the newly established African Humanities Association (AHA) publication series.

    By integrating his own biography into a critique of the global politics of knowledge production, Yankah, through a collection of essays, interrogates critical issues confronting the Humanities that spawn intellectual hegemonies and muffle African voices. Using the example of Ghana, he brings under scrutiny, amongst others, endemic issues of academic freedom, gender inequities, the unequal global academic order, and linguistic imperialism in language policies in governance.

    In the face of these challenges, the author deftly navigates the complex terrain of indigenous knowledge and language in the context of democratic politics, demonstrating that agency can be liberatory when emphasising indigenous knowledge, especially expressed through the idiom of local languages and symbols, including Ananse, the protean spider, folk hero in Ghana and most parts of the pan-African world.

    “Fascinating snapshots from an engaged scholarly life in Africa, valuable as an archival resource for the understanding of this period of higher education in Africa.” – John Higgins, Arderne Chair in Literature, Department of English Literary Studies, University of Cape Town

    “This book is unique and gives a powerful rendition of the state of the Humanities in Africa (with Ghana as a case in point). It grapples with some of the pertinent issues dogging the Humanities in Africa. It comments on the Humanities scholarship in Africa, and subtly throws a challenge for future scholarship. It draws on African traditions, communal heritage, and governance in discussing the role and place of the Humanities in Africa. It also brings into the analysis the ever-changing imperatives and modernity in re-configuring African Humanities.” – Mark Benge Okot, Head of Department, Literature, Makerere University, Uganda

    “Beyond the Political Spider’ effectively draws, in a unique fashion, from literature, history, linguistics and other cognate disciplines in the African Humanities.” – Sati Umaru Fwatshak, Department of History, University of Jos, Nigeria

  • Booknook Leadership Pack: They Call Me Archie, The Bold New Normal, Broken for Use (3 Exceptional Ghanaian Leaders)0

    Get these 3 books by three amazing Ghanaian leaders and enjoy free shipping across Ghana!

    *This Free shipping offer does not apply to destinations outside Ghana

    They Call Me Archie

    There are some life stories you just cannot beat. Each time the names of such champions drop, one might as well perform a rite of acknowledgment…any. Their lives have graced hundreds of lives, and hundreds of lives continue to be redeemed through them. They have seen it all. Done it all. They love and they are loved. These individuals have given, and still have more in store.  According to the Canon of the Classics, these persons, even the gods envy.

    Rosina Aboagye Acheampong is one such mortal.  From the precocity of her childhood, her dance with life has been one amazing ball of faith … and chance, nay, destiny. These captivating pages reel out the adventures of a pathfinder, a mould breaker and a pacesetter. Yes, her name might be synonymous with Wesley Girls, but be it at the national or community level, to list what she has achieved is to embark on the impossible.

    Beautifully, however, Archie the Matriarch does not seem to see the power of her influence. She only wants to give thanks and praise.

     

    Broken For Use

    Broken for Use is a moving, intimate memoir which takes you on a truly tumultuous journey with Rev’d Akua. By the time she takes you from her early days in school, through the various turns in her life that finally bring her to the priesthood, you feel you have experienced many lifetimes. She tells her story as it is, straight and unadorned.

    Reverend Akua Buabema Ofori-Boateng is an expressive clergy and philanthropist with a strong belief in excellence.

     

    The Bold New Normal

    Have you ever wondered what it will take to transform each African country into a prosperous nation where each citizen has a real opportunity to thrive? Africa’s narrative has been shaped by a vision of the future that remains bleak. A vision that says a little more is okay for the African. It is time to challenge and change our paradigm of what great outcomes look like for an African country.

    It is time for The Bold New Normal of an Africa where citizens of each country genuinely have the opportunity to prosper.

    The formula for sustainable prosperity has been tried and tested world over. Why then do we continue to hope that a different method, that has thus far failed the continent, will create sustainable prosperity?

    The Bold New Normal is a timely publication that coincides with the 400th anniversary of the start of slavery: the year of return. 400 years since the unraveling of African began, it is time to piece her back together and focus forward. It is surely the time for The Bold New Normal!

  • 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

  • Proudly Ghanaian: Our Gold Still Glitters

    Through a blend of humor and deep insight, the book examines themes of leadership, morality, and national identity, using storytelling as both a mirror and a critique of society. Yankah skillfully balances satire with a deep love for his country, showing how laughter can be a powerful tool for reflection and change. Infused with local proverbs, vibrant anecdotes, and timeless wisdom, Proudly Ghanaian captures the essence of Ghanaian heritage while calling for accountability and progress.

    Whether highlighting the lighter side of daily life or tackling more profound societal issues, Yankah’s writing entertains, inspires, and challenges readers to think critically about what it truly means to be Ghanaian. His signature mix of intellect and humor ensures that this book remains engaging long after the last page is turned. Proudly Ghanaian is a must-read for anyone who enjoys cultural exploration, biting satire, and an unflinching look at the human condition. Prepare to laugh, ponder, and rediscover what it truly means to be Proudly Ghanaian

  • 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.

  • Mindset Revolution III: To Build the Africa We Want; Our Move

    *Lead time for delivery – 4 weeks

    This is the handbook to the most important key to unlocking Africa’s power? Mindset.

    Akosua Bame continues her popular Mindset Revolution series with this latest book, noting that everything that has ever been created began as a thought and thoughts are driven by mindsets. Without the right mindsets, Africa will remain caught up in this ever-vicious cycle of poverty and dependence on aid. In this book, the author seeks to empower her audience to play their part in resetting and rebuilding Africa, by sharing strategies for developing and embedding the seven mindsets that are necessary to realising the continent’s potential.

    Here she discusses a visionary mindset, an evolutionary mindset, a legacy mindset, a knowledge-seeking mindset, a wealth-creation mindset, an entrepreneurial mindset and a health mindset. Akosua declares that Africa has been a cocoon for far too long; it is time for the butterfly to emerge. For that to happen, the people of Africa must turn inward, change the way they think, and then take steps to transform the continent. It is time for a paradigm shift. It is time for Africa to stop apologetically seeking a voice on the global stage. It is time for Africa to stop seeking solutions to its socio-economic problems by looking externally.

    It is time for Africa to realise that the power and indeed the only way to transform comes from within. To build the Africa we want, to transform the continent, all it takes is this?

    MINDSET REVOLUTION.

  • 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!

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