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Accra Aca Blɛoo: The History of the Accra Academy from James Town to Bubiashie (Hardcover)
Accra Aca Bleoo – the first comprehensive history book on the Accra Academy – captures nine decades of the school’s history, including the most epic events and pivotal moments. It takes the reader through the life journeys of the founders and those who believed in their dream to educate the underprivileged youth of the Gold Coast. It also recounts the aspirations and achievements of successive administrations of the school and how they overcame the challenges of their time and influenced the character of their students.
The book brings to light several unknown facts about the Accra Academy and examines the educational policies that have influenced its development and growth.
It is not only informative and educative but also entertaining, as it is interspersed with interesting stories and several pictures that will undoubtedly take the minds of alumni back to the good old days and give other readers a perspective into how life in the school has evolved.
This book is the outcome of many hours of personal interviews and research, and is intended for anyone interested in the history of education in Ghana and what has made the Accra Academy what it is today.
₵250.00 -
Letters to Nnaa Naama
Letters to Nnaa Naama is a collection of the author’s experiences, thoughts, feelings and expectations during a 10-month stay in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States of America. In these letters, she takes the reader on an imaginary journey, focusing on aspects of the USA she thinks Ghana could learn from in order to be a prosperous nation.
Nnaa Naama (Grandmother Naama) is the name of her maternal grandmother. The author uses her to represent the ordinary Ghanaian citizen. It is the hope of the author that this book will cause a transformation in the psyche of the Ghanaian, that the prosperity of this country lies in the hands of each and every Ghanaian citizen
₵50.00Letters to Nnaa Naama
₵50.00 -
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 -
Red Oak Heroes Series: The Big Six
Age Range: 10 – 14 years
When Mintaa and Oforiwaa approach Grandpa Kwame under the mango tree and ask him to tell them about the Big Six, the old man turns off his radio and takes them through events following World War II till the night when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah said “At long last, the battle has ended! And, thus, Ghana, our beloved country is free forever.”
Grandpa Kwame answers all their questions about the identity of the men who are famously known as The Big Six. He also tells them about the contribution each member of The Big Six made towards the fight for independence. Do you know that some of the men died in prison? Mintaa and Oforiwaa now understand why the pictures of these men are on most of Ghana’s currency notes.₵25.00 -
The African Predicament: Collected Essays
This collection of Kofi Awoonor’s writings comprises essays written over a period of three decades, and includes several previously unpublished pieces. According to the author himself: ‘[they] reflect a life-time of engagement in literature and politics, my two passions…’
Kofi Awoonor addresses a diverse range of subjects from an African perspective: the slave trade, post-independence history, globalisation, and the fate of the African continent given the twin scourges of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Literary criticism considers the legacy of W.E.B DuBois, and in a contemporary context, Kofi Anyidoho’s poetry. Further essays are reflections composed during the author’s long sojourns in the US: on Negro, Afro-American, black, African-American and African and identities. Further essays cover historical and political topics, such as the overthrow of Nkrumah, and the UN in relation to Africa in the post-Cold War period.
₵70.00 -
Ahafo & Bono Regions In Historical Perspective
In the centre of Ghana once straddled the Brong-Ahafo Region. It was noted for its beautiful geographical features as well as its rich natural and human resources. The maxim, unity in diversity, a cherished Ghanaian quintessential trait, was exemplified in the region by the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of multiple ethnic groups. On the eve of its Diamond Jubilee, the Region was split into three: Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions to promote the speedy development of the area.
This book gives a historical overview of the erstwhile region with respect to culture, its achievements and legacy. It also showcases the endowments of the new regions carved out of it. The contents are rich in information, data and photographs of historic people and events which historians, politicians, scholars, tourists, and people interested in issues concerning indigenous African societies and the general reader, will find to be invaluable.
“This book provides a succinct glimpse into the erstwhile Brong-Ahafo Region in terms of history, achievements and legacy and also showcases the resources of the three new regions created out of Brong-Ahafo. Through the pages of this book, we can always remember our past, our common history and ancestry, and thereby remain united although physically we will be in separate regions.” – From the Foreword
₵70.00 -
Who Owns the Land and Who Rules the Land?
Ghana is undergoing her fourth experiment in Constitutional Rule − the 4th Republic. She was the first Black African country south of the Sahara to gain her political independence in 1957 but economic independence has eluded her till now. Her development is at a snail-pace at best.
According to the author, there are certain fundamental bottlenecks in the country’s governance system which make it difficult for her to realize her economic potential. The author compares Ghana’s governance system to Singapore which gained political independence around the same time as Ghana but has successfully transformed from Third World to First World economic status in 30 years and asks why the difference. The author calls for a national debate on the country’s governance system that will lead to a total review of the 1992 Constitution. The following are some of the key issues he calls the nation’s attention to:
- A Feudal Land Tenure System whereby more than 90% of the land mass of Ghana is vested in the Chieftaincy institution as Stool Lands and the remaining 10% vested in the President on behalf of the people of Ghana as Public Lands. A system which greatly impedes development and benefits only a privileged few and yet there are no Land Reforms
- The Legacy of the Colonial Indirect Rule leading to a “bifurcated state” in which traditional authority runs parallel to civilian political authority
- An Ineffective Decentralization System which excludes the traditional leaders and refuses to allow the people to elect their own District Chief Executives whom they can hold accountable
- An Adversarial Political System in which the two main political parties have indulged in violence since independence and thus refuse to reach consensus for national development
- The Short Tenure of the Executive and Legislature which does not promote long term planning and execution for meaningful development
- An expensive electoral system which engenders corruption and prevents well-meaning and qualified candidates from offering themselves for governance
- The Lack of a National Agenda for development and dependence on party manifestoes thus ignoring the Directive Principles of State Policy. Development is thus not progressive but disjointed and depends on which party is in power
- A Council of State which is merely advisory and has no power to serve as a check on the Executive
- A National Mindset of Dependency Syndrome and Entitlement Mentality which has resulted in lack of effective mobilization of the populace by the political and traditional leadership. A national psyche that does not promote self-reliance and the can-do spirit
- A Governance System which tries to copy Westminster and American systems instead of a home-grown system which suits our situation and promotes development
- An Educational System that fails to build problem-solving abilities and patriotism into the youth and fails to make them proud of being Africans
- A Very Strong Religious Atmosphere which feeds on superstition and does not enable the teeming members to transform their mindset and focus on teachings which promote hard work, wealth creation and prosperity
₵180.00 -
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 Navy: A Case for a Credible Naval Force as an Instrument for National Development (Hardcover)
The History of the Navy: A Case for a Credible Naval force as an instrument for National development
₵200.00 -
The Black Pimpernel: Nelson Mandela on the Run
In March 1961, after giving a brief speech at a conference, Nelson Mandela vanished.
For the next eighteen months he was an outlaw, living under assumed identities and in various disguises (sometimes as a chauffeur, sometimes a gardener) as the South African police and secret services, helped by MI5 and the CIA, sought him in vain. His mission? To undergo military training and set up armed resistance to apartheid.
₵140.00 -
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (1969)
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (1969)
₵40.00 -
Red Oak Heroes Series: Abedi Ayew ‘Pele’
*Available from 15 August 2023
Age Range: 10 – 14 years
From playing football barefooted in his neighbourhood as a young boy, Abedi Ayew is now rated among the top footballers around the world. He started playing for the Ghana senior national team when he was only seventeen years old. His passion for the game did not die when two arch-rival clubs in Ghana, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, refused to sign him on. He went ahead to sign a contract with AS Dragon FC of Benin and subsequently moved to European and United Arab Emirates clubs where he influenced their style of play. As an attacking midfielder, his spectacular goals were what pushed his teams to win trophies at major tournaments. Abedi’s contribution to football at both club and national levels is what earned him nicknames like ‘Pele’ and African Maradona.
₵30.00 -
Rhodesia File
Kwame Nkrumah intended to write on the Zimbabwean struggle. This book contains key documents from the file on Rhodesia which he opened after U.D.I. in 1965. The letters and papers, many of which are published for the first time here, show the thinking of Nkrumah on the problem of minority regimes in Africa. How accurate it was, as subsequent events have proved. A connecting narrative and chronology from 1887 have been added by the publishers.
₵400.00Rhodesia File
₵400.00 -
Elmina, ‘The Little Europe’: European Impact and Cultural Resilience (Hardcover)
This is a brief introduction to the history of Elmina, its castle, the people, and their traditions. It outlines the town’s 500-year relations with Europeans, highlighting the transformations that have developed out of these interactions. Written by one of the top historians of Ghana and a leading scholar of the African diaspora, the book is based on original archival information and orally-derived sources. It is also richly informed by the writer’s own personal knowledge as a Nyampa Safohen and citizen of Elmina. Despite the tremendous changes engendered by the European contact, Elmina’s historical development demonstrates an amazing degree of cultural continuity and resilience in its political institutions, social organization, economic systems and worldview.
₵70.00 -
A Life of Vicissitudes (Hardcover)
These are highlights of heady days and heydays of experiences in a life and its living. It is a riveting and captivating account of extraordinary happenings to an individual of complex character and disposition with luck and lots of luck. The story is a journey of unmasking the masked. It’s a person’s recollections of life’s vicissitudes as lived by him from earliest experiences, along with insights into student leadership, workings of a military government, chieftaincy, tinges of Akan feminism and writing a newspaper column.
₵200.00