• ‘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 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.

  • My Life: A Historical Narrative – Autobiography of Ivan Addae-Mensah (Hardcover)

    This autobiography should be a best seller. It is a lucid, engaging, fascinating account of a very complex man with an eclectic life that the author has managed to masterfully present as a mainstream Ghanaian. It is so enjoyable to read.
    Dr. Ing Kwame Boakye
    Former President, Ghana Institution of Engineers
    Former Vice Chairman, AT&T Paradyne, Florida, USA

    With this autobiography, “My Life – A Historical Narrative”- Professor Emeritus- Ivan Addae-Mensah, the highly reputable and respected scientist and academic, has established his credentials as a writer par excellence and a master storyteller by every definition. . It is a well –written, riveting book, easy to read and absolutely interesting . I highly recommend this inspirational book.
    Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere
    Author, Former Chairman of the Ghana Media Commission,
    Former Ghana High Commissioner to Sierra Leone and Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire

    During our university days we conferred the accolades “Versatile” and “Walking Encyclopaedia” on Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah. Reading his book “My Life, a Historical Narrative” has confirmed that we were right. Ivan’s experiences in life, especially in the Ghana Public Service and in the political arena confirm the notion that serving one’s nation with honesty and integrity could be hazardous, but it pays. I highly recommend the book to all and sundry.
    Ambassador Sir James K. Bebaako-Mensah
    Former Secretary to the Cabinet, Former Secretary to President J.E.A Mills and Former Ghana Ambassador to the Holy See (Vatican)

    In this absorbing autobiography, Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah takes the reader on a journey through an extraordinary life that provides insights into his own life as well as Ghana’s social and political history from the 1940s till today; Written in an accessible and humorous style, this captivating chronicle is a must-read for anyone seeking to learn about Ghana’s contemporary history.
    Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo,Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

  • Woman: What The Bible Really Says about Her-Story and Human Dignity

    WOMAN interrogates the different layers in the two creation stories of the Bible, its impact on gender relations, the personhood, womanhood and dignity of women.

    “WOMAN takes a focused approach, and Edem’s ability to delve into the multiple layers of the Genesis narrative is truly captivating.

     

    Rather than simply reciting existing beliefs, Edem guides readers towards nuanced interpretations, which underpins the core themes of the book.

     

    Through its thought-provoking pages, Woman invites us to re-examine our long-held beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices, and to consider God’s intention.

    The Genesis account in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) provides two different creation stories.

     

    The first, the Priestly (Elohim) story (Genesis 1:1-2:4a), emphasizes that God created humans as both male and female at the same time (en masse). The second, the Yahwist story (Genesis 2:4b-25) describes the creation of man and woman separately, with the woman being created as a companion for the man….

    Woman stimulates contemplation about God’s purpose for humanity, particularly women, womanhood, human dignity, marriage, and its origins…” -Excerpt from FOREWORD by Prof. Mercy Amba Oduyoye, First African Woman Theologian, Educator and Poet

  • She: The Feminine Enigma

    SHE is a groundbreaking book with important contributions to the ongoing conversation about gender relations, equality, and human dignity.

    This book explores the complex issues emanating from the relations between males and females, and the place of the woman in society, from a fresh perspective that is informed by research, nuance, and illumination.

    The author’s critical, provocative, and spiritually awakening writing calls for shift in Beliefs, challenging readers to unlearn unhealthy narratives about women that are often attributed to the Bible. Ultimately, this book aims to liberate people to fully realise their human potential and to create healthy space for all persons to fulfil their God-given Purpose.

     

    “For many Christians who have grappled with trying to understand issues of equality, complementarity, hierarchy, and subordination in relations between men and women, husbands and wives, you may well find answers from this book that decisively settle your questions.” – Excerpts from FOREWORD by Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, PhD, Christian Lawyer, Theologian and Counsellor

     

  • Central Banking in Ghana and the Governors: Institutional Growth and Economic Development (Hardcover)

    A charge of chariots of fire, this is not just a book about the financial history of Ghana in spite of its formative challenges but a centenary work of West Africa – regional monetary evolution and global multilateralism. For devout bankers, intelligentsia, historians and aspirants, this is the one. Elegantly written, it establishes Agyeman-Duah as an unavoidable historian of the Bank of Ghana. — Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice-President of the Republic of Liberia

    The Bank of Ghana is technically a better institution than it was thirty years ago. Even governments are less inclined towards interventions in its work. It is different from other captured public institutions where economic decision-making is with a political lens. — Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and Co-editor of The Economy of Ghana-Analytical Perspectives on Stability, Growth and Poverty

    The Bank of Ghana is leading central banks in the sub-region with regards to the use of technology in the finance service industry … countries in Africa are now learning from Ghana’s digital payment regulations. — Mohammed Sanusi Lamido, Former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria and the 14th Emir of Kano

    Ghana has in recent years been one of Africa’s more successful economies – from its colonial journey through Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to stable modern democracy. Agyeman-Duah has a sound appreciation of the difficulties of transforming a producer of commodities of raw materials into a prosperous mixed economy. Now an oil economy, the test ahead is, will Ghana at last be able to control its own economic destiny; free of obligations to donors and the storms from world commodity markets? — Frances Cairncross, Rector Emeritus, Exeter College, University of Oxford and Former Managing Editor, The Economist

  • 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

  • The Fourth John: Reign, Rejection & Rebound

    01

    An influential northern caucus is secretly meeting and grooming him to contest the man who will select him as a vice presidential candidate. A meeting between the first lady and the Brong-Ahafo caucus results in, perhaps, the fastest ministerial reshuffle in the history of the country. At 2a.m., before the breaking of a major scandal, there is a meeting between the president’s friend and the investigative journalist about how to involve the main opposition leader, in the story to minimise its damage to the president in the upcoming election. The wife of the president reports the wife of the vice president to the vice president’s mother. The night before a crucial election, the president and his main contender are locked up in a meeting with Ghana’s most revered traditional ruler.

    These and other revealing accounts on governance, policies and programmes of the fourth presidency of Ghana’s Fourth Republic are the intriguing contents of this book. Here, the journalist whose investigations are believed to have contributed to the downfall of the administration gets brutally intimate with the regime.

    Rare interviews with key figures of the governing party and historical contexts to contemporary events provide readers and students of African politics the inside story of what is considered the model democracy on the continent. The fluidity of the writing style and humour make this book about politics and governance in Ghana’s Fourth Republic both informative, educative and entertaining.

    300.00
  • Heritage Pack: Ghana Our Motherland (6 books)

    Age Range: 8 years and above

    A set of five books for young ones and anyone looking for a quick and easy appreciation about the country Ghana: its history, culture, traditional systems, languages, people, food and more!

    These books provides basic education about Ghanaian history, cultural practices and heritage for the Ghanaian child. Though they will prove useful for every Ghanaian (as well as non-Ghanaians), they are especially beneficial for parents who are keen on educating the Ghanaian child in the diaspora.

    These books give a foundation of Ghanaian history and cultural practices to enable readers understand and appreciate Ghanaian heritage.

    There is a bonus book that talks about Africa!

  • The Teller of Secrets (HarperVia Edition)

    In this stunning debut novel—a tale of self-discovery and feminist awakening—a feisty Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up amid the political upheaval of late 1960s postcolonial Ghana begins to question the hypocrisy of her patriarchal society, and the restrictions and unrealistic expectations placed on women.

    Young Esi Agyekum is the unofficial “secret keeper” of her family, as tight-lipped about her father’s adultery as she is about her half-sisters’ sex lives. But after she is humiliated and punished for her own sexual exploration, Esi begins to question why women’s secrets and men’s secrets bear different consequences. It is the beginning of a journey of discovery that will lead her to unexpected places.

    As she navigates her burgeoning womanhood, Esi tries to reconcile her own ideals and dreams with her family’s complicated past and troubled present, as well as society’s many double standards that limit her and other women. Against a fraught political climate, Esi fights to carve out her own identity, and learns to manifest her power in surprising and inspiring ways.

    Funny, fresh, and fiercely original, The Teller of Secrets marks the American debut of one of West Africa’s most exciting literary talents.

  • Frantz Fanon (Panaf Great Lives)

    Required reading for all interested in the Algerian Revolution, and in Fanon’s brief but highly productive contribution. A close study is made of the relationship between Fanon’s ideological development and the content and impact of his political philosophy.

  • Patrice Lumumba (Panaf Great Lives)

    This book considers the first years of the Congo Republic following independence in 1960. Particular analysis is made of Lumumba’s policies and of western pressures in this crucial experience of the African Revolution.

    The story of Lumumba underlines the correctness of Nkrumah’s Pan-African thesis.

  • The Akan of Ghana: Aspects of Past and Present Practices

    The Akan of Ghana: Aspects of Past and Present Practices takes the reader through the ancestry of present-day Akan people – from the influence of ancient Egypt, through the ancient Empires of Western Sudan and into the forest belt of present-day Ghana. Comparative analysis of cultural practices (such as kingship and the royal setup, death, funeral rites, and family structures) between ancient Egypt and present-day Akan people are highlighted. The three elements that make up an Akan person – Blood, Soul, and Spirit – as well as the Akan family structure are elaborately treated, and a clear cultural distinction between an Akan family and clan is explained. Names and their appellations, signs and symbols, as well as some kente designs are highlighted in the appendices. Ultimately, cultural challenges of the Akan in the contemporary world are brought to the fore.

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