Teshi: Administrative and Cultural Practices

Legend has it that almost all the towns that dot the west of Ghana, especially those along the southern end, migrated from elsewhere, either from the north-east or from further south. The long and arduous journey was filled with events that shaped their culture and practices.

Naturally the social administration of these groups has to a large extent been shaped by the experiences during their migration and immediately on their arrival at the present location.

Early missionaries made efforts towards the recording of some of these events in their reports. Somehow the attempts to relate their experiences with daily practices were not complete and coherent. Some early scholars from some of the settlements made ineffective attempts to record some events, but the records were neither clear nor helpful in explaining certain practices of the people. These inadequacies, inaccurate and detailed accounts and proper records, flavoured with greed, desire for power and wealth in the people, have fuelled disputes which have bedevilled normal and orderly development in these places.

The effort of the authors has been to put together some pieces of these records in an attempt to clearly inform the general public of the events that have shaped some of the social practices of the people. In presenting the facts, care has been taken to avoid controversial, provocative, and extreme statements while being objective. It is hoped that the erroneous concepts that have been held by many people could be corrected.