Imperialism and the End of Chieftaincy in Colonial Ghana, 1925-1950

Abstract

Nearly all the literature on colonialism in Africa focuses on African resistance rather than the roles of the Traditional Rulers in its formation. Thus, this paper is a deviation from that. This paper intends to portray the position of the Chiefs in the colonial enterprise, and how it led to the decline of the chieftaincy institution in Ghana. In doing so, I trace the events that attracted Europeans and subsequently led to the imposition of colonialism in Ghana, and how those interactions modify the status quo thus leading to new social stratifications and hierarchical formations. The peak of European imperialism’s drive coincided with the formative stages of most African States. So, it prevented the development of large States on the African continent. The study, thus, explores the impact of British imperialists and administrators in colonial Ghana in the face of the modus operandi and modus vivendi of the Chiefs. Although the Gold Coast Colony was established in July 1874, the Chiefs remained at the helm of affairs until they decided in 1925 to work with the colonial regime in administering the territory. Thus, as this “error” indubitably marked the beginning of the end for the Chiefs and the Chieftaincy Institution, it paved the way for the emergence of the leadership of the educated class by the middle of the twentieth century. The paper uses archival sources with secondary sources. The archival documents will explicate how deeply the Chiefs partook in establishing Colonialism in Ghana.