The Definitive Story of James Town British Accra

Read Comments Comments (8)

• Godd 10 years ago

  Thanks for the interesting history lesson. A useful contribution to the discussions on ghanaweb.
  
  1. What was the native name of Accra from the beginning of your history? (Pls, use English alphabet only since ghanaweb canno ...
  read full comment

  Thanks for the interesting history lesson. A useful contribution to the discussions on ghanaweb.
  
  1. What was the native name of Accra from the beginning of your history? (Pls, use English alphabet only since ghanaweb cannot transcribe strange letters)
  
  2. You write that the British created "Ngleshie Alata". I suppose we are to take the first word as a corruption of the word "English"
  
  3. You wrote that the Ga king Mampong Okai granted permission to the Dutch West India Company to build a fort and leased land to them at Aprang and this infuriated the king's advisors and the king himself would pay dearly for this. But I did not see in your piece how the king paid for this apart from the fact that he and his descendant successor were loathed by the people.
  
  4. You also talked of the mulattoes. I have wondered how many prominent Gas came to acquire English and foreign sounding names that are still kept today. Are people with such names descendants of the relationships between Gas and Europeans?
  
  5. Finally, why will you call your story the "definitive" one? Is there no hope that there can be a more definitive one than this?
  
  Thanks again for the story.

  reply
• Ayianimle 10 years ago

  In your sincere efforts to write about the history of Accra, you got some of your facts all mixed up with several inconsistencies.
  
  There isn't enough room on this forum to recount them.
  
  Perhaps a future rejoinder will p ...
  read full comment

  In your sincere efforts to write about the history of Accra, you got some of your facts all mixed up with several inconsistencies.
  
  There isn't enough room on this forum to recount them.
  
  Perhaps a future rejoinder will put things it's proper perspectives.

  reply
• Godd 10 years ago

  I think the writer posted this on a public forum in order to inform and to attract comment and criticism.
  
  So over to you, Ayanimle. If you promise to write a rejoinder, then do so. If you don't have time for that, then poi ...
  read full comment

  I think the writer posted this on a public forum in order to inform and to attract comment and criticism.
  
  So over to you, Ayanimle. If you promise to write a rejoinder, then do so. If you don't have time for that, then point out some of the inconsistencies and eventual mis-informations in the piece so that we shall all benefit by your contributions.
  
  Thank you.

  reply
• Ade Sawyerr 10 years ago

  Nii Ayitey, this was meant to be a story of JamesTown and not the history of Accra. the sources used by Nat are sources that I am familiar with and ther was a fair discussion of the issue. I will publish your rejoiner in my ...
  read full comment

  Nii Ayitey, this was meant to be a story of JamesTown and not the history of Accra. the sources used by Nat are sources that I am familiar with and ther was a fair discussion of the issue. I will publish your rejoiner in my blog if you so wish at https://adesawyerr.wordpress.com/
  thanks Ade

  reply
• THE TRUTH 10 years ago

  Great effort... Great piece!!! Kudos!!!

  Great effort... Great piece!!! Kudos!!!

  reply
• Okonko Palm 10 years ago

  A splendid historical account of James Town British Accra and the Ngleshie people of Accra,one of the clans of the Gas.
  
  Although the write up has a narrow remit,it may be confusing to the non Ga and probably give the mist ...
  read full comment

  A splendid historical account of James Town British Accra and the Ngleshie people of Accra,one of the clans of the Gas.
  
  Although the write up has a narrow remit,it may be confusing to the non Ga and probably give the mistaken impression that it is a Ga state historical account.That is why it is important to preface the account with a brief history of the Gas as a whole.
  
  The Ga Mashie community as it is known today comprise of the seven Akutséii (quarters) made up of As?r?, Sempi, Abola, Gb?s?, Aku?madzei, Otublohum (Otubronu i.e. Otu’s area) and Ngleshi Alata (Jamestown). These are divisions of the community jointly established by the Ga-speaking emigrants, Fante, Obutu, Akwamu and Kpéshi aborigines.
  
  The unique story of James Town needs to be told and it is indeed rich but there is the need to connect to its roots to give it its authenticity.
  
  Ga-Adangbe speaking emigrants who arrived from Aneho, Benin, Boni and Boma to the Gold Coast in the early sixteenth century, stretches from Lan?ma (Mt. Cook Loaf) to Fla i.e. the Volta Basin along the shorelines of the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Among which are Ngleshi (James Town), Kinka (Ussher Town), Osu (Christiansburg), La (Labadi), Teshie, Nungua (Little Ningo), and Tema.
  
  The soul of the Gas reside in these areas and must at all times make that connection.There is only one destiny for the Gas as they struggle to preserve their culture and language.As of old when it comes to the crunch we unite to do battle.
  
  One advantage of the Gas when properly exploited is the policy of assimilation which welcomed immigrants and gave them the same rights as the natives because they are absorbed fully into Ga culture.This is reflected in the many non Ga names which make up our clans and Wes.These are the people who fight for the Ga state with the support of all of us and this is where multiculturalism can be tapped to the benefit of the Gas.

  reply
• Ade Sawyerr 10 years ago

  I can understand why it could be confusing to those who had presumed a lot about the Ga but the point of this was really to dispel a lot of those preconceived ideas. it focussed solely on jamestown because the context of th ...
  read full comment

  I can understand why it could be confusing to those who had presumed a lot about the Ga but the point of this was really to dispel a lot of those preconceived ideas. it focussed solely on jamestown because the context of this was a presentation at the birthday of the presnt Mantse. I am sure that it would do no harm for others to pick up on this and write their own story about Abola, Asere, Gbese, Otobluhum and the whole of Kinka. Learning is a long journey and i asked for this to be published because i learnt something from the write up

  reply
• Okonko Palm 10 years ago

  Ade I will speak to you personally soon.Thanks for the explanation any way.

  Ade I will speak to you personally soon.Thanks for the explanation any way.

  reply