History

Centralised, Non-centralised and Theocratic Political Systems in Pre-colonial Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 12) Long before colonial rule, the communities that make up present-day Ghana were not governed through one uniform political system. Independent states and kingdoms developed different ways of organising authority, settling disputes and maintaining social order. Three…

Pre-colonial Ghanaian Dances and Songs; How Socio-cultural Practices affected the Development of Pre-colonial Ghanaian Societies; Changes and Continuities in Socio-cultural Practices of Ghanaians Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 11) History is often imagined as a record of rulers, wars and major political events. But much of a society’s history can also…

Marriage Rites, Funeral Rites in Pre-colonial Ghana and Traditional Ghanaian Games Through Time Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 10) How can we understand a society by looking at the moments people celebrate, mourn and play? Pre-colonial Ghanaian societies provide three particularly useful windows: marriage rites, funeral rites and traditional games. These…

Family Structure, Kinship and Inheritance System, Naming Ceremonies and Puberty Rites in Pre-colonial Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 9) How did people in pre-colonial Ghana understand belonging? The answer can be found partly in the organisation of family and kinship, and partly in the ceremonies that marked important stages of…

The Rise and Decline of States in the Savannah Zone of Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 8) States do not emerge simply because people occupy a particular territory. Political authority develops through relationships among leadership, institutions, economic activity, belief systems, military capacity and the wider environment. The history of Ghana’s…

Contributions of Leaders during Migration, Settlement & Reasons for the Migration Groups into Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 7) Every migration has a human side. Behind a movement across a landscape are people making decisions, responding to difficulties, looking for opportunities and adapting to new surroundings. Ghana’s migration histories provide…

Accounts of the Origin of the Akan and Major Ethnic Groups in the Coastal Zone Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 6) Where did a people come from? For historians, this question can be much harder than it first appears. Communities preserve traditions about migration and settlement, but different accounts can tell…

Accounts of the Origin of the Guan and Ethnic Groups in the Savannah Zone of Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 5) Where did the peoples of Ghana come from? It sounds like a straightforward question, but historical answers are rarely that simple. Communities preserve memories of migration and settlement through…

Pre-Historic Periods in Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 4) Before written records, people were already making tools, obtaining food, adapting to their surroundings and building communities. The traces of these activities provide an important route into Ghana’s distant human past. The study of Ghana’s pre-history is therefore not simply a…

Lifestyle of the First Hunter-Gatherers of Ghana Explained for SHS 1 History (Sem. 1 – Week 3) What would happen if you had to find your food without a supermarket, farm shop or refrigerator? What if finding your next meal depended on knowing where animals moved and when useful plants were available? For the first…