African Studies

Course Instructor: Mr. Kingsley Agomor

Email: ksagomor@yahoo.com
or ksagomor@gmail.com
 COURSE DESCRIPTION

 This is an interdisciplinary course designed to

introduce students to:
 history, geography,
 literature, culture,
 politics and economics
 of the people and nations of the African continent.
 COURSE DESCRIPTION

 The course assesses the effects of slave trade and

examines social, cultural economic and political
impact of colonization of Africa.

 The history of the development of Africa

 The African resistance, independence and
contemporary issues.
 COURSE OBJECTIVES

 The objective of this course is to:

 Provide an overview of the history of Africa
 Provide a general understanding of colonialism
and its impact on the social, cultural, economic
and political development of Africa.
 Identify Africa’s place and role in the
international system.
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Understanding of the political economy of Africa.

 Understanding of the historical, cultural, social and
political issues of Africa.
 Ability to analyze the problems and challenges
facing Africa.
 Understanding of the issues and challenges of
contemporary Africa.
MEASUREMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Syndicate Assignments
 Student’s participation in class
 Written examinations
 RELEVANT TEXTS

 Khapoya B. Vincent, 1994. The African Experience: An Introductory

New Jersey Englewood Cliffs. (Main text)

 Meredith Martin, 2005 The Africa State: A History of Fifty years of

Independence. Great Britain: Free Press.
 Thompson Alex 2004 An Introduction to African Politics, London & New
York: Routledge.
 Buah F.K. West Africa Since A.D 1000 (Book Two) The People and
Outsiders London: Macmillan
 Nukunya G.K., 2003. Tradition and Change in Ghana: An Introductory to
Sociology, Accra: Ghana University Press
 GRADING POLICY

 Final Written Examination 60%

 Mid-Semester Examination 30%
 Class Presentations 10%
 Total 100%
Schedule of Sessions and Topics

Week 1:
 Introduction to African Studies

Week 2:
 African Traditional Institutions

Week 3:
 The Trans-Atlantic Slave trade
 Schedule of Sessions & Topics

Week 4:
 Partition and Colonization of African

Week 5:
 African Resistance and Independence

Week 6:
 Africa’s Social and Economic Development
 Schedule of Sessions & Topics

Week 7:
 Africa’s Political Development

Week 8:
 Mid-Semester Examination

Week 9:
 Globalization and Africa
 Schedule of Sessions & Topics

Week 10:
 Gender and Development

Week 11:
 HIV/AIDS and Africa’s Development

Week 12:
 Group Presentations.
 Schedule of Sessions & Topics

Week 13:
Group Presentations

Week 14
Revision

Weeks 15&16
Final Examination
 AN
INTRODUCTION TO
AFRICAN STUDIES
(SESSION 1)
 Why African Studies?

• To benefit from Africa; new scholars first:

– need to abandon their preconceptions

– Western views of Africa are rather selective and not
always accurate.
– The West see Africa via broadcast journalism.This
portrays Africa as a continent of famines, disasters and
civil war.
 Why African Studies?

 Western television paints Africa as:

“a faraway place where good people go
hungry, bad people run government, and
chaos and anarchy are the norm”.

Rarely do viewers see Africa “in full flower”.

 Why African Studies?

 Africans are innately no more violent, nor more

corrupt, no more greedy, and no more stupid than
any other human beings that populate the planet.
They are no less capable of governing themselves.
 African political systems are as rational as any other
political systems of government.
 The Profile of Africa
 Africa is the second largest continent
 There are about 53 separate independent states.
 Each is unique and each has its own political systems.
– The Gambia is a tiny country of just 11,000 sq.km,
whereas Sudan's territory is 250 times larger than
this.
– Nigeria has a population of about 140 million ,while
Lesotho has just 2 million inhabitants.
 Even though Africa is a diverse continent, common
elements can be identified within these societies.
 The Profile of Africa

 The politics of Africa are rational and worthy of

study.
– The continent is not homogenous.
– African politics is still about power, ideas, resource
distribution and conflict resolution, as well as the
governments that oversee these processes.
Ghana Profile

 Political
 Cultural
 Social
 Economic
 Technological
Geography

 The country covers an area of 239,460

square kilometres, a land area of 230,020
square kilometres and water covering 8,520
square kilometres.
 The country is endowed with natural
resources such as gold, diamond, bauxite,
etc. with export of cocoa being the main
foreign exchange earner for the country.
Ghana Profile: Political

Ghana was the first place in sub-Saharan

Africa where Europeans arrived to trade -
first in gold, and later in slaves.
It was the first black African country to
organize successful anti-colonial struggles to
gain independence  from the British on 6th
March 1957
Ghana Map
Ghana Profile: Political

 1957: Ghana gained independence from

Britain.
 1960: Ghana gained republican status with a
republican Constitution (First Republic).
 1964: Ghana became a one-party state
under Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention
People’s Party (CPP).
Ghana Profile: Political

 1966: Nkrumah overthrown in Ghana’s first

military coup and the setting up of the
National Liberation Council (NLC)
government.
 1969: K.A. Busia elected as Prime Minister
under the 1969 Constitution (Second
Republic).
Ghana Profile: Political

 1972: Military coup led by General

Acheampong to overthrow Busia’s Progress
Party (PP) government and setting of the
National Redemption Council (NRC)
government.
 1975: Replacement of NRC by the Supreme
Military Council (SMC) as executive arm of
Government.
Ghana Profile: Political

 1978: General Acheampong removed as

Head of State in a palace coup led by
General Fred Akuffo.
 1979: First military intervention by Flt. Lt. J.J.
Rawlings and the setting up of the Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).
Ghana Profile: Political

 1979: Hilla Limann elected as President

under the 1979 Constitution (Third Republic).
 1981: Second military intervention by
Rawlings with the overthrow of Limann’s
People’s National Party (PNP) government
and the formation of the Provisional National
Defence Council (PNDC).
Ghana Profile: Political

 : Introduction of Economic Recovery

Programme by the PNDC.
 1991: Setting up of Committee Experts to
draft a Constitution.
 1991: Setting up of Consultative Assembly to
deliberate on draft Constitution.
Ghana Profile: Political

 1992: Referendum on 1992 Fourth

Republican Constitution and lifting of ban on
political activities.
 1992: Rawlings elected as President under
the Fourth Republican Constitution as
candidate of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC).
Ghana Profile: Political

 1992: Opposition parties boycotted the

Parliamentary elections for alleged rigging of
the Presidential elections.
 1993: Rawlings sworn in as First President of
the Fourth Republic.
 1996: Rawlings and NDC elected for second
constitutional term.
Ghana Profile: Political

 2000: NDC voted out of office; J.A. Kufuor

and New Patriotic Party (NPP) form
government.
 2004: Kufuor and NPP elected for second
constitutional term.
 2008: President John Atta Mills elected as
President
Society and Culture

 Ghana is populated by over 90 ethnic groups

(with no less than 75 spoken languages and
dialects) with a variety of cultural values
which affect various aspects of the life of the
people, including marriage, reproduction,
child care, food values, social interaction,
and attitudes in general.
Society and Culture

 Two broad cultural groups can be

distinguished - the matrilineal culture of the
south and the patrilineal culture of the north
and parts of the Volta region.
 The main religious groups are Christians,
Muslims and traditionalists
Society and Culture

 Social and kinship bonds in Ghana play a

crucial role in everyday life.
 A complex system of rights and obligations
serves as a communal social security and
welfare system.
 Each ethnic group celebrates at least one
major festival per year.
Society and Culture

 Life events, such as birth, marriage, and

particularly funeral are celebrated with great
display.
 Traditionally, the institution of chieftaincy in
Ghana reinforces the political and socio-
cultural institutions of the various
communities
Society and Culture

 The life expectancy is 56 years in 2003,

compared to the life expectancy of 52 years
in Sub-saharian Africa .
 The 2000 population census placed the
figure at 18 million and estimated in 2010 as
? million people.
The Economy of Ghana

 The dominant economic activity in the rural

areas is agriculture which provides
employment and livelihood for about 60% of
the population.
 The majority of the poor, however, are food
crop and export crop farmers with per capita
income below one third of the national
average.
The Economy of Ghana

 It has a mixed economy consisting of a

dominant traditional agricultural sector.
 Small-scale peasant farming absorbs about
60% of the total adult labour force.
 A relatively small capital-intensive modern
sector dominated by mining and a few other
industrial activities
The Economy of Ghana

 A rapidly expanding informal sector

dominated by petty traders, small artisans,
technicians and small businessmen
 Trade liberalization enabled businesses to
carry on international trade without going
through the cumbersome procedures
required for securing import licenses in the
past.
Group Assignment

 To gain a broader perspective on the

countries on the continent, students are
expected to provide a country profile
presentation in a group.
 The presentation will be made in power point
 The objective of the country profile is to
provide historical, political, social and
economic background of the country
Group Assignment

 The presentation should include news

reports, academic articles, etc.
 The sources of materials should cited.
 Presentation should not be more than 20
minutes.
 Both hard and soft copies should be
submitted for grading.