This painting illustrates the Asante war of 1874. The British were the dominant European power in Ghana. They attaked the Asante Empire in 1874 and burned Kumasi, the Asante capital.
From "Ghana" (p. 36) by Oppong, J. (2008). Chelsea House Publishers. Retrieved from
http://m.booksee.org/book/1069685
From "Ghana" (p. 36) by Oppong, J. (2008). Chelsea House Publishers. Retrieved from
http://m.booksee.org/book/1069685
According to Adika (2012), "Accounts of the history of English in Ghana, especially, the initial contact between the British and the people of the Gold Coast (as Ghana was called then) dates back to the 16th century" (p. 152). It was introduced as a result of the contact of the British with the indigenous people for the purpose of trade. Morris (1998) argues that the aim of the British was to train selected groups of Ghanaians in English to assist the colonists in trade, going as far as sending a number of Ghanaians to Britain to receive formal education. The main purpose of educating Ghanaians was to make them literate so that they could read the Bible, as the European missionaries came to Ghana to impart religion and morality upon the "pagan" Africans. According to Adika (2012), all schools were run by Christian missionaries and those which taught English and did not stress the local languages were funded. English was then used to conduct public business and to interpret the laws and rights of the people. It soon became a symbol of status, as those who were fluent in English held the most of the power. Indeed, the colonial and missionary language policy was behind the consolidation of English in Ghana.
A timeline of English development in Ghana.