Reading books about Ghana can provide a window into a rich and diverse culture with a fascinating history. Ghana was one of the first African countries to gain independence, and its modern-day struggles and triumphs offer a unique perspective on the continent's evolution. From its vibrant music and dance traditions to its historic castles and forts, Ghana has a rich cultural heritage that can inspire and educate. Ghanian fiction authors featured on Five Books include Kwei Quartey and Yaa Gyasi.
We spoke to the Ghanaian economist George Ayittey about the best books on Africa through African eyes. Ghana is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement which had its heyday during the Cold War.
For Ghanian history reading, for the 16th and 17th centuries Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires and more recently, Adom Getachew’s Worldmaking After Empire which uncovers the history of ‘anti-colonial worldmakers’ such as Ghanaian nationalist Kwame Nkrumah.
Looking to the future, Invisible Users by Jenna Burrell looks at "urban youth accessing internet cafes in Accra, Ghana, and how they “socially interact with other youths from around the world.” In particular, it examines young people’s sense of their wider world changing through the use of internet cafes. It goes back to the hopes behind technologies."
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Invisible Users: Youth in the Internet Cafés of Urban Ghana
by Jenna Burrell -
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Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley's Long Shadow
by Mark Graham, Michel Wahome & Nicholas Friederici -
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China Africa and the Future of the Internet
by Iginio Gagliardone -
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Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya
by Nanjala Nyabola -
5
Africa's Information Revolution
by James Murphy & Padraig Carmody
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The internet and digital technology are transforming not only the way African countries trade and conduct business but also how they cohere socially and politically. Mohammad Amir Anwar, Lecturer in African Studies and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, recommends books that investigate the opportunities for Africa from the growth of technology—but focus on specifics and avoid the hype.
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Golden Trade of the Moors: West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century
by E.W. Bovill -
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Ancient Ghana and Mali
by Nehemiah Levtzion -
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Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables 1400-1900
by Elias Saad -
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Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples
by David C. Conrad -
5
Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh Al-Sudan down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents
by John Hunwick
The best books on The Ghana, Mali and Songhai African Empires, recommended by Michael Gomez
The best books on The Ghana, Mali and Songhai African Empires, recommended by Michael Gomez
Long before the Europeans arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries, sub-Saharan West Africa saw the emergence of a series of African empires that lasted for centuries and stretched over vast swathes of the continent. They were known as the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires. Here, historian Michael Gomez discusses what led to their greatness, what sustained them and why they fell.
The best books on Africa through African Eyes, recommended by George Ayittey
The Ghanaian economist George Ayittey denounces the failure of leadership and Western policy in Africa and explains what “African solutions to African problems” would mean in practice.
