This book is a history of a prominent Ghanaian newspaper, the Ashanti Pioneer, as well as well-known figurers in the country itself. It utilizes the stories published in the newspaper to recount the history of the press, including its key individuals and groups, and to provide a unique perspective on the most important events in the Gold Coast during the mid-twentieth century, just prior to and after independence. This work will show that the Ashanti Pioneer influenced public opinion on several subjects. From its opening in 1939, the newspapercontributed greatly to the spread of newsworthy information throughout Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast, from Kumasi to the coastline and to its Northern borders. Readers interested in African History, independence movements and newspaper history will find this work insightful.
Author(s): Jarvis L. Hargrove
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 244
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Images
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
British Colonialism and the African-Owned Press
Significance of the Ashanti Pioneer
The Rise and Fall of the Ashanti Pioneer
Chapter 2: Transitioning to an Independent Press: The Opening of the Ashanti Pioneer
British Colonialism and the Asante Empire
The Birth of the Gold Coast Press
African-Owned Press in the Twentieth Century
The Tsiboes Open the Ashanti Pioneer
Progress House
Chapter 3: Nationalism in Print: British Attempts to Control the West African and Gold Coast Newspapers
British Censorship at Home and Abroad
Suppressing Nationalist Presses in the 1930s
Wartime Censorship and the Ashanti Pioneer
Surviving Colonial Censorship
Chapter 4: Influencing Public Opinion: The Ashanti Pioneer’s Coverage of World War II, 1939–1947
Gold Coast Newspapers During World War I
Opening the Ashanti Pioneer in Wartime
An Anti-German Stance
Resisting the Early War Effort
Becoming Pro-War
Fears of German Sympathizers
Interior Gold Coast “V for Victory”
Telling Soldiers’ Stories
Fair Pay for African Soldiers
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of the Press: Gold Coast Political Movements, 1946–1949
Forming the UGCC
The Gold Coast African Ex-Servicemen’s Union
The Accra Riots
Nationalism and the Press After the Riots
The Watson Commission
The CPP
Ashanti Pioneer, August 27, 1948
A Growing Rift
Conclusion
Chapter 6: Approaching Independence: Transitioning from the Gold Coast to Ghana, 1950–1956
Covering the 1951 Elections
Criticizing the CPP
The 1954 Elections: Nancy Tsiboe’s Run for Office
The National Liberation Movement
Conclusion
Chapter 7: Covering Independence: The Final Years of the Ashanti Pioneer, 1957–1968
The 1956 Elections
The Arrival of Independence
Consolidating Power
The Final Days of the Ashanti Pioneer
Reopening the Pioneer
Chapter 8: Epilogue
Appendix: John and Nancy Tsiboe Travel Documents
Bibliography
Primary Sources (Papers), Biography, Autobiography
British Parliamentary Papers
Claude Barnett Papers
Newspapers, Magazines, Pamphlets
Dissertations
Seminar Papers
Journal Articles
Books
Index
