The Working Committee of the United Gold Coast Convention

Abstract

When I was in Ghana last year, Dr Danquah very kindly allowed me to read and make notes on an early Minute Book belonging to the Working Committee of the United Gold Coast Convention. I thought it was very interesting, for it covered the years 1947–51 when discontent with colonial rule came to a head, and produced first the U.G.C.C.—as it is easier to call it—and then its radical offspring, the Convention People's Party. The Minute Book was carefully, clearly written; it runs parallel to the early part of Nkrumah's Autobiography (ch. 5 to 12)—itself a valuable source of information—and it confirms, adds to and occasionally corrects the account given by Nkrumah of these interesting years when the colonial administration was beginning to retreat and the nationalists to advance. Moreover, in its beginning lay its end: the two chief protagonists in 1947 were Dr J. B. Danquah and Dr Kwame Nkrumah; and, thirteen years later, they were still opposed, as rival candidates for the presidency of the new republic.

Full Issue

“…Hence the need for its study and consideration as essential part of campaign planning. As methods, it dwells on extant literature on Ghanaian politics and culture (Austin, 1961;Apter, 1968a;Monfils, 1977;Oquaye, 1995;Ninsin, 1996;Jonah, 1998;Arthur, 2001;Carbone, 2003). The subjects of the study (NDC, NPP, Nkrumah and Rawlings) were purposively chosen based on their historic and current level of campaign sophistry, blending semiotics and marketing as campaign technique.…”

Political Vigilante Groups in Ghana: Violence or Democracy?

“…B. Danquah’s mobilisation of youth groups under one leadership was instrumental in the formation of a new political party. The organisation of Youth Conferences was one of the strategies that enabled youth who had not attained formal schooling to work together with youth who had been schooled, in order to present their grievances to the colonial authorities (Austin, 1961). In 1930, Danquah managed to call for the first Youth Conference and from there the second one took place in 1938 at Mfantspim School (Austin, 1961).…”

“…The organisation of Youth Conferences was one of the strategies that enabled youth who had not attained formal schooling to work together with youth who had been schooled, in order to present their grievances to the colonial authorities (Austin, 1961). In 1930, Danquah managed to call for the first Youth Conference and from there the second one took place in 1938 at Mfantspim School (Austin, 1961). The third Youth Conference occurred in Kumasi the following year, during which a permanent organisation was formed to oversee the activities of the youth groups in the local assemblies.…”

“…The third Youth Conference occurred in Kumasi the following year, during which a permanent organisation was formed to oversee the activities of the youth groups in the local assemblies. Forty representatives of the quasi-political bodies (Austin, 1961: 279) were brought together on 4 August 1947, which led to the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). The UGCC, with Kwame Nkrumah as the secretary general, was the first political party to be formed in the era preceding Ghana’s independence.…”

Symbolically Speaking: The Use of Semiotics in Marketing Politics in Ghana

“…Hence the need for its study and consideration as essential part of campaign planning. As methods, it dwells on extant literature on Ghanaian politics and culture (Austin, 1961;Apter, 1968a;Monfils, 1977;Oquaye, 1995;Ninsin, 1996;Jonah, 1998;Arthur, 2001;Carbone, 2003). The subjects of the study (NDC, NPP, Nkrumah and Rawlings) were purposively chosen based on their historic and current level of campaign sophistry, blending semiotics and marketing as campaign technique.…”