Legends, Myths, and the Stories of the Powerful

A lot of things have gone down in the past and we the generation of today only get to hear stories of what happened. Through these stories, we are able to learn and know more about the past and to also appreciate how far we have come as a people or individuals.

I grew up having to take history lessons during my preschool, primary and high school days. Those lessons were among my favorite lessons them and till today, they have been a great part of my life. The teachers who told us those stories spoke with passion as they passed on the history of our country and the various kingdoms we have today and we as kids wound just sit there soaking it all in, imagining what it actually looked like then and how much people had to endure just for us to be here today.

I’ve heard, read and watched movies on the history of my country Ghana, other countries and even kingdoms in Ghana and outside of Ghana. In a way, the whole world is intertwined because all these stories lead to somewhere. You read about Ghanaian history and you find yourself reading about the British and what was going on in their country at that time. It’s the same for the history of most countries I’ve come across. No wonder they say our world is a global village.

Speaking of history, we only obviously get to hear the story of those who came out victorious but never of those who were defeated. Well, I guess that’s mainly because in the face of war, the only people left to tell the story is those who win the war and that means that the stories we hear could have been manipulated to suit the liking of those telling it. Since you and I weren’t there, we really have no choice but to make do with what we have.

Personally, if there’s one that piece of history I believe is totally wrong but everyone just thinks is right is the whole story behind slave trade in Ghana. I’m not saying the entire story is wrong. I’ve visited the tourist sites where the slave trade took place and with my own eyes, I saw everything and this makes me know that everything being told was true. The only part I would disagree with to some extent is the part where most people think that the Europeans were those who started slave trade in Ghana.

When you dig deeper, you will find out that even before the arrival of the Europeans, slave trade was a thing in the then Gold Coast. Local kingdoms, including the Ashanti and Fante, were deeply involved in capturing, trading, and selling people even before the Europeans set foot in Ghana. Slave trade was a thing as people coming from homes with Kingship and all had people who were always at their beck and call. People to take care of them and their kids, people to work for them and even people to sacrifice to the gods if need be. And these people aren’t just people they just recruited. They are people they gained ownership of in wars they won. That was just how things were.

We really don’t hear or read much about this aspect of history in our books, movies and what have you. It probably is because we believe there’s a story to be told and we shouldn’t digress from it. But it’s a part of our history and I wish it would be told as it is.

all images belong to me.