Gonja, the Mandingoes of Ghana
by
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"The outside world has always viewed Ghana with admiration, perceiving Ghanaians as peace-loving, warm and welcoming people. Anyhow, underneath this warm, receptive nature lie some ethnic rivalries that go back centuries. For example, not until long-standing grievances over landownership and the carte blanche of chiefs resulted in a full-blown war between the Konkomba tribe and the allied tribes of Nanumba, Dagomba, and Gonja-which claimed more than 2,000 lives and displaced another 150,000 people in February 1994-did people show interest in the social organisations of Northern Ghana's tribes". Page xvi
"Askia Daoud's armoured horsemen, today's equivalent of the British Special Air Service and the United States' Navy SEALs, are the ancestors of the modern-day Gonjas of Ghana. When they left their homeland in Songhai for that great expedition, little did these brave men know they would never return to Songhai again". Gonja: page 7
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About the Book
The book traces the journey of the people of Gonja from their original home in the ancient Songhai Empire to their present location in the northern region of the Republic of Ghana.
Gonja was once an important kingdom before the entire land mass known today as Ghana was colonised and brought under British rule. An important feature of this book is that it also touches on the history and relationships of the neighbours of Gonja including the Dagomba and other tribes in the northern region and the other parts of Ghana.
About the Author
Solomon Salifu Tampuri is a Gonja royal and an executive member of the Gonjaland Association of UK and Ireland. He was born in Ghana where he had his primary and secondary education. He continued his education in the United Kingdom. He read law at University of Greenwich and the Inns of Court School of law in London. Solomon was called to the English Bar in July 2009 by the Hon. Society of Middle Temple. He is presently a practicing lawyer in London. Although, this is first book and he is already working on his second. Solomon enjoys reading, travelling and meeting people of different cultures.
Solomn is greatly indebted to J.A. Braimah, HH Tomlinson, Osafroadu Amankwantia and the pioneers, veteran researchers and writers of the history of Ghana and Gonjas.