IAS and Department of History collaborate with Leiden, UDS and International Partners on Gonja-Dagomba Project

Chiefs from the Gonja Traditional Area at the launch

The Institute of African Studies and Department of History, both at the University of Ghana are collaborating with the University of Leiden, and Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Tamale/Wa, on a Gonja-Dagomba project titled, Society and Change in Northern Ghana: Dagomba, Gonja and the Regional Perspective on Ghana’s History.

The project which was recently launched at the Academic Chamber of the University for Development Studies in Tamale is aimed at developing academic expertise and building capacity in the three universities. Themes of study include, Migration Histories and State Formation In (Northern) Ghana; The Political, Social-Economic and Cultural Context (or Ethnography) of Conflict and Conflict Resolution; The Reformulation of Social History from a Peoples’ Point of View; Expectations of Statecraft in Colonial and Post-Colonial Society; and The Contextual History of Northern Ghanaian Culture and Heritage.

In line with the above six PhD students would be selected to pursue studies in Ghana and the Netherlands and their areas of research would have to fall within one of the thematic areas mentioned. Faculty on the project in Ghana and the Netherlands would also be provided with the necessary resources to research and publish on issues pertaining to the Gonja and Dagomba traditional areas.

The project would be housed at the African Studies Centre in Leiden, the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana and the Department of Social Sciences at the University for Development Studies. The coordinators of the project are Professor Michel Doormont, for the Netherlands, Dr. Samuel Ntewusu for the University of Ghana and Dr. Felix Longe for the University for Development Studies.

 

Associate partners of the project include Institute for Globalisation Studies, University of Groningen, and Department of International Relations and International Organisation, University of Groningen. 

Mr. H.J.M Wientjes and Mrs. W. Wientjes-Boucheri sponsors of the project exchanging greetings with Dagomba chiefs at the programme.

Group picture taken after the launch of the programme: To the left on the front row are the granddaughter of Mr. Wientjes, a representative from the Dutch Embassy in Accra, Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Prof. Adamafio, Dr. Fusheni, Mrs. Wientjes, Hon. Fritz Baffour, Mr. Wientjes among others. On the second row from left are Dr. Felix Longe, Dr. Samuel Ntewusu and Chiefs and Elders from the Gonja and Dagomba traditional areas.