Lasting Legacies of German, French, and British Colonial Presence in Anuforland-North East Ghana and the North-West of Togo

Abstract

From the middle of the 1880s, the area designated as the Gold Coast hinterland, witnessed competing interests from three European colonialists, namely Britain, Germany and France. Each of these European powers tried to carve out territories in the area into their respective spheres of influence. As was the case with many colonised societies, the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, which led to the partitioning of Africa, greatly affected the status quo and had a lasting impact on the geo-political (ideological, military, boundary, economic, and social) landscape of Anuforland, Sansanne Mango (an important trade route), and Chereponi in Togo and North-East Ghana. Before colonial intrusion, the Anufor had unrestricted access and control over their land, people and other resources, but with the Germans, French and English making advances to carve out territories and subsequent occupation, the history of the area under study was largely reshaped. Using oral traditions and narratives, and analysis of colonial vestiges, this article discusses the interplay and lasting legacies of various colonial powers in an area formerly referred to as Trans-Volta-Togoland.