REFOCUSING THE MEDIA AGENDA
REFOCUSING THE MEDIA AGENDA
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Accra, May 13, GNA – Tradition now has it that each year, the month of May be devoted to the performance of the press and the challenges of journalism worldwide, with May 3rd observed specifically as World Press Freedom Day.
This time, therefore, is appropriate for some appraisal on the role of the press/media in our national history, and some reflection on how the power of the mass media can be channelled towards the socio-economic development of this nation of ours.
It is unfortunate that the press has over the years earned a negative reputation from members of the same society it has served so selflessly. This pejorative image, however, does not change the fact that the press once had its proud/gallant moments which the following recap intends to expose for the benefit of the younger generation, especially, and all other interested readers at large. This generation, and particularly the present crop of journalists, need to know the circumstances that shaped the journalism profession in the country, and the reason for the relationship that currently exists between the mass media and officialdom.
The Historical Perspective:
History holds that the then Gold Coast press played a pivotal role in our nation's struggle for emancipation from colonial rule. Like the story in other parts of British West Africa, the genesis of Ghanaian journalism (and for that matter, the Ghanaian press) can be traced to early missionary literature and, most significantly, official gazettes and government-operated publications during the days of British occupation.
Ali Mazrui, the reputed Kenyan writer and scholar, remarks that “It is not for nothing that the word for newspaper in Swahili is 'gazeti'. The Adam and Eve of newspapers in Africa were government gazettes.” It began in Sierra Leone in 1801 with the publication of the Royal Gazette. Twenty-one years later in 1822 Ghana (then Gold Coast) followed with the publication of the Gold Coast Gazette.
The colonial press in the Gold Coast was, however, ethnocentric in orientation and content, and tended to work for the preservation of the political status quo. It was essentially an organ for satisfying the information needs of the colonial administrators and other European settlers, who remained European in outlook. News of the Metropolis (London) dominated the external reports while news of the expatriates' exploits occupied the principal place in internal affairs. For all practical and journalistic purposes, the indigenous population did not exist. Their social, cultural, political and economic aspirations were simply ignored.
This exclusion of the native majority from the colonial news system did not just accentuate local discontent, but also created an information vacuum that had to be filled.
The existence of a press primarily operated by Europeans convinced the local elite that it was important to have their own press to reflect their own opinions and desires.
Thus the Black Nationalist Press in the Gold Coast was born in response to the exigencies of the moment. Its rebellious agenda was a cumulative reaction to the oppressive and patronizing attitude of the colonial rulers. In his book Muffled Drums (1971) W.A. Hachten submits that indigenous English-language press developed in British West Africa first to publicise grievances and criticise the British rulers. “Later, it became a political weapon in the struggle for nationalism, to facilitate the organisation of political parties, and finally to win independence itself.” And from the perspective of Ziegler and Asante (1992), the indigenous African newspapers of this era were political and spoke out on issues related to the rights of Africans. “...Thus Africans were galvanised toward independence and freedom by the media.”
These developments in the Gold Coast, just as in other African colonies, presented a situation in which colonialism gave birth to nationalism which eventually overthrew it. Looking at the trend, one cannot but acknowledge also that the press and political power have influenced each other since the dawn of our history. The press gave to nationalism its prime means of diffusion, the medium through which the idea could be disseminated. Nationalism in turn gave to the press its principal message, its raison d'etre, in extending its circulation.
The Nouveau Elite and Ex-Combatants:
Just as the colonial officials had used it to propagate their imperialist ideas, so did the country's early elite use the press to convey their own protest against colonial domination. Another important development which changed the course of history in the Gold Coast during that period was the return of brilliant young men who had been pursuing further studies in Europe and America. Some of these returnees had been exposed to the ideas of Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, and other civil rights activists. Dennis Austin (1964) observes that these returnees were “the first seed of nationalist thought that brought about the formation of the earliest political movements.” One such movement was the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) launched in 1947 by Willie Grant, J.B. Danquah, and R.C. Blay.
Those young intellectuals added vim and momentum to the nationalist struggle through their radical ideas. The contents of the indigenous newspapers took on a bolder tone. "The Western Echo," "The Gold Coast People," and "The Accra Herald" (which later became The West Africa Herald) established in 1857, all became channels for the hitherto voiceless indigenous population to express their discontent against the colonial authorities. Existing much earlier than the above-mentioned publications; was the "Royal Gold Coast Gazette and Commercial Intelligencer," a handwritten gazette launched in Accra in 1822. There was also the "Royal Gold Coast Gazette" (1852), the "Gold Coast News" (1885), and "Gold Coast Herald" (1886). By 1900, about 20 of such local newspapers, most of them handwritten, had occurred in the Gold Coast. And there was one characteristic they all had in common – the anti-colonial tone of their content.
The era between 1900 and 1940 saw a further proliferation of small indigenous newspapers in the Gold Coast as cocoa and gold production brought prosperity, and more people became literate. A good number of the emerging elite started their own newspapers. Among them were J.E. Casely Hayford and Atto Ahuma, who founded the "Gold Coast Aborigines”. There was also J.B. Danquah who launched the "West Africa Times" in 1931. The Times was the first daily newspaper in West Africa to carry regular international news from Reuters.
The arrival of Kwame Nkrumah on the scene, and the establishment of his paper, "The Evening News" in 1948, marked an important watershed in Ghana's press/political history. Says Frank Barton (1979): “When The Graphic appeared in Accra, a young political firebrand not long back from university in the United States was editing the highly volatile Evening News. He was Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the Convention People's Party (CPP).” And in a related submission, Dennis Austin (op cit.) also states that at the end of 1947 a new actor appeared on the scene, who was “destined not only to dominate the events of the years that followed his return to the Gold Coast, but to destroy the UGCC as a political force”.
The return to civilian life, of a group of dissatisfied ex-servicemen recruited into the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) during the Second World War added fuel and momentum to nationalist activity in the Gold Coast at the time. It did not take long before an alliance was forged between the intelligentsia of the UGCC, which had emerged as a dominant political movement, and the aggrieved ex-servicemen. The two groups found solidarity in their opposition to, and mutual dissatisfaction about, the prevailing political, social and economic circumstances of the moment. Hence, the agitation of the aggrieved ex-servicemen, coupled with radical political demands advanced by the intelligentsia, kindled the flame of nationalism in the Gold Coast and set the liberation struggle there on an irreversible course during the late1940s and early 1950s.
The Clamp-down and the Rebound:
The initial reaction of the colonial authorities in the Gold Coast towards the indigenous newspapers was to dismiss them as crude and insignificant. However, they soon realised that by propagating opinions favourable to the course of the nationalist leaders, the press was capable of inciting the people and threatening the whole basis of colonial power. As a result, the colonial officials began to subject the Gold Coast press to arbitrary and harsh control measures. Throughout 1950, there was a procession of victims in and out of the Accra and Kumasi prisons, among them T. Hutton Mills and K.O. Quashie of the Evening News. Wilcox (1975) relates that in 1950, the colonial administration banned the Accra Evening News and arrested its editors for sedition. “The paper, started by the Convention People's Party, was a major vehicle for nationalist thought.” So it can be seen now where successive African political leaders got their ideas about gagging the media from. Interestingly, Azikiwe, Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda, Kenyatta, and a number of other first generation rulers in post-independence Africa, had used the press to wage the liberation struggle in their countries and were, therefore, very much aware of its inherent power.
Now back on track. The clamp down by the colonial administrators turned out to be a catalyst rather than a deterrent. The press became even more hard-hitting as nationalists' activities reached a crescendo. For instance, the "Evening News" which was the mouthpiece of Nkrumah's CPP published in its edition of Thursday, December 15, 1949 a declaration by the party's leader: "...the British Government has tactfully refused to grant the country her true and legitimate demand for self-government ...The people of this country will be waiting patiently for two weeks from today, 15th December, 1949 during which the British Government might announce through the Governor, the acceptance of the principle of a Constituent Assembly to be implemented without delay; otherwise, Positive Action may be declared any time after the said two weeks.” (Austin, 1964:88).
Obviously, in the view of the colonial authorities, Nkrumah had begun to fly too high for he did declare 'Positive Action' on Sunday, 8th January 1950. A general stoppage of work ensued throughout the colony and people took to the streets. The colonial government issued orders for the arrest of Nkrumah and five other nationalist leaders (later known in Ghana's political history as the Big Six), accusing them of having incited revolt. To a very large extent, they had indeed rendered the colony ungovernable for the authorities, and for that they were apprehended and placed in detention.
While in prison, Nkrumah continued to guide his party and its followers through his writings, which were smuggled out and published in the party newspaper. Nkrumah's imprisonment turned out to be a blunder on the part of the authorities, as his popularity and that of the CPP soared. His party won a great victory in the 1951 elections. Consequently, he was released and appointed Leader of Government Business by the colonial Governor. This victory won by the CPP was repeated later in two subsequent elections, the 1954 polls and the decisive 1956 general election which led to the granting of full independence on 6th March 1957.
These events are a confirmation of the vital role the press played in the liberation process in the Gold Coast, and the subsequent creation of the modern state of Ghana. Continued
Source: GNA - Ghana News Agency
This time, therefore, is appropriate for some appraisal on the role of the press/media in our national history, and some reflection on how the power of the mass media can be channelled towards the socio-economic development of this nation of ours.
It is unfortunate that the press has over the years earned a negative reputation from members of the same society it has served so selflessly. This pejorative image, however, does not change the fact that the press once had its proud/gallant moments which the following recap intends to expose for the benefit of the younger generation, especially, and all other interested readers at large. This generation, and particularly the present crop of journalists, need to know the circumstances that shaped the journalism profession in the country, and the reason for the relationship that currently exists between the mass media and officialdom.
The Historical Perspective:
History holds that the then Gold Coast press played a pivotal role in our nation's struggle for emancipation from colonial rule. Like the story in other parts of British West Africa, the genesis of Ghanaian journalism (and for that matter, the Ghanaian press) can be traced to early missionary literature and, most significantly, official gazettes and government-operated publications during the days of British occupation.
Ali Mazrui, the reputed Kenyan writer and scholar, remarks that “It is not for nothing that the word for newspaper in Swahili is 'gazeti'. The Adam and Eve of newspapers in Africa were government gazettes.” It began in Sierra Leone in 1801 with the publication of the Royal Gazette. Twenty-one years later in 1822 Ghana (then Gold Coast) followed with the publication of the Gold Coast Gazette.
The colonial press in the Gold Coast was, however, ethnocentric in orientation and content, and tended to work for the preservation of the political status quo. It was essentially an organ for satisfying the information needs of the colonial administrators and other European settlers, who remained European in outlook. News of the Metropolis (London) dominated the external reports while news of the expatriates' exploits occupied the principal place in internal affairs. For all practical and journalistic purposes, the indigenous population did not exist. Their social, cultural, political and economic aspirations were simply ignored.
This exclusion of the native majority from the colonial news system did not just accentuate local discontent, but also created an information vacuum that had to be filled.
The existence of a press primarily operated by Europeans convinced the local elite that it was important to have their own press to reflect their own opinions and desires.
Thus the Black Nationalist Press in the Gold Coast was born in response to the exigencies of the moment. Its rebellious agenda was a cumulative reaction to the oppressive and patronizing attitude of the colonial rulers. In his book Muffled Drums (1971) W.A. Hachten submits that indigenous English-language press developed in British West Africa first to publicise grievances and criticise the British rulers. “Later, it became a political weapon in the struggle for nationalism, to facilitate the organisation of political parties, and finally to win independence itself.” And from the perspective of Ziegler and Asante (1992), the indigenous African newspapers of this era were political and spoke out on issues related to the rights of Africans. “...Thus Africans were galvanised toward independence and freedom by the media.”
These developments in the Gold Coast, just as in other African colonies, presented a situation in which colonialism gave birth to nationalism which eventually overthrew it. Looking at the trend, one cannot but acknowledge also that the press and political power have influenced each other since the dawn of our history. The press gave to nationalism its prime means of diffusion, the medium through which the idea could be disseminated. Nationalism in turn gave to the press its principal message, its raison d'etre, in extending its circulation.
The Nouveau Elite and Ex-Combatants:
Just as the colonial officials had used it to propagate their imperialist ideas, so did the country's early elite use the press to convey their own protest against colonial domination. Another important development which changed the course of history in the Gold Coast during that period was the return of brilliant young men who had been pursuing further studies in Europe and America. Some of these returnees had been exposed to the ideas of Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, and other civil rights activists. Dennis Austin (1964) observes that these returnees were “the first seed of nationalist thought that brought about the formation of the earliest political movements.” One such movement was the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) launched in 1947 by Willie Grant, J.B. Danquah, and R.C. Blay.
Those young intellectuals added vim and momentum to the nationalist struggle through their radical ideas. The contents of the indigenous newspapers took on a bolder tone. "The Western Echo," "The Gold Coast People," and "The Accra Herald" (which later became The West Africa Herald) established in 1857, all became channels for the hitherto voiceless indigenous population to express their discontent against the colonial authorities. Existing much earlier than the above-mentioned publications; was the "Royal Gold Coast Gazette and Commercial Intelligencer," a handwritten gazette launched in Accra in 1822. There was also the "Royal Gold Coast Gazette" (1852), the "Gold Coast News" (1885), and "Gold Coast Herald" (1886). By 1900, about 20 of such local newspapers, most of them handwritten, had occurred in the Gold Coast. And there was one characteristic they all had in common – the anti-colonial tone of their content.
The era between 1900 and 1940 saw a further proliferation of small indigenous newspapers in the Gold Coast as cocoa and gold production brought prosperity, and more people became literate. A good number of the emerging elite started their own newspapers. Among them were J.E. Casely Hayford and Atto Ahuma, who founded the "Gold Coast Aborigines”. There was also J.B. Danquah who launched the "West Africa Times" in 1931. The Times was the first daily newspaper in West Africa to carry regular international news from Reuters.
The arrival of Kwame Nkrumah on the scene, and the establishment of his paper, "The Evening News" in 1948, marked an important watershed in Ghana's press/political history. Says Frank Barton (1979): “When The Graphic appeared in Accra, a young political firebrand not long back from university in the United States was editing the highly volatile Evening News. He was Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the Convention People's Party (CPP).” And in a related submission, Dennis Austin (op cit.) also states that at the end of 1947 a new actor appeared on the scene, who was “destined not only to dominate the events of the years that followed his return to the Gold Coast, but to destroy the UGCC as a political force”.
The return to civilian life, of a group of dissatisfied ex-servicemen recruited into the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) during the Second World War added fuel and momentum to nationalist activity in the Gold Coast at the time. It did not take long before an alliance was forged between the intelligentsia of the UGCC, which had emerged as a dominant political movement, and the aggrieved ex-servicemen. The two groups found solidarity in their opposition to, and mutual dissatisfaction about, the prevailing political, social and economic circumstances of the moment. Hence, the agitation of the aggrieved ex-servicemen, coupled with radical political demands advanced by the intelligentsia, kindled the flame of nationalism in the Gold Coast and set the liberation struggle there on an irreversible course during the late1940s and early 1950s.
The Clamp-down and the Rebound:
The initial reaction of the colonial authorities in the Gold Coast towards the indigenous newspapers was to dismiss them as crude and insignificant. However, they soon realised that by propagating opinions favourable to the course of the nationalist leaders, the press was capable of inciting the people and threatening the whole basis of colonial power. As a result, the colonial officials began to subject the Gold Coast press to arbitrary and harsh control measures. Throughout 1950, there was a procession of victims in and out of the Accra and Kumasi prisons, among them T. Hutton Mills and K.O. Quashie of the Evening News. Wilcox (1975) relates that in 1950, the colonial administration banned the Accra Evening News and arrested its editors for sedition. “The paper, started by the Convention People's Party, was a major vehicle for nationalist thought.” So it can be seen now where successive African political leaders got their ideas about gagging the media from. Interestingly, Azikiwe, Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda, Kenyatta, and a number of other first generation rulers in post-independence Africa, had used the press to wage the liberation struggle in their countries and were, therefore, very much aware of its inherent power.
Now back on track. The clamp down by the colonial administrators turned out to be a catalyst rather than a deterrent. The press became even more hard-hitting as nationalists' activities reached a crescendo. For instance, the "Evening News" which was the mouthpiece of Nkrumah's CPP published in its edition of Thursday, December 15, 1949 a declaration by the party's leader: "...the British Government has tactfully refused to grant the country her true and legitimate demand for self-government ...The people of this country will be waiting patiently for two weeks from today, 15th December, 1949 during which the British Government might announce through the Governor, the acceptance of the principle of a Constituent Assembly to be implemented without delay; otherwise, Positive Action may be declared any time after the said two weeks.” (Austin, 1964:88).
Obviously, in the view of the colonial authorities, Nkrumah had begun to fly too high for he did declare 'Positive Action' on Sunday, 8th January 1950. A general stoppage of work ensued throughout the colony and people took to the streets. The colonial government issued orders for the arrest of Nkrumah and five other nationalist leaders (later known in Ghana's political history as the Big Six), accusing them of having incited revolt. To a very large extent, they had indeed rendered the colony ungovernable for the authorities, and for that they were apprehended and placed in detention.
While in prison, Nkrumah continued to guide his party and its followers through his writings, which were smuggled out and published in the party newspaper. Nkrumah's imprisonment turned out to be a blunder on the part of the authorities, as his popularity and that of the CPP soared. His party won a great victory in the 1951 elections. Consequently, he was released and appointed Leader of Government Business by the colonial Governor. This victory won by the CPP was repeated later in two subsequent elections, the 1954 polls and the decisive 1956 general election which led to the granting of full independence on 6th March 1957.
These events are a confirmation of the vital role the press played in the liberation process in the Gold Coast, and the subsequent creation of the modern state of Ghana. Continued
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