Takoradi -Ahanta's Resistance To Colonisation Till Ashes

The chief of Takoradi sits on Nyanke Baforo stool, and it is one of the stool in Ahanta that maintains its original name. The stool still maintains its originality even now that our Fante relations are making false claims that Takoradi is a Fante land. They even say the name Takoradi originated from a certain "Ntakor" tree and all the wild claims just for Takoradi to suit their obsessions but Takoradi is Ahanta, and full stop.

Today I am here to talk about the people of Takoradi, Ahantas who showed resilience and resistance in adverse of wars against the European colonisers till Takoradi was razed by fires and left in complete ruins and desolation. Throughout times, the descendants of Nyanke Baforo were unyielding, defiance and resisted the Europeans at all fronts. They stood with Ahanta and fought the whiteman with all their mights and strengths. They were never for peace as far as the Europeans were concerned.

In July 1838, the Dutch forces led by Gen. Jan Verveer invaded Ahanta, had Badu Bonso II, the king of Ahanta killed and burned down all the Ahanta towns including Takoradi and left its ruines in ashes. On 20th August 1838, the Dutch would hang five Ahanta nobles at Elmina including the chief of Takoradi. While Sekondi was leading the Dutch to invade and burn Ahanta towns, Takoradi remained Ahanta's biggest foothold in the 1838 war, they defended Ahanta with droplets of their blood.

Before 1485, there was no town called Takoradi around here but the Portuguese on their way to Axim would chance of community on the coast somewhere around the place where Takoradi Harbour is built and they would call the community Taccrada but before the Portuguese called the place Taccrada, the Ahantas called it "Gualekezilozo" - the big market.

In ancient Ahanta, Takoradi was one of the biggest markets in the Ahanta kingdom and out of the market settlement would emerge. It became of the commercial centres where people from far and near would come and trade in all kinds of wares. Sooner it would grow to become one of the commercial towns like Sekondi and Butre.

The people of Takoradi abhored the presence of the whiteman on their land, and every efforts made by the whiteman to stay on the land of the people of Takoradi failed. Even attempts to indulge in slave trade failed on the shores of Takoradi as the Ahantas there would constantly chase the whiteman away. The chase and the attacks on the whiteman never ceased.

On 19th January 1482, the Portuguese sailor Diego de Azambuja docked at the shores of Elmina but the arrival of Diego de Azambuja was preceded by the explorative works of Jao de Santrem and his partner Predro Escobar who were in the service of the Lisbon merchant Fernao Gomez. Jao de Santrem and Pedro Escobar were the first to spot the community but never stopped there because of the hostile nature of Ahantas there. In the course of exploring the coast of what would become the Gold Coast, where we know to be Takoradi featured greatly for one reason - fresh water.

After Diego de Azambuja arrived in Elmina and started to build the Elmina Castle, his men would explore further westward and made contacts with the people of Takoradi and then they would build a trading post there. The post would come under intense attacks by Ahantas and that would make the Portuguese to describe the Ahantas warlike. They drove the Portuguese away in no time.

On 21st January 1482, Diego de Azambuja himself would write to king Alfonso V of Portugal and describe Takoradi as "terra de guerra" meaning land of war, and would describe Elmina as terra de paz - the land of peace. He would further describe to king Alfonso V how his scouts were sent away by Ahantas with bows and arrows and blocked their ships to stop at Takoradi in search of stones for the building of the Elmina Castle.

For all the days that the Portuguese spent in the Gold Coast, they were constantly in arms with the people of Takoradi till they left so they described the people of Takoradi as enemies at all material times. Every efforts made to trade at Takoradi failed even though Takoradi was one of the biggest market centres in Ahanta.

After the Portuguese failed to maintain a trading post in Takoradi, the Dutch came and just as the people of Takoradi treated the Portuguese, they would be in arms with the Dutch too. The Dutch eventually managed to build fort Witsen also known as fort Tacaray at Takoradi in 1665 but sooner than later, the Ahantas would unleash incessant attacks on the fort so the Dutch abondoned it to save their peace.

In 1665, a fight would ensue between the Dutch and the English at Takoradi but the Ahantas would side with none and instead, attacked both the Dutch and English forces from all angles. For the people of Takoradi, both the English and the Dutch should leave their lands. The Dutch governor at the time Valkenburg wrote " Ahantas would not let us hold it peacefully, they are martial, popolous and very close to their market.

In 1791, the Dutch would return to fort Witsen with hopes of reviving operations there but the people of Takoradi would resume their incessant attacks on them. The Dutch tried to use the fort to engage in slave trade but the constant attacks from the people Takoradi would make the trade abortive as ships were unwilling to dock because the people of Takoradi would constantly throw bows and arrows at ships that made attempts to stop at Takoradi.

Wilem Bossman was a Dutch mechant who was working with the Dutch Indian Company. He arrived in the Gold Coast at the age of 16 and lived most of his life in the Gold Coast. He documented the Komenda wars because it happened under his watch. He wrote extensively on Ahantas and said "Ahantas are martial people, and never at peace...if you build among them, you must fight everyday for water and firewood.

Eventually the Dutch left Ahanta in 1872 without maintaining a foothold in Takoradi as they did to other areas of Ahanta. While the Dutch were able to bring Sekondi, Butre, Shama and Axim under their control, all their efforts to maintain a presence in Takoradi failed miserably.

The Dutch sold all their trade possessions to the English and left. As soon as the English arrived, the people of Takoradi were up in arms against them. In 1873, the English would bring their Royal Navy to bomb Takoradi and other Ahanta towns that resisted British colonisation. Eventually in 1925, the Gordon Guggisberg government would sign agreement with the people of Takoradi and resettle them to pave way to build the Takoradi Harbour, Africa's first deep water harbour. They would resettled to where we know today to be New Takoradi together with the people of Amanful.

The English would build the current city of Takoradi for themselves and would prevent the people of Takoradi from coming close to the city but then the black man had gained consciousness, and not only the people of Takoradi would agitate for independence but the whole of Gold Coast would be involved in the struggles of independence.

In 1957, Ghana gained independence and Takoradi stood tall with a lot of scars to show its struggles against colonialism right from the first time that the whiteman stepped a foot on its shores.

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