Odododiodioo University: The ‘all Die Be’ Nature And Factors That Infuenced Nationalism In The Gold Coast After The Second

Nationalism is a state of mind and an act of consciousness in which supreme loyalty is felt towards a state. .Hans kohn

The concept of nationalism stems from the fact that a nation state must have be a sovereign state. There is no clear date as to when nationalism started in Ghana .While some trace its roots to the Aborigines Right Protection Society (ARPS) others say it started from the time of the Yaa Asatewaa War. Irrespective of the differences on the chronology of nationalism, it is clear that the people of the Gold Coast did show their love for their nation and heritage long time ago. In simple terms nationalism can be said to be the love one has for his/her country and one can exhibit nationalism by being patriotic and making the interest his /her nation supreme at all times. The idea of nationalism comes from the concept of nation state. Gold coast nationalism after the Second World War was very aggressive and greatly influenced by both internal and external factors. The nature of nationalism after the WWII can be analyzed when one considers the objective of nationalism at the time, the caliber of people who spearheaded the nationalist agenda and the strategies adopted to press home the demands. Again the paragraphs that follow will pay attention to factors such as economic hardship and foreign factors like the Second World War itself and pan-Africanism. In the final analysis it will be clear that nationalism was the vehicle that drove forward the independence agenda.

The Second World War marked a turning point in the history of nationalism in the Gold Coast. World war two was fought between 1939-1945.The allied forces (Britain, France, USA and USSR) fought against German aggression at the time and the allied forces came out victorious. It must be said that, Britain was the colonial masters of the Gold coast during that era. What actually led to the Whiteman colonizing the Gold coast is difficult to tell but can be summarized in the words of the great politician and nationalist Emmanuel Odarkwei Obetsebi Lamptey. He states as follows: 'Our fathers recognized British power and jurisdiction on these shores little did they realize that they were singing away not only their independence and sovereignty, but were also clapping their neck into a noose of another slavery more insidious, more far reaching in its interest, more devastating in its effects than the physical slavery that preceded it.' In august 1947 (two years after world war two) the first political party was formed in the Gold Coast. This was the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) which called for self government .It was at this point that the concept of 'self government' became the rallying point for nationalism in the Gold Coast .This was to canvass mass support which will lead to self government. Marzui & Tidy (1984) indicated that 'it would never have been a mass party with the ferruitous intervention of two events: the appointment of Kwame Nkrumah as general secretary and his return from London in December 1947 and the riot of 1948.'Also in 1949 Kwame Nkrumah formed the Convention People's Party (CPP) that led the Gold Coast to independence. It must be noted that the leaders of the nationalist struggle were the educated elite and the political leaders. According to Boahen A. A. (1987), the leadership of the political parties in the African countries under colonialism was people with radical ideas who were ready to apply both constitutional and unconstitutional methods.' This attitude of these leaders is what I call the 'all die be die attitude' hence most of them were imprisoned due to their radical attitude. Having analyzed the nature of nationalism in the Gold Coast ,the question then is what was the catalyst that ignited people's quest for their new definition for nationalism called self government.

As stated above, there were local and external factors that influenced the nationalist agenda in the name of self government. On the local front the economic situation after the Second World War was very bad. There was shortage of essential goods like sugar and soap. The locals blamed the Lebanese and colonial administration for instance. Again marketing boards were set to control the sale and export of cocoa and other cash crops. Export prices were artificially low while import prices were artificially high. Big European firms came together to form an association which 'squeezed' the people of the Gold coast. A classical example was the Association of West African Merchants (AWAM)

The Second World War period led to a higher demand for uranium, atomic bomb, air craft and other sophisticated war machines which were not produced in the Gold Coast so the Gold Coast did not benefit from the war financially like those who produced these machines. The ex service men who fought during the war became unemployed and economically disadvantaged after the war. In view of this, in 1948 a group of ex servicemen (Sergeant Adjetey, Private Odartey and Corporal Attipoe) led a peaceful march to present a petition to the governor. The three ex servicemen were shot in the process by the British security forces at the christianborg castle, Osu. This led to a nationwide disturbance. Nii Bone II attempted to instigate a nationwide boycott of European goods. Kwame Nkrumah declared a positive action which was meant to indicate their dissatisfaction of system as Gold Coasters. Subsequently this led to the imprisonment of the leaders of the UGCC and constitutional reforms that will ultimately lead to the Gold Coast gaining independence.

Again discrimination in the Gold Coast was also a major reason for the fight for self government by the nationalists. This further aroused the local people's quest for self government the more. The British for example built special hospitals which attended only to the white man (European hospital in Takoradi was an example)

The Second World War contributed to the hastening of the nationalist agenda. Most of the soldiers in the Gold Coast army fought for their colonial masters during the war. They fought alongside the white soldiers. This made them understand that they as black men can do what the white man can do given the same opportunities. This war actually broke the myth surrounding the white man. Thousands of black men who fought the war became more exposed to freedom and liberty which was the corner stone of the war. The war also came with the signing of the Atlantic Charter which gave the right to all people to choose the form of government under which they would live. The Gold Coasters used this as the bargaining chip to press home their demand for self government.

Pan-Africanism was also an influential factor. Pan-Africanism according to Adjaye(1995) is a set of ideas ,emotions, and ideologies that espoused unity among Africans living on the continent and those of Africans descent in the Diaspora. Nationalism as a principle of Pan-Africanism is a belief in and maintaining of a self governing nation state. This greatly influenced Kwame Nkrumah the man who led Ghana to independence. Marzui & Tidy (1984) indicated that at the 5th delegate's conference of the Pan-Afriacanists movement, delegates agreed to fight in every way for freedom, democracy and social betterment in their countries. It was in this light that Kwame Nkrumah called for African unity even after most African nations had gained independence. So clearly, Pan-Africanism was also the driving force behind the independence of the people of the Gold coast.

In conclusion, it is abundantly clear that although there is no clear chronology of nationalist agitations in the Gold coast, the passion of the people to fight for what they believed in started long ago. The analysis above amply demonstrates that in contrast to what others think, the people of the Gold Coast did not sit aloof for the white man to rule them. The people of the Gold coast saw self government as the agenda for the nationalism after the Second World War. The people who led this agenda were mostly the educated elite and political figures. They used mass agitations and boycotts to press home their demands. Economic hardships as well as discriminations at home were the keys that sparked their anger for self government as a national objective. The Second World War broke the myth surrounding the white man while Pan-Africanism helped to mount both local and international pressure on the colonizer.