The Gunpowder Behind Ghana’s Cocoa Boom: Examining How International Market Pressure and British Colonial Policies Created Ghana’s Cocoa Market

Authors

Chase Arnold, Brigham Young University
Sheila Bibb, Brigham Young University

Keywords

gunpowder, Ghana, cocoa, international market, British colonial policies

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

At the turn of the 20th century, British imperialism renewed with remarkable vigor. The British Empire was expanded, its borders defined, and greater effort was invested into making each of its distant lands more profitable for Crown and country. A remarkable, yet often overlooked, portion of this colonial narrative belongs to the Republic of Ghana in West Africa, which was then known as the British Gold Coast. For several centuries following the first European encounters, the Gold Coast was primarily tied into the Atlantic slave trade, serving as a lucrative market where Africans could be both bought and sold for great profit, hence its name. However, with the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807, colonial officers had to seek new, legitimate commerce within their territories. This was realized through a number of cash crops including palm wine, rubber, and even coffee. However, in the 20th century, the Gold Coast transitioned to a new cash crop that drastically affected the colony’s economy, its people, and eventually its government. This new crop was cocoa. With my Orca Grant, I explored the historical and anthropological repercussions from the development of this crop.

Recommended Citation

Arnold, Chase and Bibb, Sheila (2013) "The Gunpowder Behind Ghana’s Cocoa Boom: Examining How International Market Pressure and British Colonial Policies Created Ghana’s Cocoa Market," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 152.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/152