Publisher Description

The end of World War I saw the former German protectorate of Togoland split into British- and French-administered territories. By the 1950s a political movement led by the Ewe ethnic group called for the unification of British and French Togoland into an independent multiethnic state. Despite the efforts of the Ewe, the United Nations trust territory of British Togoland was ultimately merged with the Gold Coast to become Ghana, the first independent nation in sub-Saharan Africa; French Togoland later declared independence as the nation of Togo. Based on interviews with former political activists and their families, access to private papers, and a collection of oral and written propaganda, this book examines the history and politics behind the failed project of Togoland unification. Kate Skinner challenges the marginalization of the Togoland question from popular and academic analyses of postcolonial politics and explores present-day ramifications of the contingencies of decolonization.

Author Biography

Kate Skinner is a Lecturer in the History of Africa and its Diasporas at the University of Birmingham.

Table of Contents

1. Ablode: African political history, from below and from within; 2. Godly teachers and clever rascals: Southern British Togoland's intelligentsia; 3. Education, citizenship and the 'sacred trust'; 4. Revealing stepfather's secrets: making and losing the case for Togoland reunification; 5. Activists in exile: political possibility in the postcolony; 6. 'No one will hear your name again': the terms of the union; 7. Of elephants and umbrellas: Ablode in Ghana's political traditions.

Review

'Kate Skinner has written an outstanding book. It is an elegant, powerful study of an unrealised vision of the future that gripped Togoland during the tumult of decolonisation and its lasting significance.' Daniel Branch, University of Warwick 'Beautifully written and engagingly argued, The Fruits of Freedom in British Togoland is a brilliant, articulate new model for political history bridging the colonial/post-colonial divide. Kate Skinner provides an original, innovative and creative solution to many of the perils associated with post-colonial history, particularly in countries fraught with violence and political upheaval.' Benjamin N. Lawrance, The Hon. Barber B. Conable, Jr Endowed Chair in International Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York 'A meticulous and deeply researched study which sheds important new light on the complex relations between regional, ethnic and national identities in Africa, and the role of local intellectuals in shaping them.' J. D. Y. Peel, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of London "Kate Skinner has written an outstanding book. It is an elegant, powerful study of an unrealised vision of the future that gripped Togoland during the tumult of decolonisation and its lasting significance."
Daniel Branch, University of Warwick "Beautifully written and engagingly argued, The Fruits of Freedom in British Togoland is a brilliant, articulate new model for political history bridging the colonial/post-colonial divide. Kate Skinner provides an original, innovative and creative solution to many of the perils associated with post-colonial history, particularly in countries fraught with violence and political upheaval."
Benjamin N. Lawrance, The Hon. Barber B. Conable, Jr Endowed Chair in International Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York "A meticulous and deeply researched study which sheds important new light on the complex relations between regional, ethnic and national identities in Africa, and the role of local intellectuals in shaping them."
J. D. Y. Peel, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of London

Review Quote

"Kate Skinner has written an outstanding book. It is an elegant, powerful study of an unrealised vision of the future that gripped Togoland during the tumult of decolonisation and its lasting significance." Daniel Branch, University of Warwick

Promotional "Headline"

The Fruits of Freedom in British Togoland examines the history and politics behind the failed project of Togoland unification.

Description for Bookstore

The Fruits of Freedom in British Togoland examines the history and politics behind the failed project of Togoland unification, in which the United Nations trust territory of British Togoland was to be separated from the Gold Coast to join with French Togoland in a new independent African state.

Description for Library

The Fruits of Freedom in British Togoland examines the history and politics behind the failed project of Togoland unification, in which the United Nations trust territory of British Togoland was to be separated from the Gold Coast to join with French Togoland in a new independent African state.

Details