Writings of Ekra-Agiman (Joseph Casely Hayford)

Ekra-Agiman (1866-1930) - also known as Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford - was born in what is now Ghana and was a pioneering African nationalist. This set of three volumes comprises two of his key political texts, and his African novel which explores different facets of the African personality.

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Ekra-Agiman (1866-1930) - also known as Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford - was born in what is now Ghana and later qualified as a lawyer in the UK, returning to the Gold Coast in 1896. Ekra-Agiman was a pioneering African nationalist, helping to found the National Congress of British West Africa in 1920. "The Truth about the West African Land Question" (Volume 1 in this set) was written on behalf of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society in protest against British control of land administration in the Gold Coast. The text is a compelling call for the formation of a modern West African national identity and the establishment of "free institutions" within an enlightened British imperial unity. Ekra-Agiman viewed the expansion of British influence in Africa with mixed feelings. British models inspired his call for reform of indigenous African government. But, as he argued in his "Gold Coast Native Institutions" (Volume 2), British rule in West Africa was "retrogressive rather than progressive", inhibiting the development of a national spirit and failing to foster democratic self-government.
"Ethiopia Unbound" (Volume 3) is cast in the form of a novel - indeed it is the first African novel published in English. Through a series of dialogues between its two protagonists, Kwamankra and his English friend, Whitely, Ekra-Agiman explores different facets of what he believed was a generic African personality, expressed in ideas about God and spirituality. Though heavily critical of African rulers, he maintains that African culture can be preserved, adapted and modernized. This three-volume collection - and the series of which it forms the first part - should be of interest to African specialists and to those working in political history and cultural studies more generally.