A Survey of the Gold Coast (Southern Ghananian) Newspapers in the Latter Half of Nineteenth Century

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  • MIZOBE Yasuo
    M. A. Programme, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana

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  • 19世紀後半イギリス領ゴールド・コーストの新聞事情
  • 19セイキ コウハン イギリスリョウ ゴールド コースト ノ シンブン ジジョウ

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In the Gold Coast, the spread of Western education and the influx of educated Sierra Leoneans in the second half of nineteenth century caused an increase in the population that was literate in English. The expansion of the literate class activated discussions in English, which formed the basis of the publication of newspapers. Such newspapers could be regarded as one of the important written sources for examining the contemporary historical issues of the Gold Coast; this is because they allow us to directly access the discussions and arguments of the editors, writers and contributors through the articles and letters that they contain. However, when we refer to these articles and letters as historical documents, it is indispensable to clarify the conditions under which the newspapers conveying them were published.<br>In order to elucidate these aspects, this paper surveys the characteristics of the newspapers published in the Gold Coast in the latter half of the nineteenth century, particularly with regard to the years, place and frequency of publication; the newspaper's price, number of pages and size; and the names of the editor, publisher, proprietor and printer. The author also examines the following questions: how many copies were published, what kinds of people subscribed to or read these newspapers, how was the newspaper business managed in those days, what was the tone of the press, and how did the colonial authorities react to them? The appendix contains further information on the collection of the nineteenth-century Gold Coast newspaper issues owned by the libraries and archives at which the author has so far conducted this research (the British Library Newspaper Library at Colindale; the Ghana National Archives, now known as the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD); and the Balme Library, University of Ghana at Legon).

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