the role of john mensah sarbah in the arps

He was interested in promoting agriculture, and wrote an article on The Oil Palm and Its Products in 1909. The Sacking of 8 SHS Girls for Slandering The President: Examining The Missing Father Equation, Gone but not forgotten by the Phobians fraternity as Hearts captain pens goodbye message to the fans, Seven Important Good Parenting Tips Parents Have To Know, Leaked Tape: NLA Deputy CEO "Rubbishes" Danquah Dombo Busia Tradition, Man City crushed out of the Carabao Cup; Jamie Redknapp slams Guardiola's side for poor performance, Opera News is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Opera News. Over 50 years after his death, the University of Ghana, in 1963, named Mensah Sarbah Hall after him for his services to education. He made a lasting mark on national life in politics, education, and law. It has turned out some of the countrys best known public figures in all walks of life, men such as Alex Quaison-Sackey, former President of the General Assembly of UN, Dr. K A Busia, Kofi Annan, the immediate past General Secretary of the United Nations. In 1892 Sarbah led the fight against a bill that proposed to transfer administration of public lands from African chiefs to British officials. 0000020815 00000 n Bonds: Citizens warn government not to touch their individual bond investments. [4][5], Mensah Sarbah was appointed a member of the Legislative Council in 1901,[6] and was re-appointed in 1906. Please accept by clicking on the 'Accept' button on your screen. /Filter [/FlateDecode ] As the third child and a male born on Friday, he was called Kofi Mensah at home and by close friends. W. T. Balmer. [4], The Gold Coast ARPS formed as a conglomerate of different groups of intellectuals in Cape Coast and Southern Ghana who sought to protect the traditional land tenure practices of the indigenous Gold Coast peoples from being usurped by the British colonial government. Some of the methods used by the ARPS included campaigns in local newspapers, namely the Gold Coast Methodist Times and the Gold Coast Aborigines in the late nineteenth century and the Gold Coast Nation and the Gold Coast Leader during the first two decades of the twentieth century. He was born at Cape Coast in 1864, and . Jacob Kwaw Wilson Sey (10 March 1832 - 22 May 1902), also known as Kwaa Bonyi, was a colonial era Fante artisan, farmer, philanthropist, nationalist and the first recorded indigenous multi-millionaire on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana). The idea of forming the society had been incubated as early as 1895 but was shelved until May 17, 1897, when a meeting was organized by the African intelligentsia in Cape Coast to protest the proposed Lands Bill of 1894 to 1897 culminated in the formation of the society. 0 /Type /Page However, the Gold Coast ARPS was interested not only in the protection of the rights of the native peoples in the Gold Coast but also with the larger global struggles of the African diaspora, including the United States, Europe and the West Indies. Overall, however, the protest politics of the ARPS went beyond mere reformism. He was educated at the Cape Coast Wesleyan . /S 144 His father sent him to England when he was sixteen to continue his education. [11] These criticisms of the desires and motives of the Gold Coast ARPS are strengthened by the outcome of the Native Administration Ordinance of 1927, which allowed chiefs of indigenous Gold Coast groups to have direct interaction with the colonial government. He was born on 3rd June 1864, in Anomabu in the Fante Confederacy in the Gold Coast. endobj Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Moreover, in the attempts by the Gold Coast ARPS to engage globally with other anti-imperialist and pan-Africanist movements, the Gold Coast ARPS required large sums of money to fund their trips, which they often acquired by charging tribal heads of local communities disproportionate fees to become members of the Gold Coast ARPS. 0000014189 00000 n The ARPS opposed the Lands Bill of 1897, which threatened the traditional system of African land tenure. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. /Length 296 [9] Moreover, the key players in the Gold Coast ARPS predicated their belief in a movement against the Lands Bill of 1897 on the assumption that the economic interests of the [village] chiefs were identical with those of the rural population as a whole.[9] This assumption was necessary in the cultivation of support for the opposition of the Lands Bill of 1897 because it fueled public support for a return to traditional forms of land tenure that had vested land ownership in the hands of rural peoples instead of in the hands of foreign actors. When, for financial reasons, the Wesleyan Mission closed down the Cape Coast Wesleyan School, he and some other nationalists revived it, financed it, and renamed it the Collegiate School. He was the first African barrister from the then Gold Coast. 50 0 obj To Sarbah this went against the democratic traditions of the Fante. The connection of the Gold Coast ARPS with the global movements for freedom and rights for people of colour began with interactions between the leaders of Gold Coast ARPS and other anti-imperialist and pan-Africanist leaders abroad and ended with Gold Coast ARPS involvement with the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress. << Telling the business story of the late lawyer, senior law partner, Kojo Bentsil Enchil said the late Sarbah was the greatest aggregate of an achiever in the Gold Coast and in present day Ghana in the lawyer profession. /ID [<28bf4e5e4e758a4164004e56fffa0108><28bf4e5e4e758a4164004e56fffa0108>] >> Some other sources (including Magnus Sampson, 1969) give 6 November 1910 as the date of Mensah Sarbahs death. [10], A common critique of the Gold Coast ARPS was that its members sought to garner greater financial and political gain for the African bourgeoisie and elites, rather than for the common people. Concerning the competence and compellability of a spouse as a witness in a criminal trial in which the other spouse was the accused, he proposed that no distinction should-be made between the spouse in Christian marriage and the spouse in a customary marriage (The distinction, as he-had suggested, was to be abolished in 1960). John Mensah Sarbah was the first lawyer of the Gold Coast that helped in the documentation of the customary laws of the Gold Coast and present day Ghana. He also proposed that native tribunals should be given a definite and well-defined place in the judicial structure. /Outlines 16 0 R The society also had a secretary and a treasurer. Born in the Gold Coast in 1864, John Mensah Sarbah qualified as a barrister in London and later became a leading critic of British colonial rule, especially in connection with land ownership. C.F. He had married Marian Wood of Accra in 1904, and they had three children. Early Life Contemporaries such as Reverend Attoh Ahuma lamented that Sarbah's work was not appropriately appreciated in his time as he "did not strive for popularity nor was he vainglorious nor egotistical." Its overall influence was felt throughout the Gold Coast, especially in districts where there was a sizeable number of African intellectuals, such as Krobo and Akuapem in the Eastern Province. /Size 51 He therefore published two books,Fanti Customary Laws(1897), andFanti National Constitution (1906). 22 0 obj Content created and supplied by: Royalvibes (via Opera Amazon.com: John Mensah Sarbah: Books 10 results RESULTS Fanti customary laws, a brief introduction to the principles of the native laws and customs of the Fanti and Akan districts of the Gold Coast, with a . Sarbah House, at Mfantsipim, is named for him. Joseph William Egyanka Appiah (later Jemisimiham Jehu-Appiah) later became a member through Attoh Ahuma, and was part of the delegation that went to UK to protest to the Queen to release all Ghana lands into the hands of natives. But his interest in politics, which he had shown during his student days in England, led him to take a more active part in political life. >> John Mensah Sarbah was one of the most prominent nationalists of the Gold Coast in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Azu Crabbe, John Mensah Sarbah: His Life and Works, Accra, 1971. As a legislator he was interested in law reform, and tried his best to prevent the passage of laws inimical to the interests of his countrymen. On the strength of the good reports the school had received, the Wesleyan Mission resumed its management under the principal-ship of the Rev. The ARPS had been preceded by the activities of the Mfantsi Amanbuhu Fekuw (Fante National Association), led by members of the African intelligentsia, including John Mensah Sarbah, J. W. de Graft Johnson, Chief J. D. Abraham, and J. P. Brown. He was also the first African from the Gold Coast to be called to the Bar. << If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform, Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society. The society also remained elitist, and its decisions were made by a few individuals at the helm of the organization. The ARPS remained the voice of colonized Africans until its demise in the 1930s. John Mensah Sarbah was educated at the Cape Coast Wesleyan School, and at Taunton School Devon, England. Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS), The Ahanta kings head that was preserved in a jar at a Dutch Laboratory, Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO, How Ghanas 1966 World cup boycott led to Africas inclusion, Furious Mesut Ozil agent explains why classless Arsenal signed Thomas Partey on transfer deadline day, WBA and Brighton race to sign Andre Ayew from Swansea City, Ghana National Anthem sang in All Local Dialect. Originally established by traditional leaders and the educated elite to protest the Crown Lands Bill of 1896 and the Lands Bill of 1897, which threatened traditional land tenure, the Gold Coast ARPS became the main political organisation that led organised and sustained opposition against the colonial government in the Gold Coast, laying the foundation for political action that would ultimately lead to Ghanaian independence. John Mensah Sarbah (1864- 1910) John Mensah Sarbah, also known as "Kofi Mensah", patriot and statesman, was one of the most outstanding nationalists of the Gold Coast at the turn of the 20th century. He entered Lincolns Inn in London in 1884 to study law, and qualified as a barrister in 1887, being the first African from the Gold Coast to gain this qualification. His first act in this direction was to found a Dutton scholarship at Taunton School in memory of his younger brother, Joseph Dutton Sarbah, who had died there in 1892. An idea of particular interest to the Gold Coast ARPS was the creation of trade among "all of us who are of African blood". For example, society never developed in the adjoining Eastern Province. This is clear evidence to the effect that aside his legal profession, he had massive interest in education, politics, business and Agriculture. endobj [5] It was through their meeting with Joseph Chamberlain that the Gold Coast ARPS was able to get support for the denunciation of the Lands Bill of 1897 and the assurance that "native law would remain and prevail with regard to devolution of land". He touted the late lawyer as one who represented the largest number of three thousand cases at the Cape Coast Supreme court in his days. some cases thereon decided in the Law Courts) Discover new books on Goodreads See if your friends have read any of John Mensah Sarbah's books Join Goodreads Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [8] This reclamation of nomenclature influenced the naming of the "Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society," as it was originally conceived as a branch of the Aborigines' Protection Society of London but later renamed so as to serve as its own unique entity with a direct connection to the African continent in general and the Gold Coast in particular. some cases thereon decided in the Law Courts by John Mensah Sarbah | Sep 21, 2020 5 Hardcover $1844 His successors in this field were J. E. Casely Hayford, and Dr. J. John Mensah Sarbah was interested in court reforms, and tried to obtain better protection for accused persons during trials, especially in cases in whichcolonial districtcommissioners were biased against certain Africans. He was interested in court reforms, and tried to obtain better protection for accused persons during trials, especially in cases in which colonial district commissioners were biased against certain Africans. /Parent 20 0 R It is the aim of the foundation set by his descendants is to promote educational scholarships and digitally archived the works of the late John Mensah Sarbah. In 1904 he married Marion Wood from Accra and they had three children. 25 0 obj Opera News does not consent to nor does it condone the posting of any content that violates the rights (including the copyrights) of any third party, nor content that may malign, inter alia, any religion, ethnic group, organization, gender, company, or individual. Answer: In 1897 he worked with JE Casely Hayford, JP Brown, JW de Graft Johnson, and others to form the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS). His successors in this field were J. E. Casely Hayford, andDr. J. He was born at Cape Coast in 1864, and was the eldest son of John Sarbah, a merchant, and of his wife Sarah. [citation needed]. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. But his interest in politics, which he had shown during his student days in England led him to take a more active part in political life. /Info 21 0 R For much of the southern regions of the Gold Coast, the ARPS gained political ascendancy because of its ability to capitalize on publicity in the local newspapers. 0000029491 00000 n This article was reprinted from The Encyclopedia Africana Dictionary of African Biography (In 20 Volumes). The Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS) was an African anti-colonialist organization formed in 1897 in the Gold Coast, as Ghana was then known. /Root 23 0 R In 1892 his father died, arid he also took over his fattiers business. >> ". On his return to the Gold Coast, he became a leading critic of British Imperial rule. He founded a scholarship scheme called the Dutton Sarbah Scholarship at Mfantsipim School and helped pay the salaries of the staff when the school encountered financial difficulties.[9]. If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform He also helped to establish the Fanti National Education Fund, which aimed at improving educational facilities in the country and also awarded scholarships. 0000034111 00000 n Fanti National Constitution, London, 1906. He waborn at Cape Coast in 1864and was the eldest son of John Sarbaha merh nd o SaahHe [10] In addition to the news of successful anti-colonial movements, the Gold Coast ARPS was interested in the growing formation of pan-African conferences that sought to discuss "questions 'affecting the Native races'". << [7] As part of the emergence of cultural nationalism during the late 19th century, members of the educated elite throughout the Western African region began to return to their traditional roots by either reclaiming their "original African names, when these could be discovered" or "new African names when they could not". A definite and well-defined place in the 1930s promoting agriculture, and they had three children was also the African. Return to the Gold Coast proposed that native tribunals should be given a definite well-defined... The good reports the School had received, the Wesleyan Mission resumed management! 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