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The Politics of Land and Urban Space in Colonial Accra

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2014

Naaborko Sackeyfio
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Abstract:

This article connects the colonial land ordinances and laws of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century with the changing meanings of property, to show both their impact, and how these developments resonated for the Ga-inhabitants of Accra and the Gold Coast Colony. The laws and African responses to them illustrate the ways in which property took on new meaning for a variety of groups. It also presents the framework for understanding why litigation, and the production of land claims became a central feature of land affairs in Accra with the continued development of the town. This analysis contributes to the existing literature on property rights in colonial Gold Coast by carefully considering the intricacies and nuances of land disputes in the colonial capital, and their intersection with larger transformations in land affairs.

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Type
Urban Issues
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History in Africa , Volume 39 , 2012 , pp. 293 - 329
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2012

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