Tales of Land with Gold I

Since the dawn of time, or at least since we started picking shiny things off the ground, gold has been the go-to material for flaunting wealth. From the pharaohs of Egypt encasing themselves in golden sarcophagi to modern rappers with chains heavy enough to challenge any neck muscle - it's always been gold upon gold upon gold, and to quote Trinidad James, it's all gold everything. 
 
Once upon a time, along the western shores of Africa, there was a place so abundant in gold that it was clear Mother Nature took her sweet time there. This place, known to many as the Gold Coast (now modern-day Ghana), wasn't just a scenic spot for gram-worthy sunset photos—it was a historical hotbed of gold mining, culture, and a dash of colonist intrigue (meddling). 

In the 15th century, the Porteguese arrived first, brandishing crosses in one hand and swords the other, you know how you do. They built a fort called Elmina, a name derived from the portuguese word for 'the mine'. This would be the first of many forts.

The British weren't exactly neigbourly when they landed - it was more “Hi, we’ve decided you’re part of our empire now, and you can thank us later”.  Imagine it from the perspective of the local people, minding your own business, talking about the local palm oil harvest, when suddenly a man in a red coat stumbles into your village and says something about being in charge and hands you a  tax bill.

Despite the colonizers' best efforts, the people of the Gold Coast were not content to remain silent spectators. Resistance brewed, often in the form of whispered defiance and overt rebellion. Names like Yaa Asantewaa, the queen mother of Ejisu, struck fear in colonial hearts. When the British demanded the Golden Stool of the Ashanti (a sacred symbol of power), Yaa Asantewaa famously declared, "Over my dead body!" and led her people into battle.

By the mid-20th century, a change was coming. Enter the man, Kwame Nkrumah, a charismatic visionary with a taste for sharp suits and a greater one for sharper rhetoric. Under his leadership, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957. The Union Jack was lowered, and the Ghanaian flag rose, a vibrant tricolor with a black star that seemed to wave bye bye at its colonial past.

Danny J