Albert Adu Boahen
Encyclopedia
Albert Kwadwo Adu Boahen (May 24, 1932 – May 24, 2006) was a Ghanaian academic, historian, and politician. He was an academic at the University of Ghana
from 1959 to 1990, since 1971 as a professor. As a politician, he notably was a candidate in the 1992
, representing the then main opposition New Patriotic Party
.
to Presbyterian parents, and had his ancestral roots in Juaben-Asante. He attended religious schools between 1938 and 1947. He then spent three years at the Mfantsipim School
before enrolling in history studies at the University College of the Gold Coast
in Legon
. He graduated in 1956. In 1959 he received a Ph.D in African history from the School of Oriental and African Studies
in London
, as the first Ghanaian.
He was employed at the University of Ghana
in 1959, and was a professor from 1971 to his retirement in 1990. He chaired the Department of History there from 1967 to 1975, as the first African to do so, and was a dean from 1973 to 1975. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of African History published by Cambridge University Press
, and was a visiting scholar
at such institutions as the Australian National University
in 1969, Columbia University
in 1970 and the State University of New York
in 1990 and 1991. Between 1993 and 1999, he also worked in the UNESCO
committee that published the eight-volume work General History of Africa.
Jerry Rawlings
, who had served continuously since 1981. The lectures, originally held in the British Council Hall in Accra
, were published in 1998 as The Ghanaian Sphinx: The Contemporary History of Ghana 1972-1987.
In 1990 he co-founded the Movement for Freedom and Justice, and served as its first chairman. The ban on political parties in Ghana was lifted in 1992. In the subsequent 1992 presidential election
, Boahen was the New Patriotic Party
's nominee. He lost to Jerry Rawlings, but received 30.4% of the vote. Due to dissatisfaction with alleged ballot rigging in that election, Boahen boycotted the next Ghanaian parliamentary election in 1992
. In the Ghanaian presidential election in 1996
, John Kufour stood as candidate for the New Patriotic Party, and fared somewhat better than Boahen with 39.6%. In 1998, Boahen tried to return as New Patriotic Party presidential nominee, but Kufour was chosen instead. Ultimately, Kufour won the Ghanaian presidential election, 2000
and became President.
Boahen spoke out against Marxist history early in his career. Politically, he described himself as "a liberal democrat
, a believer in the freedom of the individual, the welfare of the governed, and in private enterprise and the market economy
".
, and in 2003 a Festchrift named Ghana in Africa and the World was released, edited by Toyin Falola
. The UNESCO awarded him the Avicenna Silver Medal.
Boahen died on May 24, 2006, the same day he turned 74 years old. He left behind his wife Mary Adu Boahen and their five children. Somewhat surprisingly, Jerry Rawlings was among the mourners that paid visit to his family. He was honored with a state funeral
, and in June 2006 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana
. John Kufour inaugurated a National Honours Day on 30 June, and several others were awarded the Order.
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
from 1959 to 1990, since 1971 as a professor. As a politician, he notably was a candidate in the 1992
Ghanaian presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in Ghana on 3 November 1992. The result was a victory for Jerry John Rawlings, who won 58.4% of the vote. Voter turnout was 50.2%.-Results:...
, representing the then main opposition New Patriotic Party
New Patriotic Party
-External links:*...
.
Academia
Boahen was born in OseimOseim
Oseim is a small town in the Volta Region of southeastern Ghana. It was the birthplace of Albert Adu Boahen....
to Presbyterian parents, and had his ancestral roots in Juaben-Asante. He attended religious schools between 1938 and 1947. He then spent three years at the Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim SchoolMotto:Dwen Hwe Kan .Established: 3rd April 1876.Public School . Affiliated with Wesleyanism/Methodist Church.Head of school: Kwame Mieza Edjah.Staff:85....
before enrolling in history studies at the University College of the Gold Coast
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
in Legon
Legon
Legon, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital city Accra, is situated about twelve kilometres north-east of the city center. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. The word "Legon" is derived from the indigenous Ga language of the people of Greater Accra; NI-LEY GON therefore "Hill...
. He graduated in 1956. In 1959 he received a Ph.D in African history from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, as the first Ghanaian.
He was employed at the University of Ghana
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
in 1959, and was a professor from 1971 to his retirement in 1990. He chaired the Department of History there from 1967 to 1975, as the first African to do so, and was a dean from 1973 to 1975. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of African History published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, and was a visiting scholar
Visiting scholar
In the world of academia, a visiting scholar or visiting academic is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university, where he or she is projected to teach , lecture , or perform research on a topic the visitor is valued for...
at such institutions as the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in 1969, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1970 and the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
in 1990 and 1991. Between 1993 and 1999, he also worked in the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
committee that published the eight-volume work General History of Africa.
Politics
Boahen's academic work crossed over into politics. In February 1988 he publicly lectured on the history of Ghana from 1972 to 1987. Because of this, he is credited with breaking the so-called "culture of silence" which marked the regime of PresidentPresident of Ghana
The President of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana. Officially styled President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghanaian Armed Forces. The current President of Ghana is Prof. John Atta Mills, who took office in January...
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry Rawlings
Jerry John Rawlings is a former leader of the Republic of Ghana and now the African Union envoy to Somalia. Rawlings ruled Ghana as a military dictator in 1979 and from 1981 to 1992 and then as the first elected president of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001...
, who had served continuously since 1981. The lectures, originally held in the British Council Hall in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, were published in 1998 as The Ghanaian Sphinx: The Contemporary History of Ghana 1972-1987.
In 1990 he co-founded the Movement for Freedom and Justice, and served as its first chairman. The ban on political parties in Ghana was lifted in 1992. In the subsequent 1992 presidential election
Ghanaian presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in Ghana on 3 November 1992. The result was a victory for Jerry John Rawlings, who won 58.4% of the vote. Voter turnout was 50.2%.-Results:...
, Boahen was the New Patriotic Party
New Patriotic Party
-External links:*...
's nominee. He lost to Jerry Rawlings, but received 30.4% of the vote. Due to dissatisfaction with alleged ballot rigging in that election, Boahen boycotted the next Ghanaian parliamentary election in 1992
Ghanaian parliamentary election, 1992
The Ghanaian parliamentary election was held on 29 December 1992. This were the first parliamentary elections since the 1979 election, 13 years earlier. Presidential elections were held earlier on 3 November 1992. Only 28.1% of the registered voters turned out for the parliamentary elections...
. In the Ghanaian presidential election in 1996
Ghanaian presidential election, 1996
The Ghanaian presidential elections were held on 7 December 1996. Parliamentary elections were held on the same day. The result was a victory for the incumbent, Jerry Rawlings of the National Democratic Congress. Voter turnout was 78.3%.-Results:...
, John Kufour stood as candidate for the New Patriotic Party, and fared somewhat better than Boahen with 39.6%. In 1998, Boahen tried to return as New Patriotic Party presidential nominee, but Kufour was chosen instead. Ultimately, Kufour won the Ghanaian presidential election, 2000
Ghanaian presidential election, 2000
The Ghanaian presidential elections were held on 7 December 2000 with a second ballot on 28 December 2000.Parliamentary elections were held on 7 December 2000.There were seven candidates in the first round of elections on 7 December 2000...
and became President.
Boahen spoke out against Marxist history early in his career. Politically, he described himself as "a liberal democrat
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
, a believer in the freedom of the individual, the welfare of the governed, and in private enterprise and the market economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
".
Legacy and death
Boahen was a member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and SciencesGhana Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences is an arts and science institution of Ghana, based in the capital Accra. It was founded in 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination of knowledge in all branches of the sciences and the humanities.It formally...
, and in 2003 a Festchrift named Ghana in Africa and the World was released, edited by Toyin Falola
Toyin Falola
Toyin Omoyeni Falola is a Nigerian Historian and professor of African Studies. He is currently the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History at the University of Texas at Austin. Falola earned his B.A. and Ph.D. in History at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife in Nigeria...
. The UNESCO awarded him the Avicenna Silver Medal.
Boahen died on May 24, 2006, the same day he turned 74 years old. He left behind his wife Mary Adu Boahen and their five children. Somewhat surprisingly, Jerry Rawlings was among the mourners that paid visit to his family. He was honored with a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
, and in June 2006 he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana
Order of the Star of Ghana
The Order of the Star of Ghana is the highest award given by the Government of Ghana to any individual who had helped the cause of the country in one way or the other. Recipients of this award are decorated at a state function, chaired by the President of the Republic....
. John Kufour inaugurated a National Honours Day on 30 June, and several others were awarded the Order.
Partial bibliography
- Britain, the Sahara and the Western Sudan 1788-1861. London - Oxford 1964 (Boahen's Dissertation)
- Topics in West African History. Harlow – London 1966
- Ghana: Evolution and Change in the 19th and 20th Centuries. London 1975.
- The Revolutionary Years: West Africa Since 1800 Accra - London 1975
- Politics in Ghana, 1800-1874, in, J. F. Ade Ajayi u. Michael Crowder History of West Africa. London 1977 (3. Aufl.), Bd. 2, S. 167-260.
- African Perspectives of Colonialism. Baltimore 1987.
- The Ghanaian Sphinx: Reflections on the Contemporary History of Ghana, 1972 - 1987. - Accra 1989
- Mfantsipim and the making of Ghana: A Centenary History, 1876 - 1976. - Accra 1996
- Yaa Asantewaa and the Asante – British War of 1900-1. Accra 2003.
- Africa in the Twentieth Century: The Adu Boahen Reader. Trenton N. J. 2005.
- Albert Adu Boahen (with Beiträgen von J. B Webster u. M. Tidy), The Revolutionary Years: West Africa since 1800. London 1980