UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
HERITAGE ASSETS IN CAPE COAST METROPOLITAN AREA
BY
IFOSTER FREMPONG
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THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND
TOURISM OF FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF
CAPE COAST IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PIllLOSOPHY IN TOURISM
AUGUST 2008
THE LIBRARY ".. - ~~
l.tu"'~"SITY OF CAPE COJl~T
DECLARATION
Candidate's declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own original work and that
no part of it has been presented for another degree in this University or
elsewhere.
Candidate's Signature: ..
Name: Foster Frempong
Supervisors' Declaration
. ~ - ~-' 2cJl)gDate .
We hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the thesis were
supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision of thesis laid
down by the University of Cape Coast.
Prinoipol SUP"'"'O'" Signature,.~. Date, ...'!i.::::..'t.::::.?:":"'6
Name: Prof. L. A. Dei
Co-Supe,,"'o", Sigoature, ....rff1~.~~.~ Da'., ...F!?;,!"",,,::,:.'?
Name: Dr. Francis E. Amuquandoh
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ABSTRACT
Heritage assets need to be identified, catalogued and conserved for
posterity. If not preserved, some assets tend to be at risk of disappearing. The
study so~ght to identify and document heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Structured observation and survey questionnaire were used to solicit
information on the study. A total of 140 heads of household or their
representatives were used for the survey from January to August, 2007.
Seventy four (74) heritage assets were identified and these were
classified into six resource categories. These are socio-cultural, resources
associated with historic persons, pleasure garden, education, religious,
military and other resources. These assets are owned by family, community,
institution or government. Some of the assets are at risk of disappearing.
Residents associate cultural, economic, historical and political benefits with
assets in Cape Coast. Assets in Cape Coast are affected by both natural and
anthropological threats. Some of these threats are soil erosion, dumping of
waste, neglect, development, vandalism and others. Conserving heritage assets
is essential in preserving the assets and associated histories attached to the
assets.
Heritage assets in Cape Coast are worthy of conservation because the
assets are of diverse nature that could be used for tourism cultural, ,
educational and entertainment purposes. The threats that affect the assets need
to be considered and managed to protect and maintain the assets for posterity.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to acknowledge people who in diverse ways helped to produce
this work.
I am grateful to my supervisors Prof. L. A. Dei and Dr. F. E.
Amuquandoh for their kind supervision and constructive comments. To the
lecturers at the Department of Geography and Tourism: Prof. A. M. Abane,
Prof. K. Awusabo-Asare, Dr. Oheneba Akyeampong, Mr. Kwaku A. Boakye
and the others, I am deeply grateful for your encouragement, helpful
comments, suggestions and upholding me through this thesis.
I would like to acknowledge the support and co-operation offered by
Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhene of Oguaa Traditional area, Supi Mina
(Safohene of Bentsir Asafo Company of Cape Coast and Mr. Kwesi Essel-
Blankson (Senior Museum and Monument Education Officer), all in Cape
Coast during the data collection.
To all those who gave advice or help in any form but whose names are
not mentioned specifically, I say a sincere thank you.
III
DEDICATION
Dedicated to my parents and siblings
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Content
DECLARATION
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DEDICATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF PLATES
LIST OF ACRONYMS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Statement ofproblem
Objectives of the study
Rationale for the study
Delimitations .
Chapter Organization
Summary of chapter
CHAPTER TWO: ISSUES ON HERITAGE AND TOURISM
Introduction
Concepts and theories guiding the study
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Conservation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage Management
Model II
Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) Model 13
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The Cultural SignificanceNalue Assessment model
Heritage Assets in Ghana
Inventory of Cultural Resources
Cultural Heritage
Heritage tourism
Heritage assets in tourism
Classification of heritage resources
Importan6e of heritage assets
Conservation of heritage assets
Threats to heritage assets
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
Introduction
Study area
Location of the study area
Relief and drainage of the study area
Climate
Research design
Sources of data
Study population
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Sample size for the study
Survey data
Structured observation and GPS survey
Selection of assets
Research instrument
Training ofField Assistants
Pre-Test
Field work
Data analysis
Approach to the study
Observation and survey challenges
Summary of chapter
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
Socio-demographie characteristics of respondents
Age distribution
Sex distribution of respondents
Level of Education
Religion of respondents
Length of Stay
Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
Nature of heritage assets in Cape Coast
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Classification of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Perceived benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
Threats to Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
Nature ofThreats to heritage assets in Cape Coast
Threats by Ownership of heritage assets
Residents opinion on the near collapse ofassets in Cape Coast
Users of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Possible utilization of assets in Cape Coast
Strengths and Weaknesses of Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
Sununary of chapter
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
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IV:)
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RECOMMENDATIONS III
Introduction III
Summary of Findings 112
Conclusions 115
Recommendations 116
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Conservation of assets 116
Management of threats to assets in Cape Coast 117
Education 117
Recommendations for further research 118
Contribution to knowledge 118
Contribution to Practice 119
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REFERENCES
APPENDICES
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/LIST OF TABLES
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Table
I: Ghana International Tourist arrivals and receipts
2: Prentice's classification of heritage assets
3: Age category of respondents
4: Sex of respondents
5: Highest level of education of respondents
6: Religion of respondents
7: Length of stay
8: Classification of heritage assets by nature
9: Ownership of heritage assets in Cape Coast
10: Perceived benefits from heritage assets in Cape Coast
I I: Cultural benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of
Respondents
12: Economic benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of
Respondents
13: Historical benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of
Respondents
14: Political benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of
Respondents
15: Threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast
16: Ownership of assets by threats in Cape Coast
17: Action to be taken on deteriorating assets
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LIST OF PLATES
Plate
1: Architectural design on some assets in Cape Coast
2: Examples of threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast
3: Incidence of deterioration of heritage assets
4: Rev. S. R. N. Nicholas house to be demolished
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LIST OF ACIWNYl\lS
AFRICO~1 Intemational Council of African :'>llIsellll1s
ANOV/\
GDP
GHCTj.
GMMB
GPS
ICOMOS
TRA
UNESCO
One Way Analysis of Variance
Gross Domestic Product
Ghana I leritage and Conservation Trust
Ghana ~1useums and ~Ionllments Board
Glohal Positioning System
Intemational Council on Monuments and Sites
Threat Reduction Assessment model
United Nations Education. Scientific and Culture Organii'..ation
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USfICOMOS United States Committee. International Council on Monuments
and Sites
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Heritage is the part of culture of a group or a place that is preserved in
order to educate, inform and entertain locals, friends and visitors to a region. It
is a legacy of physical artefact and intangible attributes of a group or society
that are inherited from past generations which are maintained in the present
and bestowed for posterity. The packaging of this legacy for tourism has been
referred to as heritage tourism. Amuquandoh and Brown (2008, 77) realised
that "the issue of understanding, exploring and conquering the mystery of the
past and seeking answers to the questions posed by ancient monuments is
. something in human nature".
According to Cossons (1989), heritage tourism is about national and
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international phenomenon that conveys the message that much of the future
rests in the past because it is possible to develop the past and project them into
the future. It is these heritage assets that portray the culture of a group which
pulls visitors to a particular destination. The Bloomsbury Database of World
" English (1999, 880) defines heritage as the, "riches of past, a country's or
area's history and historical buildings and sites that are considered to be of
interest and value to present generation". Heritage denotes something inherited
from generations and it is supposed to be transmitted to the next generation.
For instance, the celebration of the Passover by the Jews, the Adaekese by the
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Asantes the Fetu Afahye by the Oguaa people and many others constitute
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cultural assets. Heritage assets serve as memories of the past, they remind a
group of people of what has happened in and during the past. The national
pledge of Ghana states "Our heritage won for us, through the blood and toil of
our fathers". This means that heritage is acquired through hardwork and
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efforts should be made to preserve them.
Heritage assets often serve as an important component in a country's
tourism industry, attracting many visitors both locally and international
(W\vw.wikipedia.com). In some parts of the world such as the United
Kingdom (UK), heritage is seen as a dynamic area in development. Tourism
and culture have a complex interdependent relationship. Tourism helps to
preserve some elements of culture while aspects of culture serve as a form of
tourism resource. Tourism product consists of a package of what destinations
offer to tourists and could be either natural or man-made resources. The man-
made attractions are the products of history and culture such as historic
artefacts.
Africa's' heritage assets are spectacular and of great variety. Specific
examples are the artworks of Central and West Africa, for example the Ife and
Ibadan bronzes, Nigerian and Malian terracotta are of long tradition of
innovation and artistic creativity on the African continent. Much of the
continent's heritage assets are found in large mtIseums around the world.
How~:yer, some aspects of the physical heritage that remains in Africa either
, rest underground, or in the hands of families, some of whom no longer hold
spiritual or sentimental attachment or who are willing to sell to the highest
bidder (AFRICOM, 2005).
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Historic attractions in Ghana include Forts, and Castles, slave routes
and other historic places while cultural attractions pertain to the friendly
character of Ghanaians. Cultural attractions consist of religious rites, festivals,
artworks, buildings and archaeological sites: all these are imbedded in cultural
attractions.
The National Tourism Development Plan for Ghana 1996 - 20 I0
classified tourism resources into four different categories: natural attractions
(including national parks and reserves, other aspects of ecotourism), historic
places (including forts and castles, other historic places and the slave route),
cultural features and other types of attractions. These resources could be
tangib_~e or intangible products. The tangible resources are those that can be
felt and touched such as forts and castles, traditional craft and other historic
artefacts. The intangible resources include folklore, storytelling, religious
rituals and festivals as well as other resources which can only be felt or
experienced by tourists. All these could be described as the services or
products delivered to tourists in their whole processes of encounter with a
destination. McKercher and Du Cros (2002) made mention of the base of the
cultural tourism products as consisting of both the tangible and the intangible
assets at the destination.
Tourism earns hard currency and is precious to developing countries.
Tourism has helped and has contributed so much to many countries. Tourism
contribution to Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the years shows
that Ghana has the potential to generate more revenue from tourism. Table I
shows tourism arrivals and receipts from 1990 to 2004. As evident from Table
1, both arrivals and receipts from tourism have steadily been increasing.
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Tourism contributed 4.9% to the GOP of Ghana and also provided 115,015
indirect and induced employment in 2004. It is hoped that the Strategic Action
Plan for tourism would have positive effect on arrivals and receipts in the year
2007.
. Based on the importance of tourism to the economy of Ghana, there is
the need to develop all aspects of the tourism products that the country can
offer. Among them is the need to conserve cultural and historical heritage
sites, items and practices in the country. [n so doing. there is the need to first
and fQremost identify the heritage resources in the country in order to conserve
them for posterity.
Table 1: Ghana International Tourist Arrivals and Receipts
Year Arrivals Receipts (US S 'M)
1991 172464 117.70
1992 213316 166.90
1993 256680 205.62
1994 271310 227.60
1995 286000 233.20
1996 304860 248.80
1997 325438 265.59
1998 347952 283.96
1999 372653 304.12
2000 399000 386.00
2001 438833 447.83
2002 482643 5[9.57
2003 530827 602.80
2004 583821 649.37
2007** [062000 1562.00
** Projections
Source: Ministry ofTourism and Oiaspora Relations, 2006
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Statement of problem
Cape Coast is one of the oldest towns in Ghana containing a significant
numb~r of heritage assets. This could be attributed to her long relations with
the Europeans and the cultural setup of the people of Cape Coast. There are
assets such as the Cape Coast Castle, Fort William, Gothic House, Mensah
Sarbah House, Asafo Companies and many others. Unfortunately for the
people of Cape Coast and Ghana as a whole, most of the assets are at risk of
disappearing. Already, valuable assets such as Gothic House and Fort
Fredrickburg have disappeared. Available evidence suggests that inadequate
conservation practices account for the rapid deterioration of the heritage assets
in the Metropolis.
Though there is a great demand at the international market for historic
resources and countries such as UK, USA, China and Australia have taken
advantage of that. Cape Coast, with its numerous potentials is yet to take
advan,t.age of this huge demand. Cape Coast is about to develop and promote
most of its heritage resources to attract visitors.
A number of assets of Cape Coast are not documented well in the
tourism attraction base of the area. This study therefore aims at identifYing the
heritage assets in Cape Coast, benefits derived from these assets, threats that
affect heritage assets in Cape Coast and other issues related to heritage assets
in Cape Coast.
Objectives of the study
The general objective of the study is to make an inventory of heritage
assets in Cape Coast and document these assets for tourism development.
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The specific objectives are to;
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identifY heritage assets in Cape Coast,
identifY benefits residents of Cape Coast associate with heritage assets
in the Metropolis,
classifY heritage assets in Cape Coast,
discuss the threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast,
assess residents perception about using the heritage assets of the area
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for tourism, durbar or other functions.
Rationale for the study
The study will contribute towards broadening the existing tourism
attraction base in Cape Coast and in the Central Region. Recognising the
importance of cultural heritage resources for tourism development, this study
is expected to contribute in diverse ways towards the understanding of
sustainability ofcultural heritage and how to utilize them in the tourism sector.
It is also expected that the study will be beneficial to prospective
tourists who are interested in cultural heritage to have information on existing
heritage sites in Cape Coast.
The study of heritage assets in Cape Coast is also consistent with the
general effort of the government to preserve the country's cultural resources
for both present use and future generations. As stated in Article 39 (4) of the
1992 Constitution:
"The State shall endem10ur to preserve and protect places of historical
interest and artifacts ".
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The study is expected to contribute to the existing knowledge on
cultural heritage in Ghana. The identified assets in Cape Coast will help
promote cultural and heritage tourism as it will provide avenue for educating,
informing and entertaining both residents and visitors. Thus the identification
of the assets will contribute to the expansion in the stock of knowledge in the
world, a factor which has become more important in the era of globalization.
The study responds to some of the aims and objectives of some
international organizations such as the ICOMOS and UNESCO in preserving
the world cultural resources. The Charter of the UNESCO states among other
things that cultural resources need to be protected as well as open to the
general public. At the national level, the study seeks to compliment the efforts
of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) by creating
awareness of the need of preserving heritage resources in the Metropolis.
Community involvement and an understanding of partnership approaches will
also be highlighted in this study thereby enlightening the communities
involved in the conservation process.
Delimitations
Conservation and management of heritage assets have extensively been
discussed by lot of researchers such as (Blake, 2000; Garrod and Fyall, 2000;
" Hassan, 1999 and Clavir, 1996), but it is beyond the ambit of this study to
engage in these issues. Thus, the research objectives and methods used in this
study will not attempt to find ways and means of conserving and managing
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heritage assets in Cape Coast. This is recommended as a direction for further
research into heritage assets.
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The research is also restricted to tangible historical and cultural
heritage resources in Cape Coast. The results cannot be generalised acrosS
other community resources in the study area.
'.. The study is not able to provide step by step procedure of dealing with
the threats that affect heritage assets in Cape Coast. The focus of the study is
to identify the threats.
Chapter Organization
. The thesis has been organized into five different chapters. Each chapter
concentrates on an aspect of heritage asset and directs it towards the
identification, benefits and threats of heritage assets in Cape Coast. Chapter
one deals with the introduction to the study, which covers the background, the
research problem, objectives and the rationale for the study of heritage assets
in Cape Coast.
Chapter two discusses issues pertaining to heritage assets and how they
are related to tourism. Issues such as the role of heritage assets in tourism
development, heritage and heritage tourism, importance of heritage assets and
threats of heritage assets just to mention a few. These are related to how
heritage assets have been perceived and managed in other parts of the world
and the threats that affect these assets. These issues could be used as a
benchmark to project into the future on heritage assets in Cape Coast. .
The third chapter is on methodological aspect of the study into heritage
assets in Cape Coast. A brief historical background of the study area has been
provided in addition to the research design and sampling procedure used for
the study. Instruments used for the data collection are explained and field
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experience provided to help future researthers in their preparation concerning
research into heritage assets and most especially the study area.
Results from the field are presented and discussed in Chapter four.
This chapter deals with the background characteristics of respondents for the
survey, heritage assets in Cape Coast and classification of these assets into
categories. Heritage benefits from residents' perspective in Cape Coast are
assessed and the threats that affect assets have also been ranked in order of
threat that affects most heritage assets.
Chapter five of the thesis is on summary, conclusions and
recommendations. Essential issues in the study have been summarised and
conclusions have been drawn pertaining to heritage assets in Cape Coast. This
chapter also provides recommendations for stakeholders on conservation,
management and education on the identified heritage· assets.
Recommendations for further research have been provided for future
researchers who are interested in heritage assets and tourism.
Summary of chapter
This chapter laid the foundation for this study. It introduced the
research problem by giving a background to the study, the problem statement
and the purpose for which this study is undertaken. The importance of the
study has been justified in the rationale. Based on these, the study can proceed
with issues on heritage and heritage tourism in the next chapter
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CHAPTER TWO
ISSUES ON HERITAGE AND TOURISM
Introduction
The chapter considers the relevant issues related to heritage assets for
tourism development. The chapter is organised under the following themes:
concepts and theories guiding the study, the role of assets in tourism
development, cultural resources, conservation of cultural heritage, heritage
and heritage tourism, classification of heritage resources, importance of assets,
conservation, threats and management of assets for tourism development It is
generally agreed among conservationists and archaeologists that assets must
be conserved for future generations, As such, some of the existing theories and
concepts on conservation of assets have been made known as well as issues
involved in conservation of assets for tourism development This has been
backed by possible challenges that are likely to be faced by those who are
interested in conservation of assets. It is therefore important to consider these
issues, the trend it has taken and how to build on for future generations.
Concepts and theories guiding the study
This section discusses the main concepts and theories that informed the
study. The purpose is to understand the concept of heritage assets, how it has
been perceived, the processes it has gone through and what the present
generation can also do to conserve assets in their areas for posterity. An
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analysis of each framework will be highlighted on the strengths and
weaknesses of each framework. At the end, sections of two different
frameworks will be adopted for the study.
Some of the frameworks that were reviewed for the study are the
Conservation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage Management
model, Threat Reduction Assessment model and the Cultural'
SignificanceNalue Assessment model. All these seck to explain almost the
same concept; however, each model brings to light different concepts,
assumptions and other dimensions explaining the concept of heritage asset
conservation.
Conservation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage
Management Model
The Conservation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage
Management model was developed by Millar (1989). The model is about
conservation of assets for heritage tourism. Millar is of the view that heritage
sites provide the tangible link between the past, present and future and they arc
the focus for the struggle between the potentially conflicting aspirations of
conservation and tourism. For example, in India conservation has failed to
keep pace with the explosion in tourism. This is what Nuryanti (1996) pointed
out at the Second World Congress on Heritage Presentation and Interpretation
at Warwick University, UK in September, 1988. Because of this, conservation
is seen as a critical issue in heritage management. Heritage tourism allows a
critical balance to be maintained between the needs of the resource and the
needs of the visitor. This is achieved through education and entertainment and
the enjoyment of heritage attractions such as nature reserves, museums,
historic houses and gardens, villages and towns by people of all ages and
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socioeconomic groups with diffcrcnt lifestyles. '111e model has been presented
III Figure I. With these, Millar is positive that there is the possibility to
de\'elop a climate of conservation awareness.
'J11e above model suggests that. for consen'alion of heritage attraction.
public access to the heritage site must go with conservation whilst
enter1ainment and economic viability of the heritage must work hand in hand
to hetter the continuity of the heritage, This same principle applies to the other
factors that influence heritage attraction. It is through this interaction that leads
to the creation of consen'ation awareness.
It is true that this model has been able to provide a tangible link of the
heritage (past present and future) but the existing relationship between and
within the variables do not necessary lead to consen'e the heritage site.
Heritage
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Public
~ Enter1ainment
Education
Better visitor
experience
Conservation
Economic
Viability
Investment
Visitor Facility Professional starr
Better
consen-ation
Continuity
Past, present future
Figure 1: Consen'ation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage
Management Model
Source: Millar, )989
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There are other factors such as involvement of stakeholders in conservation of
assets, the significance or value of the asset that will give it a reason to be
conserved and others that are related to identification and conservation of
heritage assets but the relationship is more than what has been shown in this
model. Also, the model is silent on constraints that are likely to affect.
conservation of cultural heritage. Based on these weaknesses, the
Conservation and Tourism Public Accountability of Heritage Management
model cannot be used for this study.
Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) Model
The Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) model developed by Salafsky
and Margoluis (\ 999) has been presented in Figure 2. This model was
of attributes:
condition is assumed to be assets. The asset is thought of as having a number
the group is trying to influence. With reference to this study, the target
the individual assets,•
first stcp of the model involves the identification of the target condition that
assess its progress in achieving conservation by measuring the degree to which
of steps to be undertaken before arriving at the final stage of conservation. The
these threats are reduced (Margoluis and Salafsky, 1998). It involves a number
is that if a project team can identitY the threats to assets, then the team can
designed for the conservation of biodiversity. The core principle behind TRA
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• the communities in which these assets are located
• the condition of the assets (level of deterioration)
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• the degree to which the assets themselves are able to maintain the
target condition.
The second step of the model involves identification of potential threats to
assets. The threats are grouped into internal direct threats and external direct
threats. Internal direct threats are caused by the stakeholders living at the
project site and the external direct threats are caused by outsiders. Besides, the
proximate direct threats are the indirect threats that lie behind the direct threats
and can also include opportunities that are the inverse of threats.
,Interventionsi r-----Threats,------, r-Target conditio~
Site Specilic
Biodiversity
. Forests
. Reefs
External
U
Direct Threats
Indirect
· Corporate Logging
· Water Pollution
Threats
. population Growth Il,
. Need for Cash Internal
Direct Threats
· Overhunting
· Cyanide FishIng
.........................................................................
Polley &
Advocacy
· Logging Legislation
· Fishing Taboos
Incentives
· Unlinked (Agroforest)
· Linked (Dive Tourism)
Management &
Restoration
· Proscribed Burns
· Artificial Reefs
Direct
Protection
· Private Reserves
· Marine Sanctuaries
Education &
Awareness
· School Curricula
t a Fish Restrictions
Figure 2: Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) model
Source: Salafsky and Margoluis (1999)
'. The third step is to identifY specific interventions that the project can use to
counter the threats to assets. These interventions are Iinked to various
approached used by other conservationists to reduce or stop threats to assets. ! I
The threat reduction assessment approach to measuring project success
seeks to identify threats not in order to design projects only, but to monitor
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them as well. In effect, instead of merely monitoring the target condition, the
TRA approach monitors the threats themselves as a proxy measurement of
conservation measurement.
This model has three key assumptions. First, all heritage destructions
are hu.~an-induced. Consequently loss of assets due to natural processes such
as fire is not considered a threat to asset. Second, all threats to assets at a given
site can be identified, distinguished from one another and ranked in terms of
their scale and intensity of impact and their urgency. Third, changes in all
threats can be measured or at least estimated. Thus project terms or outsider
observers will be able to systematically (either quantitatively or qualitatively)
assess the degree of reduction of all threats at any given time.
TRA has got a number of good intervention variables. There are
various ways to identifY threats to assets and the expected condition of the
asset. However, the model fails to identifY the asset in question, the
documentation of it and the strength that the asset has in terms of its value or
significance that will give more reason to conserve it.
In the model, the assumption that all destructions to assets are human-
induced (and did not regard natural processes as threat to an asset) was
modified to assume that all destructions to assets are both human and natural
induced. Assets are affected by either human or non-human factors or a
combination of both. Some assets have been destroyed by natural processes
such as fire, earthquake, hurricanes and other natural factors. The threat aspect
of the model was adopted for the study.
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The Cultural SignificanceNalue Assessment model
The Cultural SignificanceNalue Assessment model was developed by
Maso~ (2002). Mason is of the view that whether conservation decisions are
concerned with giving a building "heritage" status, deciding which building to
invest in, planning for the future of a historic site, or applying a treatment to a .
monument-use an articulation of heritage values (often called "cultural
significance") as a reference point.
Identification and Description Assessment and Analvsis Response
This had been echoed by McKercher (2001) after realising that apart
Establish
Policies
Set
Obiectives
Develop
Strategies
Synthesize
and
Monitor, Review, Revise
Site
Documentatio
nand
decisions. that are made. However, even though values are widely understood
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community needs of increasing awareness, understanding and appreciation of
from cultural heritage satistying tourist desires, they can also serve broader
cultur,e1 identities. Assessment of the values attributed to heritage is a very
important activity in any conservation effort, since values strongly shape the
Source: Mason (2002)
Figure 3: Cultural SignificanceNalue Assessment model
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to be 'critical to understanding and planning for heritage conservation, there is
little knowledge about how, pragmatically, the whole range of heritage values
can be assessed in the context of planning and decision making.
Mason (2002) confessed that methods used in the assessment of
heritage values are fraught with difficulties. These problems stem from factors
such as the diverse nature of heritage values, because there are many kinds of
values residents attach to assets such as cultural, economic, political, aesthetic,
and more some of which overlap or compete. This is due to the fact that values
change over time and are strongly shaped by contextual factors such as social
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forces, economic opportunities, and cultural trends, the fact that these values
sometimes conflict, and the wide variety of methodologies and tools for
assessing the values.
Mason (2002) is of the view that all models for conservation should
include a step in which the significance of the site in question is established. In
this model, some of the assumptions regarding the problems of value
assessment in conservation planning have been considered and dealt with.
These include the following:
• heritage conservation is best understood as a sociocultural activity, not
simply a technical practice; it encompasses many activities preceding
and following any act of material intervention;
• it is important to consider the contexts of a heritage conservation
project-social, cultural, economic, geographical, administrative-as
seriously and as deeply as the artifact/site itself is considered·,
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• the study of values is a useful way of understanding the contexts and
sociocultural aspects of heritage conservation;
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'historical, art historical, and archaeological notions held by
•
•
•
•
•
•
heritage values are by nature varied and they are often in conflict:
traditional modes of assessing "significance" rely heavily on
professionals, and they are applied basically through unidisciplinary
means;
consideration of economic values, a strong force shaping heritage and
conservation, is outside the traditional pun'iew of consen'ation
professionals. and their integration with cultural val lies presents a
particular challenge;
no single discipline or method yields a full or sufficient assessment of
heritage values; therefore, a combination of methods from a variety of
disciplines should be included in any comprehensive assessment of the
values ofa heritage site;
consen'ation management and planning should employ a strategy of
inclusiveness by calling on different disciplines and bringing in the
views of"insiders" and "outsiders" in the planning process;
a more encompassing assessment of heritage values, and integration of
these different values, will lead to better, more sustainable
consen'ation planning and management;
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• the test of more effective consen'ation planning is its responsiveness
to the needs of stakeholders. communities, and contemporary society.
It has been recognised that co-operation and stakeholders involvement in
the development process are increasingly being used in developing countries
(Reed, 1999; Timothy. 1999). The cultural significancelvalue assessment
model developed by l\'Iason (2002) seems appropriate for this study.
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-..Based on the objectives and the data needed for the study, the Cultural
SignificanceNalue Assessment model (Figure 3) was adapted to help achieve
the objectives of the study. The model has systematically been divided into
three parts: identification and description, assessment and analysis and
respof1.se to the overall activities. These steps are considered for any attempt to
conserve assets for tourism development. Again, the model places much
importance on values of assets and this is what wiII give it a reason to be
conserved. Based on the objectives of the study, first two steps in the model;
identification and description and assessment and analysis wiII be adopted for
the study.
Heritage Assets in Ghana
In Ghana, there are several heritage assets located throughout the
country. By accident of history, Ghana has a number of slave lodges, forts and
castles. There is also a number of vernacular architecture spread across the
country. The conditions of these monuments range from well preserved ones
to mere remnants in others. The forts, castles and listed buildings are hallowed
memorials of the past and which must be preserved for posterity. According to
Hassan (1999), "the road to a better future lies in reshaping our notions of our
common past and our shared human bonds". Some of the assets in the country
include slave routes from northern Ghana to the coast, the Sweet River at
Assin Manso, the Du Bois Memorial Centre, the castles and forts along the
coast of Ghana, Posuban shrines, the slave market at Abanse, Okomfo Anokye
sword, the history and culture of the various ethnic groups in the country
among others.
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Heritage assets are cultural appraisal and they may vary from one
culture to the other. What is regarded as a heritage, be it cultural or historical,
in a p'articular culture may not be necessarily given the same reverence in
another culture. Heritage assets evolve based on the importance attached to the
heritage by a particular generation at a particular time. This is the reason why
some assets have been lost entirely because the generation at that time did not
value the heritage asset. It is very rare nowadays to find children listening to
elderly people for wisdom through storytelling in Ghana. This was our
heritage and it was the way through which traditions, culture, history and
wisdom were transmitted to the younger generations. This of the people of
Ghan~.andAfrica in general was unique. This explains why there is traditional
culture, traditional history, traditional education and many others because they
were handed down to the generations through a particular form commonly
known as oral tradition. It could be said that the generation at that time placed
value ~n the good things that they were given and this gave them the power,
energy and interest to conserve them for the next generation. Balala, (cited in
AFRICOM, 2005) has noted that if Africa wants to attain sustainable
development, then our heritage cannot be neglected as has happened in the
past because such neglect has caused our people and especially the young
generations to lose touch with their cultural heritage.
Development is considered to be a process and it is built on previous
experiences to focus on future ones. Coolidge (I994, 34) made it clear that
"the untouched surface of ancient architecture bears witness to the
development of man's ideas to the continuity of history and in so doing
affords never-ceasing instruction to the passing generations, not only telling us
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what were the aspirations of men passed but also what we may hope for in the
time to come".
Inventory of Cultural Resources
·c. Culture has been defined in various ways by different people from
different perspectives. Different definitions of culture reflect different·
theoretical bases for understanding or criteria for evaluating human activity.
The word culture was derived from the Latin word "colo -ere" which means
to cultivate. Based on the epistemology of the wbrd, culture generally refers to
patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity
significance (http://www.wikipedia.com). From the anthropological point of
view, culture refers to the universal human capacity to classifY, codifY and
communicate human experiences symbolically. This has been simplified to
mean shared attitude, a particular set of attitude that characterizes a group of
people (Bloomsbury Database of World English, 1999). It is usually defined
as the way of life for an entire society. This means that culture includes the
codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behaviour and
system of belief. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2002) culture should be regarded as the set
of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society
or a social group and that it encompasses in addition to art and literature,
lifestyles, ways ofliving together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.
A common way of understanding culture is to consider it as consisting
of elements such as values, norms, institutions and artefacts that are passed· on
from generation to generation through learning. These elements of culture are
the resources of culture. Zimmerman (1951) has stated that resources are not
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they become and for that matter, it is the society that makes a potential
resource an actual cultural resource. This is so because resources are culturally
defined and according to McKercher and Du Cross (2002), resource implies
that the asset being considered has an economic value and can be exploited.
Cultural resources have varied importance such as economic and
socio-economic values. They can be viewed as having sociocultural values
too. These sociocultural values manifest themselves in historical, cultural or
symbolic, social, spiritual or religious and aesthetic aspects of culture. As
explained by Burton (1995), cultural resources is the way of life, customs,
values and behaviour of the people of a country, as expressed in their religion,
dress, cuisine, architecture and craft. The quantum of value attached to cultural
resources depends on the meaning the social group attached to the cultural
resources. In tourism, cultural resources engage the tourist's mind; they can
educate, inform and entertain depending on the type oftourist.
'. A useful way of utilizing cultural resources is to identitY them and
make them known to the public. Inventory of heritage asset deals with the
identification of the individual heritage assets within an area for a particular
period of time. According to Gartner (1996), many inventories of assets
recommend the use of a checklist of attractions located in the area of interest.
Tourism attractions are not always easy to identitY so Gartner (1996)
suggested that, the first step in attraction development is to make an inventory
of all existing and potential attractions in an area. The inventory of resource as
the first step in attraction devclopment has been confirmcd by Mason (2002),
where identification of asset was placed first in his model on cultural
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significance/value assessment. The inventory of assets makes people both
local and visitors aware of alI the assets located in the Community.
McIntyre (1993) provided a checklist of a preliminary inventory of
cultural and historical tourism resource. The checklist has the folIowing items:
name '~f resources, type and description, special features, when is the resource
accessible to tourists.
In addition Inskeep (1991) also came out with an inventory checklist
consisting of the folIowing variables: name of asset, location/area, type of
asset, present condition, ownership, brief history, satellite reference and
picture ofthe resource.
Cultural Heritage
The concept of cultural heritage has gone through lots of changes.
Initially, it was considered as the cultural property of a group of people based
on certain definition. It later changed to the heritage of the people
encompassing the tangible and the intangible aspects of what the group
considers to be of important to them. Clearly, when seeking to understand the
nature and content of the term "cultural heritage" it is necessary to'consider
the two constituent elements which make up: "culture" and "heritage". A
major difficulty lies in the identification of "culture" and what constitutes it
(Blake, 2000). Theoretically, cultural heritage is considered to be the legacy of
physical artefact and intangible attributes of a group or society that are
inherited from the past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed
for the benefit of future generations (www.wikipedia.com).
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNE.SCO), designates World Heritage Sites as of either 'cultural' or 'natural'
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or 'mixed' (both cultural and natural). According to the World Heritage
Convention, which was adopted by UNESCO in 1972, 'cultural heritage'
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embraces a group of buildings or a site of historical, aesthetic, archaeological,
scientific, ethnological or anthropological value - UNESCO'(Hitchcock and
King, 2003), It is not all cultural assets in a particular society that is accepted
by the other. Cultural assets are culturally appraised and it is defined by the
community or society in which it is located. Cultural heritage, just like
ordinary resources, they are not; they become, if the society does not place
value on it, there is no way it will become an asset. What is considered as
cultural heritage by one generation may be rejected by another generation,
only to be revived by a succeeding generation. In situations where assets were
developed from outside the society, the society in which it is located must give
consent on that asset.
There are two facet of cultural heritage depending on the nature of the
asset;"the physical or tangible cultural asset and the non physical or the
intangible cultural asset. The physical cultural asset includes buildings and
historic places, monuments, artefacts and others that arc considered worthy of
preservation for the future. allen these include objects that arc of significant
to arc~Jacology, architecture, science and/or technology of a specific culturc.
The non-physical cultural assets or the intangible aspect of heritage is ollen
maintained by social customs during a specific period in history. The ways
and means of behaviour in a society including formal rules for operating in a
particular cultural climate have got significant eflcct on assets. These include
social values and traditions, customs and practices. aesthetic and spiritual
beliefs. artistic expression, language and other aspects of human activity.
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Naturally, intangible cultural assets are more difficult to preserve than
physical objects.
Peters (cited in Robinson, 1976) considers cultural attractions to
include the following:
• Sites and areas of archaeological interest
• Historical buildings and monuments
• Places of historical significance
• Museums
• Modern culture
• Political and educational institutions, and
• Religion
According to Palmer (1999) tourism images of nationhood provide
individuals with yet another means by which they can understand who they are
and where they have come from. This does not mean that the images on show
reflect values that are still acceptable today, they may, or they may not
Rather, they indicate the components that have evolved through the years into
present day interpretations of nationhood.
Tourism involves identity and these identities only make sense in
relation to difference and diversity, that is, the identities of others. In this
sense, the touristic curiosity involves a search for our own identities, based on
viewing the outward signs of the identities of others or of host communities.
What goes on in Beijing is that, many overseas tourists, after seeing the
imperial heritage, they want to go a step further and hope to have an
opportunity to view and experience the daily of 'ordinary" people in authentic
settin9.s (Wang, 1997).
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Heritage tourism
'The synopsis of heritage tourism instantly depicts the idea of
utilization of heritage assets in tourism. The 'buzz' word 'heritage' is liked
and loathed by participants in the heritage business. This is based on the
stremrths as well as weaknesses in its ambiguities. Narrowly defined, heritageo ~ .
is about the cultural traditions, places and values that societies throughout the
world are proud to conserve. Broadly defined, heritage is about a special sense
of belonging and of continuity that is different for each person. This can only
be gained individually, says Millar (1989) through a respect for and
understanding of past roots in relation to present circumstances. However,
Blake (2000) recognises some sort of difficulty in any attempt to identify
exactly the range of meanings encompassed by the term cultural heritage as
used now in international law and related areas since it has grown beyond the
.much narrower definitions included on a text-by-text basis.
Heritage has become something which the state and its agents, as well
as tourists and local communities appropriate and create as an object worthy of
touristic attention. Heritage tourism is considered as part of the switch in
emphasis from manufacturing to service industry (Millar, 1989). Heritage is
regarded as one of the more significant and fastest growing component of
tourism in many developed economies (Morrison, 1998 and Herbert, 200 I). It
has been remarked upon frequently that the concept of heritage is difficult to
define and that, in popular discourse, its meaning is very wide and flexible
(Hitchcock and King, 2003). Indeed, the heritage industry continually
emphasizes specific aspects of the past as being representative of what the
nation is really all about, or perhaps, what it should be about (Palmer. 1999).
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Over the past decades, heritage assets have moved from being regarded
as something passive or of old fashion and remote to being a full-blown
industry of its own. Heritage is seen as a dynamic area in development. It is as
a result of this growth in heritage awareness, that the concept of heritage
tourism was introduced to have its own area of specialty and expertise.
It is however debatable on the issues of heritage and tourism because
Nuryanti (I996) made it clear that the relationship between heritage and
tourism is frequently characterized by contradictions and conflicts.
Conservationists perceive heritage tourism as compromising conservation
goals for profit. If this is true, how then can tourism be lIsed as a means of
conservation of asset for future generations without destroying the assets it
depen~s. To minimise this conflict and contradiction, heritage assets that
appear to raise threats in societies should be dialogue and there should be
cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders involved.
As a matter of fact, heritage tourism is increasingly recognized as an
identifiable sector in the tourism industry, an industry which now surpasses
manufacturing in terms of its value to the economy. In some part of the world,
between 1960s and 1980s, tourism became a major source of income to many
countries particularly in the Mediterranean. As a result, the use of heritage
assets cannot be regarded as an optional extra to be managed casually for the
good of the public. Lots of people are locked into a business economy
dependent upon heritage tourism. This has been supported by evidence from
Britain where about 69% of arrivals to the British capital are drawn by
heritage issues and the proceeds used to develop their economy. Much of the
British heritage is owned and operated in the public sector.
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Historically, the emphasis has been upon conservation but pressure of
visitor- numbers to heritage sites and an increasingly sophisticated and
discriminating market has meant that management and interpretation are now
the key issues (Cossons, 1989). It has been recognised that perceptions and
demands are changing, and now, not only is awareness of the heritage greater
than ever before so too is the thirst for access to it. It has been admitted that a
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thriving business in heritage tourism has grown up so that today Stonehenge,
lronbridge, York Minster, or the Lake District, have now become essential to
the British economy. The obligation is not only to preserve but to present, to
make available those great cultural assets to a growing public, a public who
demand access as of right to what they see in a personal sense as their own
cultural heritage. As disposable time and disposable income and the mobility
brought about by mass car ownership and have made every where accessible
to everybody, a new business has developed based upon the intrinsic assets of
our past, upon history and archaeology, museums and their collections, and
whole tracts of countryside and coastline (Cossons, 1989). This, presents
economic opportunities for many culture-rich destinations as well as threats in
terms of the potential degradation ofa heritage.
Heritage tourism is seen as an expanding market that assumes the
values of a desirable product and thus whose importance for tourism
development cannot be ignored (Prentice, 1993). Garrod and Fyall (2000)
retreated that the importance of preserving cultural heritage through tourism is
receiving increasing attention. This has been challenged by McKercher
(200 I) in the sense that, it is true that heritage attractions are recognized as
important tourism attractions but their place in the attraction's hierarchy is
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often overstated. Whiles other researchers acknowledged the presence and
importance of heritage asset in tourism, others over emphasis it. It is a fact,
that tourism and especially heritage related tourism activities playa positive
role in shaping community identities. In Malaysia, the concept of a 'golden
age' has provided excellent material in an attempt to construct a national
Malay-focused identity and for the purposes of tourism promotion. Nigel
Worden demonstrated the ways in which the historic tourism centre of Melaka
has been represented as a national symbol of Malaysia, but more particularly
as the heritage of Muslim Malays. As a result Melaka has been described as
the historic city of Malay culture where everything began. All these were
made possible based on the fact that it was the object of state-driven cultural
policies in the 1970s and I980s which attempted to construct the primordial
politic.o-religious traditions of a pre-colonial, feudal Muslim sultanate
conceived of as emblematic of the modem Malaysian nation and displayed in
this fashion as much for the Malaysian visitors as well as for the international
tourist.
The issue of understanding, exploring and conquering the mystery of
the past and seeking answers to the questions posed by ancient monuments is
something in human nature. For many people, the remains of the past provide
a sense of security, belonging and continuity in an uncertain changing world
(Millar, 1989; Amuquandoh and Brown, 2008). Heritage tourism helps to give
a nation an identity which is one ofa kind.
Heritage resources are attracted to tourists for a number of reasons
(Prentice, 1993; Swarbrooke, 1995). Among them are:
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• Firstly, tourists may simply be attracted by the age of the ancient relics
of past civilization. Typical examples are travels to Egypt and China to
see pyramids, tombs. sphinx. temples and the great wall of China:
• Another important inducement is for tourist to witness past
technological achievement and the physical skills of the people that
constructed them without the aid of modcrn machinerv. This has been
identified as one of the major f.1ctors that draw North Americans to
visit Western Europe. Normally. they want to experience the citics and
buildings of their ancestral home;
• Thirdly, tourist often enjoy visiting historic sites purely for the
appreciation of their beauty ofart and architecture:
• Fourthly, visitors may be attracted to buildings and places for their
historic meaning other than their visual appeal. Thus places associated
with historical and mythical exploit and events can be of great interest.
For example, some African-Americans visit the Forts and Castlcs in
Ghana because they regard them as their root: sites fi'om whcre thcir
ancestors were taken to the other parts of the world;
• Finally, places may hold great religious meaning for their visitors. For
example, Christians and Moslems travel to Jerusalem and rvlecea
respectively for their spiritual well-being and inspiration.
Heritage attractions have become popular because of their ability to combine
their traditional role of teaching visitors of the past and also offcring
entertainmcnt and f.1scinating expediencies (Fraulkncr, Opperman and
Fredline, 1999; Amuquandoh and Brown, 2008).
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Many of the conflicts on the world stage today are directly attri~utable
to the desire to belong to an identifiable group, recognised by others as being a
legitimate group (Palmer, 1999). A nation's history, or heritage is only one of
the elements that combine to form a national identity. Others include
language, political alienation, race and religion. Yet the tourism industry has.
been criticized for selecting and promoting certain aspects of the past as if
they were a united phenomenon representative of the nation's (Walsh, 1990).
One reason why heritage tourism is so popular and enduring is, because the
images presented reveal a past that people can recognise as belonging to them.
It unites and is timeless. It represents a lifestyle perceived to have been better,
more fulfilling and community driven, where man and nature worked together
side by side, hand in hand. Such a past is created through 'a closely held
iconography ofwhat it is to be English' (Wright, 1985)
The nationalistic 'messages' of heritage tourism must, therefore, have
an impact on how individuals within that nation conceive of their personal
identity and, by the same token, how the nation and its people are perceived by
others. As O'Connor (1993) argues, individual and personal identities are
constructed through interaction with others and determined largely by the
ways ~n which they are perceived and treated by them, so too are cultural and
national identities constructed from the representations which certain people
both inside and outside their culture produce for them.
Heritage assets in tourism
The image of tourism provides the means by which local people can be
identified and encountered. Those images that enable tourists to recognise a
nation might have been selected for just that purpose and may not have been
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meant to represent how the local people actually see themselves (Palmer,
1999). For instance, Ireland's tourist identity is specifically constructed around
themes designed to attract overseas visitors. The heritage industry continually
emphasises specific aspects of the past as being representative of what the
nation is really all about or perhaps, what it should be about.
The concept of heritage therefore shades into the more general
concepts of culture and tradition, and it is bound up with issues of national and
local identities. It is believed that tourism is developed for various reasons.
The main purpose is to generate economic benefits of foreign exchange
earnings. Cossons (1989) noted that, the values that society place upon
heritage is social and cultural one, and these values are as essential to the well-
being of the people as health or education. As a result, like health and
education, the heritage has to be paid for. In Britain there is more than a fair
share of the wealth of heritage, a unique cultural endowment the value of
which transcends any price tag.
Inskeep (1991) believes that domestic tourism will continue to grow
rapidly especially in those developing countries that are experiencing rapid
economic development and adopting policies for encouraging domestic
tourism. He sees that Asia Pacific region will probably continue to be the
fastest growing area based on its many types of attractions. New types of
tourist products being developed in Asia include various forms of cultural,
historical and nature heritage tourism site. In developing these tourism
products for domestic tourism, Pearce (1989), suggests the need for a variety
of shops, some of which should be oriented especially to the tourist, such as
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souvenir or sporting goods shape and others supplying a general range of
goods for example pharmacies, food stores or clothing shops.
The increased interest shown by many in the art, architecture, music,
literature, dance, folklore, speeches and pastimes of other peoples' culture or
in archaeological and historical remains and monuments is but another aspect
of curiosity which has been partly stimulated by more education (Robinson,
1976), drew our minds to the fact that a house is an institution, not .just a
structure, created for complex set of purposes. Because building a house is a
cultural phenomenon, its form and organization are greatly influenced by the
cultural milieu to which it belongs. As a result, if provision of shelter is the
passive function of the house, then its positive purpose is the creation of an
environment best suited to the way of life of the people in a social unit of
space. Heritage therefore, can be referred primarily to tangible and concrete
elements of the past which are presented and re-presented in the present:
archaeological finds, historical sites, monuments and buildings, urban and
rural landscapes, and material artefacts (usually housed and displayed in
museums). What is more important is that the sites selected to represent the
country's heritage will have strong implications for both collective and
individual identity and hence the creation of social realities' (Black and Wall,
2001).
Jafari (1973) believes that tourism can help to preserve all cultural
values that have a specific value to the tourist as well; many religious
buildings and archaeological monuments have been saved from destruction,
more because of tourism than because of the value placed upon them by the
local population. This means that tourism makes it possible to introduce into
33
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the m'!rket economy those cultural treasures which are not exploited and are
therefore subject to the ravages of time and disrespect from tI~e local
population. This helps make people aware of their cultural originality and
restores their national pride. Lonati, speaks of the "cultural fallout" of tourism
in the same terms as the development of tourism which leads through the
restoration or preservation of monuments, to the maintenance of cultural
wealth, which benefits the whole country (UNESCO, 1976).
Classification of heritage resources
Heritage resources are of different types and can be classified into
different categories (Godfrey and Clarke, 2000; Prentice, 1993; Smith, 1989
and Swarbrooke 1995). Swarbrooke (1995) pointed out that there are a number
of ways in which assets can be classified based on variables of interest. Based
on this principle, Swarbrooke (1995) categorized attractions into four groups.
These are natural, man-made but not originally designed primarily to attract
visitors, man-made and purpose-built to attract tourists and special events.
This type of classification is applicable to the general tourism attractions in an
area but not tangible heritage resource specifically. Again he grouped assets in
a place based on ownership into public, private and voluntary ownership.
However, Prentice (1993) sees a deeper classification in heritage attraction.
Prentice (1993) classified heritage attractions into 23 different categories
based on the nature of the attraction. So far, this classification is considered as
the most comprehensive and impressive. Table 2 presents Prentice's heritage
attraction classifications
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Table 2: Prentice's heritage attraction classification
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Classifications
Natural history attractions
Science-based attractions
Attractions concerned with
primary production
Craft centres and craft
workshops
.
Attractions concerned with
manufacturing industry
Transport attractions
Socio-cultural attractions
Attractions associated with
historic persons
Performing art attractions
Pleasure gardens
Theme parks
Nature of attraction
Nature reserves, nature trails, rare breeds
centres, wildlife parks, zoos, butterfly parks,
geological sites including caves and waterfalls
Science museums, technology centres, 'hands-
on' science centres
Agricultural attractions, farms, vineyards,
fishing, mining, water impounding reservoirs
Water and windmills, potters, woodcarvers,
glass-makers
The mass production of goods including
pottery, porcelain, breweries, distilleries,
economic history museums
Including transport museums, preserved
railways, canals
Prehistoric and historic sites and displays
including domestic houses, social history
museum, costume museum, toy museums
Including sites and areas associated with writers
and painters
Including theatre: Including theatres, street-
based performing arts, circuses
Including periodic gardens, arboreta, model
villages
Including 'historic' adventure parks but
35
Table 2 continued
excluding amusem'eht parks (where the
i principal attractions are exciting rides and the
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Galleries Principally art galleries
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,I Festivals and pageants Including historic fairs and countryside
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festivals
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:I Fieldsports Fishing, hunting, shooting
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'1 Stately and ancestral homes Palaces, manor houses
:,
Religious attractions Including cathedrals, churches, mosques,
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shrines, wells
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I Military attractions Castles, battlefields, naval dockyards, military!I
I museums
!I Genocide monuments Sites associated with extermination of other, ,
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Towns and townscape Principally historic townscape ~i1I' II)
II I~Villages and hamlets Principally rural settlements, usually ofpre- la,U
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'Itwentieth-century architecture i~ I
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I' Countryside and treasured Including National parks ~t
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landscapes
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Seaside resorts and 'seascape' Principally seaside towns of past eras and
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marine 'landscapes'
Regions Including pays lands, counties or other historic
areas identified as distinctive by their residents
or visitors
Source: Page et al (200 I)
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1m portanee of heritage assets
Heritage sites are multi-purpose; they provide a wide range of tourist
attractions, a focus for community identity, a valuable resource for formal and
informal education and in some cases, such as the inner cities, the basis for
economic regeneration ofan area. The four variables under consideration are:
• tourist attraction,
• community identity, Ii
• formal and informal education and I
• economic regeneration.
However, the emphasis ofa particular site gives to each of these variables will
differ according to the nature of its uniqueness as a resource, the aims and
objectives of the organisation and its location (Millar, 1989). McKercher
(2001) argues against the assumption that the purported beneficiary of asset is
often the tourist, but the fact is that residents often share these facilities with
tourists and in some cases may be the primary users. Nevertheless, the
protection of heritage monuments, sites and places to provide cultural and
economic resources for the benefits of future generations, relies first and
foremost on community commitment to the moral and physical objectives of
heritage stewardship (ICOMOS, 2000).
Since heritage places belong to the society which value them, the
authentic experience visitors seek through cultural tourism allows the tourism
industry to become active in facilitating the community's aspirations (Derrett,
1996);.Heritage tourism reintroduces people to their cultural roots (Donert and
Light, 1996; McCarthy, 1994) and reinvigorates people's interest in history or
culture (Squire, 1996 In McKercher, 2001).
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Areas that have spiritual relevance for communities are a common
feature of many societies past and present and such spaces are likely the
closest historical precedent for contemporary community-conserved areas.
Anthropologists and Geographers have labelled such areas as sacred space;
zones in which the concept of sacredness is invoked to mark a distinction
between the divine and the profane. In many places these are recognized as
marking a distinction between spaces imbued with spirituality and the spaces
of everyday life. While areas described as sacred are often demarcated
according to myth, the application of spirituality to landscape or to individual
species is often used as a means of bounding space. In effect sacred spaces
amount to community managed reserves, and are likely the closest historical
precedent to contemporary conservation reserves. Sacred space for example,
assumes numerous forms, from landscapes and the physical features they
contain to individual trees seen to be the resting place of ancestral spirits.
Attractions and amenities are the very basis of tourism. As Robinson
(1976) suggested, unless attractions are present the tourist will not be
motivated to go to a particular place. Example is the drawing power of
Stratford on-Avon because of its association with Shakespeare or of Pisa
because of its famous leaning tower. It is based on the perceived new
resources that are found at a place that will push tourists to that particular
destin~tion. Nevertheless, Millar (1989) is of the view that, these sites are the
focus of the struggle between the potentially conflicting aspirations of
conservation and tourism. It should be remembered that heritage sites provide
the tangible links between past, present and future. In identifying with these
comp~nents domestic tourists are making connection between themselves and
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the nation, whiles overseas visitors see them as the.distinctive mark of a nation
(Lanfant, 1995).
From Smith (1991) perspective, heritage attractions are sacred centres,
objects of spiritual and historical pilgrimage that reveal the uniqueness of their
nation's 'moral geography'. He suggested the need for an examination of the
use of such '(re)collected pasts' and assess their influence on contemporary
concepts of nation-ness. Pearce (1989) and McKercher (200 I) have realised
that heritage assets are now recognised as important tourism attraction,
because they help encourage the tourists to visit an area but their place in the
attract.ion hierarchy is often overstated. Pearce (1989) finds that, tourist visit
areas for variety of reasons; for entertainment and night - life, to appreciate
historical and cultural attractions, to attend major sporting events, to shop or
just to enjoy the charm and character of a particular city. In many of these
cases, tourists share these attractions with city residents.
According to O'Connor (1993), "the way in which we see ourselves is
substantially determined by the way in which we are seen by others". In
"Recommendations on the Protection ofHistorical and Traditional Entities and
Their Role in the Modern Life" (UNESCO, 1976) one of the standpoints refers
to the fact that the historical and traditional entities represent an integral part
of human environment and that their integration into the life pattern of the
modern society is of the fundamental importance for the planning and spatial
organization of our cities (Brkovic, 1997).
Apart from cultural heritage satistying tourist desires, they can also
serve broader community needs of increasing awareness, understanding and
appreciation of cultural identities (McKercher, 200 I). According to Peters
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(cited in Robinson, 1976), some countries are extremely fortunate in that they
have one asset so outstanding and unique th~t the tourist industry can largely
depend on and be promoted by this feature. Palmer (1999) finds, tourism use
of identity goes far beyond the commercial, it extends to the heart of the
people because it serve~ to define their cultural identity so that this will be
visible, both to themselves, and to 'others'. Furthermore, cultural identity
underpins national identity as it communicates the past and present traditions
and mores of a people, thus enabling them to be identified as a distinctive
group. A community's identity and civic pride which is rooted in the physical
and cultural links to its past. In China's modernization without sacrificing
tradition, Wang, suggested that if the quadrangle and hutongs can be seen as a
'non-verbal communication' of identity," then, hutong tourism can be
conceived of as a non-verbal cultural dialogue through which local cultural
identity is communicated to outsiders.
Tourism provides the incentive and helps pay for the conservation of
archaeological and historic sites (as attractions for tourists) that might
otherwise be allocated to deteriorate or disappear, thus resulting in the loss of
the culture heritage of areas. The substantial amount of historic preservation
taking place in Europe, North America and else where provides important
tourist, attractions, with tourism helping pay for this effort. For instance, in Sri
Lanka, admission fees paid by tourists are used directly for archaeological
research and conservation (Inskeep, 1991). However, Mowforth and Munt
(2003), view this differently based on the fact that there is a vast body of work
that demonstrates that local communities in Third World countries reap few
benefits from tourism because they have little control over the ways in which
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the industry is developed, as a result, they cannot match the financial resources
available to external investors, and their views are rarely heard. Although,
there may be benefits from tourism on assets but such benefits are not felt in
the local communities and this can lead to conflict in the management of the
resources.
According to Hassan (1999:393), "African archaeological and cultural
heritage in the light of current global economic disparities should not only
contribute to a sense of pride and achievement but must also become a means
of economic development and trans-cultural education." This means that the
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use of tourism to educate people (tourists) is well noted. There is the need to
support this notion so that tourism can be used as a platfornl for awareness and
understanding of different cultures. This calls for government support in
promoting and management of assets. The importance of these cultural forms
as heritage is enhanced precisely because governments in promoting tourism
tend to focus on those which are immediate, accessible, colourful, and visible
to the 'tourist gaze', and which can be more easily shaped and constructed
(Wood, 1997). The issue that needs to be considered here is those assets that
are not in the realm of government focus but may be important to the
community but may not be considered as tourist gaze.
The growing interest in cultural resources open new perspectives for
the growing economy in culturally rich destinations which in turn provide the
tourism industry with challenges of managing heritage facilities and
attractions and for public agencies (Jansen-Verbeke and Lievois, 1999).
Despite the relationship between heritage and tourism, there is a recognition
that the ideological and institutional context of heritage tourism is
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fundamentally different from that of general tourism, (Garrod and Fyall,
2000).
Conservation of heritage assets
The concept of conservation has developed into a distinct professional
field whose area of expertise is the physical preservation of material culture'
(Clavir, 1996). Material culture refers to the cultural heritage of a group of
people. It is sometimes regarded as the monumental remains of cultures. Since
the end of World War II, modern conservation movement has touched
practically all regions of the world, as shown by the success of the 1972
UNESCO convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage (Jokilehto, 1998). This happened because there were a number of
destructions of tangible cultural heritage assets during that period. It was out
of this that Le Nazi made a statement in 1954 that "Indeed, the deliberate
destruction of monuments, places of worship and work of art is a sign of
degeneration into total war. It is sometimes the other face of genocide". A
number of countries of which Ghana is part have joined ICOMOS and
UNESCO after assessing their policies and frameworks of which they operate.
This means that there is a growing awareness of the need to safeguard cultural
heritage because its existence contributes to the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) ofthe country.
The motto of the International Day for Monuments Sites 2001, "Save
Our Historic Village", suggests that the historic villages worldwide and their
corresponding building traditions are at risk of disappearing. The Republic of
Uzbekistan raised the issue of protection of cultural heritage as a national
policy just after independence. In 1972, UNESCO adopted the World Heritage
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Convention and today has over 131 countries that are party to it. Jokilehto
(1998), noted that; "the growing awareness of the need to safeguard cultural
heritage has been confinne'd by the increasing membership in International
Organisations such as UNESCO in the ratification of the World Heritage
Convention". Through this instrument, nations of the world have agreed to
inventory recognize and protect unique and irreplaceable properties of
universal value.
However, it is not only the tangible products that should be conserved.
According to McKercher and Du Cros (2002), the intangible heritage, cultural
landscape and traditions embodied in such practices as folklore, storytelling,
customs associated with worship, festivals and other expressions of cultural
traditions must also be protected. All these have helped in safeguarding
mankind's cultural, historical and natural heritage. These show how cultural
heritage are so precious in the preservation of culture.
The past should not be neglected because it holds together a broad
historical account of a particular generation. These accounts help to build one
generation from the other. In Africa, oral traditions bridge the gap between
generations and enrich the present with ancestral voices that speak directly
from one person to another. The oral context of culture contrast with that of
communication from the pages of a book that can only be possessed and read
by a Rrivileged minority who also write the books and monopolise social
knowledge (Hassan, 1999).
According to the ICOMOS Tourism Handbook for World Heritage
Sites Managers, there are 358 sites listed in 82 countries and these include 260
cultural sites, 84 natural sites and 14 mixed cultural and natural sites. These
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heritage sites should be preserved in collaboration with the indigenous cultures
that m;e involved. JokiIehto (1998) commented that, "conservation of cultural
heritage remains a cult~r~1 problem not only for experts but for all
communities". The need. to sensitize communities at the grassroots level is
gradually being recognized both locally and internationally. Communities.
should be made to understand the importance of what they have and how it
will help them to develop. It is as a result of this that Dei (2000), suggested
that there should be positive direct or indirect linkages between the state and
the communities so that competencies could be transferred to the local
communities because they have the resources and with them assets can be
conserved.
In the past, a conscious trade-off has occurred whereby conservation
values were compromised for tourism or tourism compromised for
conservation. "The tourimification of cultural assets presents a number of
issues for the management of these assets, not the least of which is the
challenging task of accommodating both needs of the tourism industry and the
ideals of cultural heritage management" (Cheung, 1999). The task is to seek a
balance between tourism and conservation.
Irrespective of the opinions of the different interest groups
(stakeholders), the high cost involved in the conservation of heritage makes
the revenue from tourism indispensable. Furthermore, the dynamism of culture
in its different forms and expressions finds both incentives and genuine
support in tourism. Consequently, the perceived mutual benefits drive both
sectors towards common economic goals and tourism, at least theoretically,
assets offer the opportunity to generate income for the local community while
44
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simultaneously supporting the preservation of it culture (Peters, 1999 cited in
Aas, Ladkin and Fletcher, 2005).
Special attention milst be paid to those areas with large groups of
monuments and historical sites in order to prevent them from becoming
"museums in the open". Renovation of old structures often provides a
reasonable economic solution because it offers new but specific possibilities
for housing, hotels, business centres, etc. Thus, the economic aspect should be
included as well and a notion of economic regeneration introduced into the
field (Brkovi6, 1997). In some places, cultural heritage resources are built and
natural features that may have historic, architectural, archaeological, scenic or
natural significance have been modified by human activities and are
considered to be of value to the community (http://www.kitchener.ca/city-
c.
hall).
Architectural monuments, apart from the artistic, cultural and historical
values, in great variety of cases have the applied and practical values as well.
Preservation of these values essentially depends on adequate use of the
architectural monuments in our modern lives. The idea of preservation and
practical use of monuments would come from the attractiveness of the
building or structure itself, its interior and appropriate equipment, and from
the attractiveness of the whole complex of the ancillary structures and
surrounding open area (Brkovi6, 1997)
History is always written from the present and as such the past is
always coming into being in relation to contemporary interests. In the case of
conservation, the interest in the history of local or indigenous conservation
practices stems from a contemporary politics of conservation in which it has
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become difficult or counter-productive to ignore the interests of local or
indigenous communities, (MacDonald 1999). Conservation as a matter of
historical inquiry has largdy been shaped by disciplinary bias. Others come
from social scientists operating from a diversity of theoretical, empirical and
political standpoints. These writings on indigenous or local conservation have
often "been accused of essentialism and of supporting a stereotype of the
'ecologically noble savage' (Alvard 1993 cited in MacDonald 1999). Against
this uncritical view that all local or small scale societies are, by nature,
conservationist, is a set of rationalist arguments that claim little evidence for
intentional conservation in indigenous or small-scale societies and assert that
intentional conservation is a modernist practice (Cartledge 1999, Alvard 1994,
1995) cited in MacDonald 1999). A study conducted in Cumberoona in
Australia shows that businesses surveyed were adamant that they did not wish
to see ,the Cumberoona disappear from the region and also expressed strong
support for continued council involvement in the vessel (McKercher, 2001).
Lets consider a statement made by William Morris on conservation of
monument as he sets forth his philosophy of architecture:
.. Let us admit that we are living in the time ofbarbarism between two
period~ oforder, the order of the past and the order of the fll/ure, and then,
though there may be some of us who think (as 1 do) that the end of that
barbarism is drml'ing near, and others that it isfar distalll, yet we can both of
us, 1 the hopefitl andyou the unhopefitl, work together to presel,'e what relics
ofthe old order are yet left usfor the instruction, the pleasure, the hope ofthe
nell'. So may the times ofpresent war be less disastrous, ifbut a little; the time
ofcoming peace more fhlitful. .. (Coolidge, 1944)
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Game (1991), argues that there is little of the 'history of historians' in
heritage tourism. Conservation of cultural heritage remains a cultural problem,
not only for the experts but for all communities. It is encouraging that the
importance of sensitizing communities at the grassroot level is gradually being
recognized locally and internationally. It is therefore essential to define the
roles and responsibilities of the different protagonists and to establish
communication. The future demand clarification of the relationship between
the policies of sustainable management of resources and the objectives of
conservation of cultural heritage when dealing with settlements (Jokilehto,
1998).
Cultural heritage was first addressed in international law in 1907 and a
body of international treaties and texts for its protection has been developed by
UNESCO and other intergovernmental organisations since the 1950's. This
was done in response to the destructions and looting of monuments and works
of art during the Second World War (Blake, 2000). The conflicting demand of
tourism and conservation can be seen in stark contrast in developing countries.
Either the economic benefits of tourism are promoted without a parallel
investment in a conservation policy or the lack of conservation awareness
merely militates against the promotion of tourism in what would otherwise be
an ide~1 location (Millar, 1989). Example is India where conservation has
failed to keep pace with the explosion of tourism. However, it should be
remembered that conservation should take precedence over visitors' use of
heritage resources.
International organizations with interests in and responsibilities for
sites of archaeological and historical importance impose their own mandate on
47
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local communities, in the name of consen'ation' and they may disregard local
cultural meanings and perspectives on heritage and its stewardship (Black and
Wall, 2001). A similar process of cultural construction can be seen in relation
to stone structures or megaliths among the Ngadha of Flores. Stroma Cole
argues_ that megaliths 'have become a potent symbol ofNgadha society used in
tourism marketing'. But there are differences between the symbolic meanings
and significance assigned to them by the local population on the one hand who
see them as 'clan' or 'ancestral stones' and as a continuing effective means to
connect the living with the dead, and tourists and the representatives of the
state and the others who see them as 'an outward sign ofa culture", as 'totemic
structures' and as the 'sacred relics' of a 'primitive and unchanged society'
which should be presen'ed as 'national assets' (Hitchcock and King, 2003).
The use of tourism as a technique to achieve consen'ation is applicable
everywhere but is especially important in less developed countries that do not
have the economic resources to meet both consen'ation and general socio
economic objectives (Inskeep, 1991). Traditionally, archaeological and
historic consen'ation focus on outstanding examples of buildings and ruins
that usually had been designed for civic and religious use or as wealthy
persons' houses because these were the structures that were well constructed
with permanent materials and sun'ived through the centuries. Common
persons' houses and many commercial buildings, being not as well buill,
deteriorate and disappear or are replaced by more recent development in urban
areas (Inskeep, 1991).
48
"Threats to heritage assets
Threats are the activities or actions that render heritage resources to a
deplorable state thereby r~ducing the touristic quality of the asset and the
value of it. Heritage assets are vulnerable to a number of threats because of
their location, the environment and the management of the asset. Threats can.
lead to the deterioration of heritage assets. In preparing the Warwick Castle
for the future, the first step that was taken was to identify clearly the
opportunities and the threats so that a better research marketing plan can guide
the heritage asset more efficiently (Westwood, 1989). Existing museums are
wearing out at a faster rate than they are being renewed, at a time when they
have .!lever been more popular and especially when demand for them is
growing. Recently, demand for heritage assets is coming from a public that is
more and more discerning. Nevertheless, these museums are also' facing
increased competition from well capitalized, highly commercial attractions
that know how to market themselves well and command more and more of
people's precious disposable time (Cossons, 1989). The recognition of the
potential of cultural resources in economic development is encouraging but
there is a serious drawback. This includes improper treatment of cultural
resources especially when they are seen solely as tools for development. This
can lead to their destruction of the asset and threaten the economic wellbeing
of community. Also, communities often have unrealistic expectations of
tourism potentials but in reality very few cultural heritage resources can
support the majority of a community's economic activities (Jamieson, 1998).
There are numerous threats that affect heritage resource. The rCOMOS
(2000) reported that an assessment on national heritage health was made in
49
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Canada and 21 per cent of its built heritage has been lost or destroyed in the
last 30 years. This shows that heritage assets are under threats. Some of the
threats that affect heritage'resources include vandalism, pillage, development,
risk from fire and neglect of heritage resources. There is also a threat of selling
0'
of heritage resources where private owners wanted to sell a heritage resource
to a different entity. When issues of this nature happen, the future of the
resources becomes unknown and the resource also becomes susceptible to all
sorts of change sometimes even to the extent of pulling down resources.
There are negative social, economic, physical and cultural impacts
which can include traffic congestion, higher prices for housing and other
commodities; inappropriate development, changes in social values and
deterioration of cultural environment (Jamieson, 1998). To add to this,
deteriQration of assets has partly been attributed to increased tourist -flow to
heritage sites in India (Millar, 1989). In Cape Coast, Hyland (I995) made
mention of heritage resources that were destroyed as a result offire.
From the perspective of the 1COMOS (2000) and Shackley (I 998),
both over and under use heritage assets pose threats to the sustainability of
tourism product. Overuse of heritage assets can degrade the physical asset,
damage tangible and intangible value and lead to a diminished visitor
experience. On the other hand, under use of heritage assets can result in the
insufficient generation of revenue needed for conservation works.
Apart from the presentation of heritage in historical sites, urban
landscapes, and museums, there is also the problem of the ways in which
tradition and heritage are perceived at the local 'level, and the related problem
of the conceptualization of ' the local' itself (Hitchcock and King, 2003).
50
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'l!lIV!=~C;ITY OF CAI'E r:~A-:"
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CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
Introduction
The methodological aspect of the study takes into consideration the
study area, the type of study and the research design that was employed for the
study, the target population and the sampling procedure used for the study. It
explains in systematic order what the researcher did to obtain answers to
achieve the objectives of the study. The chapter considers among other things
how samples were selected, the target population for the study and the
rationale for the selection procedure. Instruments that were used have also
been indicated and the procedures for data collection and analysis of the data
collected from the field.
Study"area
The study covers the Cape Coast Metropolitan area in the Central
Region of Ghana as shown in Figure 4. Cape Coast was probably founded in
the early fifteenth century. The traditional name of Cape Coast, 'Oguaa',
which is still in use, was derived from the Fante word 'gua' which means
market. During the time of the Portuguese colonization Oguaa was named
Cabo Corso (Short Coast). The name Cabo Corso or Short Coast was given to
it by the Portuguese Captain loao de Santarem and Pedro de Escobar in 1471
(Briggs, 1998). This was done as a result of the short rocky promontory
protecting shelter bay of the coast (Hyland, 1995). Later the name was
transformed by the English to Cape Coast.
51
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Figure 4: Map of Cape Coast Metropolitan Area
Source: Survey Department of Ghana, 1975
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* Cape Coasl Castle ....
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GUlf of Guinea EI STC yard I
It:. Major Road
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This area has been chosen because Cape Coast in itself represents
layers of history and that each history is significant. These layers of history
should be recognized. It should be remembered that this history is not for us
only but for our children and their children.
The collapse of the ancient Ghana Empire in the Sudan, west of the
Niger bend, set in motion a wave of migration southward around the 12th
century. Among the various groups of people that moved southward in search
of habitable lands were the Fetu (Efutu). The kingdom they eventually
founded after moving southward through Techiman and Adansi (Akrokeri)
dates back to the 14th century, with Efutu which is situated about twelve miles
north of present Cape Coast as its capital.
Legend has it that an early king of the Fetu had as his chief delicacy,
crabs, which he tasked his people to provide in copious quantities. It was in
52
"search of this delicacy to please the king thnt his people stumbkd on n
sheltered bay at the beach, protected by rock outcrops nnd by smnll running
water filled with fishes, H~re, they found suflicient quantities of crnbs they
desired. Some of the people later settlcd down thcrc and IHlmcd thc spot
'Kotmvoraba' (crab hamlct), now adultcl'l\tcd to 'J(otokul'llba,' The roek was
givcn the namc Tabir (or Taabi) and till today it is onc ofthc scvcntitular gods
ofOgu:1O (Capc Coast).
As timc went by, a small scttlcmcnt cmcrgcd and a markct dcvcloped
at Kotoklll'aba at which thc cxchangc of othcr commoditics clime into bcing
bcsidcs the ernb catching occupation, Thc namc of J(otokul'llbn survivcs till
today as thc biggest markct in Capc Coast.
Founded by thc Portugucsc in thc 15th ccntury, CIIPC COIlSt grcw
around Cape Coast Castlc, now a World Hcritagc Sitc, From thc 16th ccntury
thc cit~' has changcd hands bctwccn thc British, thc Portugucsc, thc Swcdish,
thc Danish and the Dutch, It was convcrtcd to II Castlc by thc Dutch in 16)7,
then cxpandcd b); thc Swcdcs in 1652 lind cllpturcd by thc British in 10M, Thc
British based their Gold Coast opcl':ltions in thc town until Accrll bcclImc thc
capital in 1877 undcr Govcrnor Dr, Rowc,
Thc Capc Coast Mctropolitan arca has cxccllcnt educational
institutions likc Univcrsity or Capc Coast, Capc Coast Polylccllllic.
Mllintsipim School, SI. Augustinc's Collcgc, Wcslcy Girls Iligh School,
Adisadcl Collcgc and Iioly Child lIH1t havc pl'Oduccd promincnt cilizcns in Ihc
country.
53
Location of the study area
The Cape Coast Metropolitan area is bounded on the south by the Gulf
of Guinea, west by the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District, east by the
Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District and north by the Twifo-Hemang-Lower
Denkyira District. The Metropolitan area covers an area of 122 square
kilometers and it is the smallest district in the country. The capital, Cape
• Coast, is also the capital of the Central Region of Ghana. It is situated 165 km
west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 118, I06 (Ghana
Statistical Service, 2005).
Relief and drainage of the study area
The landscape of the Cape Coast Metropolitan area is dominated by
batholiths weathered and eroded into rounded hills interspersed with valleys,
which become waterlogged during rainy season. Located in the valleys are
seyeral streams, the largest of which is the Kakum. Many of the streams end in
wetlands and the Fosu Lagoon at Bakaano. In the northern parts of the district,
however, the landscape is generally low lying and is suitable for the
cultivation of various crops.
Climate
Cape Coast Metropolitan area, located in the littoral anomalous zone of
Ghana, experiences relatively high temperatures throughout the year. The
hottest months are February and March, just before the main rainy season,
while the coolest months are June - August. The total annual rainfall is
between 750mm and 1000mm.
54
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.' The Metropolitan area is a humid area with a mean monthly relative
humidity in the mornings varying narrowly between 85% and 99%. But in the
afternoons, humidity varies considerably from around 50% in the dry season
to the high 80% during the rainy season, especially in May and June.
According to Mason (2002), the geographical concept of the study area should.
be considered as serious and as deep as the assets themselves since they have
influence on the assets in the defined environment.
Research design
The study employed the descriptive sample survey. Neuman (2003)
explains that descriptive research presents a picture of the specific details of a
situation, social setting or relation. It deals with interpreting the relationship
among variables and describing their relationship. It therefore seeks to find
answers to questions through the analysis of relationship between and among
variables. This design can either be quantitative or qualitative and it uses the
logical method of deductive to inductive. Sarantakos (1995) also sees the
descriptive research as a preliminary study of an area which deals with an
independent investigation into a phenomenon with the aim of describing social
systems, relations or social events. The design has an advantage of producing
good amount of responses from a wide range of people. At the same time, it
provides a more accurate picture of events and point in time. Fraenkel and
Wallen (1993) continued that the big advantage of the descriptive survey
design is that it has the potential to provide a lot of information obtained from
the sample. Also in this design, variables and procedures are described as
accurately and completely as possible.
55
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On the contrary Seifeit and Hoffuung (1994) maintained that there is
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the difficulty of ensuring that the questions to be answered are clear using the
descriptive design and not misleading because survey results can vary
significantly depending on the exact wording of questions. It may also
produce untrustworthy results because they delve into private maUers that
people may not be completely truthful about. They continued that
questionnaires require subjects who can articulate their thoughts well and
sometimes even put such thoughts in writing.
The descriptive research design has been chosen based on the purpose
of the study and the research questions associated with it. This is considered to
be the appropriate design that could lead to the drawing of meaningful
conclusions from the study. It will help to provide accurate profiles of the
various groups involved in heritage assets in Cape Coast for tourism
development. Again the descriptive method of survey is useful for
investigating a variety of social phenomenon in tourism conservation and
development. Descriptive research mostly deals with data collection through
the use ofquestionnaire.
Sources of data
Data relating to identification of heritage assets, Io-:ation and
classification of assets, benefits of heritage assets and threats to heritage assets
were needed to achieve the objective of the study. Based on the need ~d data.
the study made use ofboth primary and secondary sources ofdata.
The primary data was obtained from field observations, questionnaire
sun'ey and Global Positioning System (GPS) sun'ey conducted in Cape Coast
~Ietropo!itan area from January to July, 2007. Secondan' data were obtained
56
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from existing documents such as a one in ten thousand topographical map of
Cape Coast by the Survey Department of Ghana, the 2000 Ghana Population
and Housing Census Report.
Study population
The population for the study was the heads of household or their
representatives (any household member over 18 years) residing in the Cape
Coast Metropolitan area in January, 2007. According to the Ghana Statistical
Service (2005), the total number of this group is 28,657. The target population
for the study consisted of heads of households or their representative living in
or within 300 meters radius around selected heritage assets in the Cape Coast
Metropolitan area in January, 2007. A household has been defined by the
Ghana. Statistical Service (2005) as "a person or group of persons, related or
unrelated who live together in the same house or compound, share the same
housekeeping arrangement, and are catered for as one unit".
This group was able to provide quality information with regard to
herita&e assets in Cape Coast for tourism development since they were living
in or close to the asset. This population was also of good use in terms of
planning towards the sustainability of the heritage assets and their usage in the
tourism sector.
Sampling procedure and data collection methods
The section deals with the selection of a sample size for the study, the
structured observation and the survey data. The section has been divided into
two:
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Sample size for the study
Since all elements in the target population cannot be questioned
Amuquandoh (2007) suggests that a sampling procedure that will be able to
reproduce the characteristics of the entire population should be adopted for a
study. Hence the size of the sample for the study was determined by the
availability of financial resources, time and the requirement of the proposed
plan of analysis of the study. This would help to make generalization from the
result.
As a result, the study adopted Fisher's formula (Fisher, Laing, Stoeckel
and Townsend, 1998) of determining sample size which is shown below;
Z 2 pq
11 = d 2
Where:
n= the desired sample size (when population is greater than 10000)
z= the standard normal deviate, usually set at 1.96 which corresponds
to the 95 percent confidence level
p= the proportion in the target population estimated to have a
particular characteristic
q= 1.0 - P
d= degree of accuracy desired, usually set at 0.05
For the purpose of the study;
z= 1.96, most social sciences study adopt the 95 percent confident level based
of the fact that, most studies involve social being and as a result, there is the
possibility oferror occurring in the course of the study.
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p=90, previous studies have shown that over 90 percent of residents in Cape
Coast have heard about heritage assets since Cape Coast is a historical town
and the Castle is within thG town, most residents are aware of the presence of
some assets.
q=IO (lOO - 90 = 10)
d=0.05
(1.96)2 (0.90)(0.1 0)
11= (0.05)2
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11 = -"...(3_.8_4;.....:)(_0._09..:...)
0.0025
0.3456
11=---
0.0025
The calculated value of on' shows that 138 households should be selected for
number to take care of non-response rate.
Survey data
11 == 13811 = 138.24,
In the survey data, Stratified sampling was used to select cultural assets
the study. An additional IO per cent of the On' was added to the desired
and historical assets. Respondents for each asset were selected based on a
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number of procedures:
• Chalking and listing of buildings: All buildings within 300 metres
radius on each selected asset were first numbered with chalk by
chalkers and listers. Traditionally, concern for heritage assets at a
destination fades as distance increases. The chalking and listing helped
59
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in locating buildings, household and respondents during the
questionnaire administration for the study. The numbering of buildings
was done from some arbitrary starting point, like a street corner, and
continued from building to building in sequence. In order to embark on
this exercise, permission was first sought from the Oguaa Traditional.
chief and the Assembly members within the selected areas.
• Assets were assigned to chalkers and listers and household listing
forms (Appendix I) were given to each group. For easy identification
of buildings, the groups that did the chalking were assigned to the
same areas and assets so that they would not cover areas that may not
belong to a particular asset. The chalkers and listers performed the
listing by moving from building to building and conducting brief
interviews to determine which were households and who was the head
of household in each household.
• The household listing forms were collected and grouped and numbered
based on the asset. All households on each asset were. numbered
sequentially. Households on selected assets were given sequential
unique identification numbers.
• Three respondents were selected using the lottery method under the
simple random sampling from the heritage building if it was occupied
and three respondents from buildings around the asset. For non
residential assets, six respondents were simple randomly selected from
buildings around the asset.
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Of the 701 :lSSets identified during the invcntnl")'. 26 wcrc randlll1lly
selectcd from which respondents were intervicwed. This li~t has bcen providcd
in Appendi:\ 2.
Structured ohscrvnlion nnd (;PS sun'c~'
In the stnJclllrcd obscrvati0n. an 0hscrvatinn checklist (sec Appendix .1)
was sent to the field and this checklist was :Idapted from ~lclntyre (1l}C}~) and
Inskeep (I Q91). 111e v:lriables selected for the study were based on the purpose
of the study. the v:lriables have abo been used hefllrc :Ind havc pr0\'en reliablc
for such study and resources available for the study. The following variables
were taken into consideration in the identification of heritage assels in Cape
Coast:
• ;'\ame of asset
• Location/Area
• Type of Asset
• Present condition
• Ownership
• Brief histol")'
• Satellite reference
• Picture
Selection of assets
Assets were selected based on a number of considerations. Asscts that
were identified as heritage assets were to meet one or more of the following
criteria:
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• Represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; or
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• Exhibit an important intcrch:mgc of human valucs ovcr a span of timc
or within a cultural area on dcvelopmcnts in architecture. monumcntal
arts or tmm-plnnning: or
• Bear a unique or at least exccptional tcstimony to a civilization which
has disappearcd: or
• Be an outstanding example of a type of buildings or architcctural
ensemble or landscape which iIIustratcs a significant state in history: or
• Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement or land-
use which is a representative of a culture espccially when it has
become vulnerablc under thc impact ofirrc\'crsible change: and
• Be dircctly or tangibly associated with cvent or living traditions with
idcas or with bclicfs or with artistic or literary works of outstanding
significance.
A survcy of thc 74 hcritagc assets and other rccognisablc urban fcaturcs
such as road junctions was conductcd using a hand held Gamin ctrex GI'S unit
(Appendix 6). In ordcr to ovcrcome crrors in thc GPS data. a I: I0000
topographical map of Cape Coast was digitiscd and used as a basc map to
transform thc coordinatcs of rccognisablc features from geographic
coordinatcs to projcctcd coordinatc systcm using a 2"d order polynomial
transformation. Thc points were transformed with thc spatial adjustment tools
available in the ArcGIS 9x GIS software and Root l\'lean Square (RMS) error
01'0.002 was obtained.
Attributes of cach asset such as type of ownership lind other dcscriptivc
information wcre integrated with thc transformcd GPS observations lind the
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resulting database was used to create thematic maps of the assets by nature of
heritage assets and by ownership of heritage asset.
Research instrument
The study made use of a checklist and questionnaire to solicit
information from respondents. The observation made use of a chccklist to
identify heritage assets and also to asscss thrcats that affected thc asscts in
Cape Coast. During the idcntification process, information refating to the
name of the asset, location of the asset, relative location, ownership, year,
longitude and latitude of the asset were collected (sec Appendix 4). Threats to
heritage assets were also observed using the structured observation method
(see Appendix 5). According to Bryman (2004), the structured observation
deals with the formulation of rules for the recording of issues. A checklist of
threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast include vandalism, pillage, soil
erosion, dumping of waste, human or visitor number, development, risk from
fire and neglect of heritage assets (see Appendix 5).
For the sun'ey data, an interview schedule was used (see Appendix 7).
although the interview schedule is expensive in terms of cost and time. it is
known. to help build rapport, create a relax and healthy atmosphere in which
the respondent can cooperate, answer questions and clear misapprehensions
about any aspect of the study (Kumekpor, 2002). Again interview schedule
was used because it is considered as a standardised tool for data collec:ion and
also for maximization of quality and productive value of respondents. The
interview schedule consisted of five sections and these were the physical
condition of asset, significance of asset, threats to asset, other possible
utilisation of asset and residents knowledge of asset in Cape Coast.
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The interview schedule consisted of open ended, closed ended and
Iikert scale questions. In the case of open-ended questions, respondents were
free to formulate their own answers the way they considered to be the most
appropriate. For example, respondents were asked to name any heritage asset
that had been destroyed. The open ended questions mainly served as follow-up.
questions to responses made by respondents. The main advantage of asking
open ended questions was to allow for clarity of data, and to allow for fresh
insight or new information (Merriam, 1998). For the closed-ended questions,
the responses were fixed and respondents were expected to choose the option
within which the respondent agreed most (Sarantakos, 1997). It was realized
that some questions required particular answers. For example, questions
relating to marital status of respondents fell within specific category of
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responses. Questions of this nature were closed ended questions. Issues
relating to perceived benefits of heritage assets were measured with the 5-
point likert scale. Multi-scale items were employed to measure constructs
relating to cultural, historical, economic and political benefits of heritage
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assets in Cape Coast. Demographic data that were collected at the end of the
survey included age, sex, marital status, level of education and length of stay
of respondents. These pieces of information were needed to find out whether
there were differences in the mean responses in the various groupings of these
variables on issues concerning heritage assets in the Cape Coast Metropolitan
area.
With regard to this study, survey questions were asked orally using the
face-to-face conversation method. The questions were directed to the head of
household or their representatives who were the object of the research.
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However, questionnaire as an instrument had some weaknesses. At
times respondents may not provide appropriate answers when questions are
not properly understood. Also questionnaires do not provide opportunity to
collect additional information while they are being completed. These were
taken into consideration before data collection.
Training of Field Assistants
Three field assistants were trained to help administer the interview
schedule in the study area. They were taken through how to number the
buildings within the selected areas and how to identify respondents on an asset
from the household listing forms. Objectives and significance of the study
were explained to them so that they would have knowledge about the study in
question. The training also covered the translation of the interview schedule to
the local dialect using the forward and backward translation method - from
English to Fante and from Fante to English. This was done so that the
interview schedule would be interpreted in the same way with the same
meaning to respondents.
Pre-Test
The interview schedule was pre-tested at four different assets in
Elmina. These assets consisted of two historical assets and two cultural assets.
The pre-test helped the researcher to find out some of the possible problems
that might arise from the field in terms of the structure of the interview
schedule and how respondents understood it. One of the advantages of
conducting a pre-test is that it might give advance warning about where the
main research project could fail, where research protocols may not be
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followed or whether proposed methods or instruments are inappropriate or too
complicated, It therefore provided infom13tion on how to restructure the
interview schedule for the actual fieldwork. The interview schedule was
administered to respondents, and their responses and the process of the
interview schedule administration were critically looked at to find out whether
respondents really understood the questions and had provided valid answers to
the questions.
Field work
The field work was undertaken in January to July, 2007. It took
basically seven months because of the type of information needed from the
-'field.
For the inventory and documentation of assets in Cape Coast, the first
step was to document research and conduct interviews of govemment officials
and other local research persons to determ ine the general types and locations
of resources available (Inskeep, 1991). This was done with the help of a
representative from the Oguaa Traditional Council and a resident Tour guide
in Cape Coast. According to Inskeep (1991), the identification and description
of assets should be done systematically indicating name, type, location,
accessibility, special characteristics, type of any existing development and any
advantage or problems of the existing development, including a photograph if
relevant and a written summary description about the feature. A field survey
was undertaken to visit the assets in Cape Coast.
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Data analysis
Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) version I~ was used to
analyse the quantitative data. Statistical analyses that were employed include
frequencies, percentage and descriptive statistics ofsome ofthe variables in
the questionnaire. Others included the T-test and One Way Analysis of
Yariance (ANaYA) to compare the mean responses of some of the variables.
Approach to the study
For the purpose ofthis study, the researcher designed an approach that would
help in collecting data and achieving the objectives of the study. This
approach has been shown in figure 5.
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Survey of Residents
Residents perception on :
benefits of heritage assets
Residents perception on
benefits of heritage assets
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Threats per Assets in
Cape Coast
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. Assessment of Threats
to Heritage Assets
List of Heritage Assets in
Cape Coast
r=--,---'-:c:-";~~--­
Identification of
Heritage Assets
HERITAGE ASSETS IN CAPE COAST
GPS aKlrdinates of
Heritage Assets
Fieldwork
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Map of Nature of Map of Ownership
Heritage Assets of Assets
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Ownership by Threat of
Heritage Asset
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Assessment of benefit~
Figure 5: Approach to the study of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Metropolitan Area
Source: Author's Construct
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Obsen'ation and sun'ey challenges
The fieldwork started with the identification of heritage assets in Cape
Coast. This was done with a representative from the Oguaa Traditional
Council and a Tourguide from Cape Coast. There were not many problems
with the identification of the assets with the exception of the Asafo
Companies. At some of the places, it was difficult taking Global Positioning
System CGPS) measurement of the place let alone taking a picture ofthe place.
Some places were considered as sacred and as such some of their items should
not be brought to the public.
The chalking of houses for interview schedule administration was an
issue which raised a little problem because of the nature of the buildings. It
was difficult identifying and chalking all the houses within the selected areas.
Care was taken to mark all houses from a known point and with different
colour chalks to differentiate numbering of one heritage asset from the other.
_The use of the GPS in locating the position of the heritage assets was a
difficult task as some of the assets were of greater height. Due to the height of
some of the assets and the internal GPS measurement error, the multi path
error, most of the measurements taken on the assets fell at different places
when the heritage asset map was drawn. A second round of GPS
measurements were taken on existing streets taking into consideration the
orientation of each measurement as a control measurement for locating the
heritage assets. The control form has been presented in Appendix 6.
Although the interview schedule had the advantage of the presence of
the interviewer ensuring that respondents answered all the questions, most of
the respondents were not ready to answer some of the questions in the
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interview schedule. On issues where respondents were supposed to give
reasons or details of their choice of a particular answer, respondents were not
ready to provide answers. Further probe on the question yielded no positive
respon_se. This made some of the interview schedules appear incomplete since
there were some places which had not been filled in. This could have influence.
on the data analysis for the study.
Some of the respondents were of low level education and as a result,
sometimes all the items on the interview schedule had to be interpreted in the
local dialect for the.ir understanding and this took lot of time during the
interview schedule administration.
The period of interview schedule administration coincided with the
beginning of the raining season. This slowed down the period of the interview
schedule administration as it was sometimes difficult moving from one
household to another. There was problem with interview schedule fatigue in
the study area. Some respondents were reluctant to participate in the study
with the reason that it was the same old story of asking questions with nothing
coming out of it. Some respondents also requested financial benefit before
answering the questions. In all these, the objectives of the research had to be
explained into details to respondents before taking part in the study.
Summary of chapter
This chapter was devoted to the study area and the research
methodology guiding the study. The research design, sampling procedure,
sampling size and research instrument for the study have been elaborated. The
statistical tools employed for the data analysis have also been explained. The
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CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ON HERITAGE ASSETS IN CAPE
COAST
Introduction
Cape Coast is among the communities in Ghana that offers opportunity
for heritage tourism. The city represents layers of history with each layer
being significant (US/ICOMOS, 2000). This chapter discusses the background
characteristics of respondents, heritage assets in Cape Coast, benefits residents
associate with heritage assets, threats facing the assets, users of heritage assets
and possible utilization of heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
This section describes the socia-demographic characteristics of the
respondents. Although, the study is not geared towards the personal
characteristics of respondents, it is imperative to highlight some of the
variables that have been found to influence people's perceptions and the
benefits associated with heritage assets. Ritchie and Goeldner (1994) argue
that the information residents give, represent their nontechnical advice
designed to provide direction concerning the nature and type of development
that the community wishes to support. Socio-demographic variables covered
include age, sex, level of education, religion and length of stay.
71
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CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
Cape Coast is alllong the wllllllllnities in Ghana thal olh:rs OPPOrlllnil)
for heritage tourism. The city represents layers of history with each layer
being significant (USIICOMOS, 2000). This chapter discusses the background
characteristics of respondents, heritage assets in Cape Coast, benefits residents
associate with heritage assets, threats facing the assets, users of heritage assets
and possible utilization ofheritage assets in Cape Coast.
Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
This section describes the socio-demographic characteristics of the
respondents. Although, the study is not geared towards the personal
characteristics of respondents, it is imperative to highlight some of the
variables that have been found to intlucnce people' s perceptions anJ thl.:
benefits associated with heritage assets. Ritchie and Goeldner (1994) argue
'. that the information residents give, represent their nontechnical advice
designed to provide direction concerning the nature and type of development
that the community wishes to support. Socio-demographic variables covered
include age, sex, level of education, religion and length of stay.
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Age di.stribution
GeneraIIy age is perceived to shape people's view about things
including heritage resources. Often, the value people attach to things, items,
goods and resources is found to vary with age. Age therefore becomes an
important variable when one assesses the value of historical resources of a
place or community. Amuquandoh (2007) explains how age influences some
of the variability in residents' interest, perceptions and attitudes toward
tourism.
The age of the respondents ranges from 20 years to 85 years with a
mean age of 47 years. Table 3 presents the age distribution of respondents in
the study area.
Table 3: Age category of respondent
Respondents within 30 - 49 age bracket constitute 42.2 per cent. This was
Age (years)
Less than 30
30-49
50 and above
Total
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Frequency
24
59
57
140
Percentage
17.1
42.2
40.7
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foIIowed by those above 50 years (40.7 per cent) and below 30 years (17.1 per
cent) in that order. The age distribution of the respondents depicts that most of
the respondents are adults because of the target population for the study.
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Sex distribution of respondents
Sex has been found to influence individuals' attitude towards
preservation and development of heritage resources. Bluestone (1999) reports
on how women stood in the forefront of historic presen'ation during the
nineteenth century in the United States of America. Generally. males have
been associated with decision making concerning the usage of heritage
-- .... -- --
resources while their female counterparts have been identified with the caring
for these assets. Care of heritage resources include sweeping and weeding
around them. Besides, women have been linked with the education of children
on national morality and care for heritage resources (Bluestone. 1999).
.Table 4 presents the sex distribution of the respondents. The majority
of the respondents were males (74.3%) while the rest were females (25.7 per
cent). This distribution conforms to the 2000 Population and Housing Census
of the area where male as head of household outnumbered that of female.
Table 4: Sex of respondents
Sex Frequency Percentage
Male 104 74.3
Female 36 25.7
Total 140 100.0
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
The observed distribution of high representation of males may be
attributed to the Akan cultural system where the male is usually considered as
the head of the household. The distribution also supports the popular notion
that males are often associated with decision making concerning the usage of
heritage resources (Bluestone. 1999).
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Level of Education
Education is another variable that influences people's view about
things. Education is noted to shape people ideas and perception about objects,
projects and systems (Amuquandoh and Brown, 2008).
'. Table 5 presents the educational background of the respondents. Less
than a quarter (\4.3%) of the respondents have no formal education and 40.7
per cent have completed middle/Junior Secondary School (JSS) level.
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I Table 5: Highest level of education of respondents
I Level of education Frequency Percent
I None 20 14.3I
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I Primary 9 6.4,
I Middle/JSS 57 40.7
SSSNocational 34 24.3I
I Tertiary 20 14.3
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! Total 140 100.0
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Almost a quarter (24.3%) of the respondents have attained Senior
Secondary School (SSS) education. The percentage of respondents who have
never been to school is 14.3 per cent and those who have attained education up
to the tertiary level consisting of Polytechnics, Teacher Training Colleges and
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Universities is also 14.3 per cent. In general, the educational level of
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respondents may be described as low particularly in a place described as the
cradle of education in Ghana.
74
Religion of respondents
Religion has been found to influence peoples' way of thinking and
relation with objects including historic resources such as battlefield, cemetery,
sacred grove and temples. Religious distribution of respondents is presented in
Table 6.
Table 6: Religion of respondents
Religious affiliation Frequency Percent
Other Christian 50 35.7
Protestant 46 32.9
Catholic 32 22.9
Traditional 7 5.0
No religion 4 2.9
Assemblies of God, Church of Christ and other Pentecostal Churches) with
As evident from Table 6, the majority of the respondents (91.5%) were
Christians. Religious affiliation is dominated by other Christians (Pentecost,
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Moslem
Total
35.7 P.er cent. This is followed by Protestants (32.9%) and Catholics (22.9%)
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
in that order. Traditional religion recorded 5.0% and only I respondent was a
Moslem (Table 6).
Length of Stay
-. Length of continuous stay of respondents at a place is commonly
assumed to have influence on residents' perceptions on project development
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destinations. It 3llr.:cts h:)!h domestic Lind inlemalion:d ·,isilor., tf' "',h:r<: 111\::,
are located. Tradilion:llly. undcnLiI:ing Lin jm<:mory of r<:source, of an area is
fund3ment31to tourism dc\'(:Jopmenl. In the \',f)rds ofG:mner (19 fj(,). m:!kin;;
of inventor:. of 311 cxisting and pOlential allractions is lh:.: first s!<.:p [CJ
identif;. ing tourism allractiom in 3n an:a. Invcntl)I)' as an ;,ctivilY hring'> If)
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light the nature and state of historical resources. According to Zimmerman
(1951); resources are not, they become; they are not static but expand and
contract in response to human action. The identified heritage assets are
potential tourism attraction in the Cape Coast Metropolitan area.
Some of these assets are unique and could be described as ideographic
(Lew, J987) because some of the sites are individually identified by name and
usually associated with Cape Coast alone.
Nature of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Cape Coast is a museum piece where a number of heritage resources
abound. Some of these heritage resources are part of the tourism attraction
base of the area. The study identified seventy four (74) heritage resources in
Cape Coast (see Appendix 3).
Heritage resources in Cape Coast are made up of homes, open spaces
for durbar and games, shrines, educational centres and other historic relics
that are important and worthy of conserving. These assets provide a wide
range of choices to meet the needs of different socioeconomic groups with
different interests and different lifestyles.
,.,Heritage assets in Cape Coast are mostly concentrated around the Cape
Coast Castle and along the sea with very few assets located away from the sea
and the Castle. Thus heritage assets in Cape Coast decay from the Castle to the
Peri-urban. Figure 6 presents the locations of the identified assets in Cape
Coast. These heritage assets are the pre-independence heritage assets in the
Cape Coast Metropolitan area,
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Heritage Asset
Cape Coast Castle
Kotokuraba Market
STC yard
Major Road
Minor Road
Gulf of Guinea
1',S'O'W
1.2 Kilometers
! !
03 0.6
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l'l6"1]"N1'17'O"'W
Projeetion:Geographic coordinate system
Datum: WGS 84
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Figure 6: Identified heritage assets in Cape Coast
'.
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
The present distribution of heritage resources In Cape Coast
Metropolis may be attributed to its size In the early 1900s and the loss of
assets in these areas due to growth and expansion of the town. Areas around
the Castle are referred to as the historic core of Cape Coast because the town
grew from the Cape Coast Castle. Though, most of the elements of the old
settlement of Cape Coast are no more in existence Hyland (1995) found out
that there were a number of important assets ranging from brick and stone
houses by the Europeans, mulatto merchants as well as the locals.
Heritage assets in Cape Coast are of distinct architectural designs
compared with the modern structures found in the metropolis. Most of the old
or heritage buildings have some resemblance with the Castle. The structures
and the designs on the buildings are peculiar to those buildings. Some of these
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buildings include Architectural buildings along the Jackson Street, Mensah
Sarbah's house, ChiefKweku Arhin's house, William Grant house and others.
The shrines are associated with the Asafo Companies. Each Asafo Company
has its own design as an emblem and these emblems are embossed on each
shrine for easy identification of one's group or Asafo. Plate 1 is a typical
nature of some heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Materials used in building the structures of these heritage assets range
from wood through mud bricks to blocks. Some assets in which swish and
mud were used in building have disappeared. Corrugated roofing sheets were
used in roofing the buildings.
~.
Architectural design Emblem ofan Asafo Company
Plate 1: Architectural design on some assets in Cape Coast
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Classification of heritage assets in Cape Coast
One of the useful ways of organizing resources of an area is to classify
them by some criteria. Among the researchers who have attempted to classify
historical resources are Godfrey and Clarke (2000); Prentice (1993); Smith
(1989) and Swarbrooke (1995). As part of the study, heritage assets in Cape
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Coast were classified. The criteria used were based on nature of the asset and
ownership.
. Following Prentice's (1993), classification, heritage resources in Cape
Coast were classified into seven categories (Table 8). Prentice classification
!
was favoured because literature suggests that it is the most comprehensive.
classifications ofheritage resources (see Page, Brunt and Connell, 2001).
The types of heritage resources found in Cape Coast are presented in
Table 8. The categories include socio-cultural resources, resources associated
with historic persons, pleasure garden, education, religious resources, military
resources and other resources.
Socio-cultural resources are heritage resources that involve a
combination of social and cultural factors. They include prehistoric and
historic sites such as domestic houses.
Specific examples are Heritage house, Chapel Square and Court
complex. Socio-cultural heritage assets constitute 33.8 per cent of the heritage
resources in Cape Coast.
Resources associated with historic persons are resources associated
with important local personalities who have contributed positively in the
community or the nation as a whole. Resources of this nature are either built
by or named after a historic person. Examples of such resources are Palm
house, Mensah Sarbah house and Kwesi Plange house. Resources associated
with historic persons cover 20.3 per cent as shown in Table 8.
Pleasure Gardens are gardens reserved purposely for pleasure and
entert~inment. It includes periodic gardens. In Cape Coast, Alo Austin garden
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belongs to this composition. This type of resource constitutes 1.4 pe~ cent of
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i heritage resources in Cape Coast.,
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Table 8: Classification of heritage assets by nature
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Type of resource Specific examples Frequency Percentage
I Socio-cultural Heritage house, ChapelI
I
I Square, Old Court Complex 25 33.8
I. Associated with Mensah Sarbah house, Kwesi
Historic persons Plange house 15 20.3
Religious resources Cathedrals, Asafo Companies 14 18.8
Education Mfantsipim School, Philip
Quaque Girls 9 12.1
Military resources . Castle, Forts, War memorial
London Bridge 5 6.8 I,
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Other resources London Bridge, European .I
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Cemetery 5 6.8 j
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Pleasure garden Ato Austin garden 1 1.4 I'
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Total 74 100.0 I-~
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Source: Fieldwork, 2007 ~;
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Educational Resources are elements that are associated with imparting
and or acquisition of knowledge. Heritage assets that belong to this class
include schools, educational centre, libraries and training centres. Resources
that are classified as educational resources cover 12.1 per cent of the assets
(Table 8). Cape Coast is considered as the heart of education in Ghana. Most
of the educational centres in the country started from Cape Coast. A number of
assets that belong to this category include University of Cape Coast,
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Mfantsipim Secondary School, Philip Quagoo Boys and Girls Schoqls and
Kwesi Plange Library.
'Religious resources include cathedrals, churches and shrines. They
constitute 18.8 per cent of the total heritage assets in Cape Coast. Specific
examples under this category are The Methodist Cathedral, Asafo Companies
and Nana Bakam.
.Military related resources are involved in defending and protecting the
communities, people and individuals and are important to the community are
classified under military related resources. Such resources include the Castles,
Forts and military museums or symbols. This category of resources covers 6.8
per cent of the total heritage assets in Cape Coast. Specific examples in Cape
Coast are Cape Coast Castle, Fort William and War Memorial.
Other resources are resources that may not be explicitly classified into
the other categories are classified under other resources. They include
resources such as stadium, stations and any other heritage asset. Other
resources cover 6.8 per cent of heritage resources in Cape Coast.
A map showing classification of assets by nature has been presented in
Figure 7.
Closely related to classification of heritage resources in Cape Coast is
ownership of these assets. According to Mill and Morrison (1992), the form of
ownership of attraction has great implications for tourism. With specific
reference to Cape Coast, four main ownership types can be identified. These
are family, community, institution and government. Tabk 9 presents a
distribution of ownership of heritage assets in Cape Coast.
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Community owned assets refer to assets that are commonly owned by
Family owned assets refer to assets owned by a group of people
members reside in a specific locality and have a historical heritag~ (Dei,
2000). Specific examples of heritage resources owned by the community
the whole community and an individual person cannot claim ownership of
(36.5%) in Cape Coast. Community refers to a group of any size whose
them. The community owned a greater proportion of the heritage assets
and Mensah Sarbah house.
assets covered 28.4 per cent and consist ofassets such as William Grant house
affiliated by consanguinity, affinity and co-residence. Family owned heritage
Figure 7: A Map of nature of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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include Town Hall, Asafo Company and Gothic House.
83
Table 9: Ownership of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Type qf Ownership Specific Examples
William Grant House,
Frequency Percentage
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Family Mensah Sarbah House, 21 28.4
ChiefKweku Arhin House
Town Hall, Asafo
Community 27 36.5
Company, Gothic House
Anglican Cathedral,
Institution Methodist Cathedral, 11 14.9
Catholic Cathedral
Cape Coast Castle, Heritage
Government 15 20.3
House, Fort William
Total 74 100.0
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
•Ownership by institutions had the minimum number of assets (14.9%)
in the study area. Some of the assets owned by institutions include: Methodist
and Catholic Cathedrals. Government owned assets constitute 20.3 per cent.
One implication of this distribution is the social representation. Following the
social representation perspective, it can be argued that, where residents have
the impression that tourism is in the hands of outsiders, more negative
attitudes will follow.
Ownership of heritage assets in Cape Coast brings to light some of the
key stakeholders that may be of interest whenever there is the need for further
development or usage of heritage assets. Figure 8 presents a map of ownership
of heritage assets in Cape Coast
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b:::::==::::::::::;;:;;:::;·::!:·~,,;::;·~~~:=:::===~:~Gulf of Guinea
Benefits Residents Associate with Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
Figure 8: A Map of ownership of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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Value as a concept suggests usefulness and benefits. The value people
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attach to heritage resources provides an insight into the socia-cultural aspects
ofheritage conservation. Value of heritage resources refers to the qualities and
characteristics (actual and potential) of that resource in the community or an
area. Heritage resources are known to play an instrumental, symbolic and
other functional role in society. This is exhibited in the cultural, historical,
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economic and political benefits derived from heritage assets. Tangible heritage
assets provide pictorial memories of the past; they help us to learn about the
little-known aspect of the history, culture and people that are not well
represented in historr books. By this, heritage resource becomes an important
asset not to the residents only but also the general public.
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Heritage is considered as a multivalent asset with a lot o~ values,
looking at it from the perspective of the assessor. Mason (2002) comments
that heritage benefits are by nature varied and no single discipline or method
yields a full or sufficient assessment of heritage benefits. In this way, a single
asset can have a multiplicity of values. Due to this, a more encompassing
assessment of heritage values and integration of these different values will
lead to a better and more conservation planning and management.
In line with the cultural significance/value assessment model (see
Figure 3) the benefits residents associated with heritage assets in Cape Coast
were assessed. The model suggests that heritage assets may have diverse
benefits some of which overlap or compete. Thus, a heritage asset may have
more than one value because value of asset changes over time and may be
changed by factors such as social force, cultural trends and economic
opportynities. For the purpose of the study, benefits of heritage assets were
measured based on the cultural, historical, economic and political values the
people attached to survival resources in the Cape Coast Metropolitan area. A
five point likert scale questions were used to assess these benefits and the
following values were assigned to their responses: 1 as 'Strongly Agree', 2 as
'Agree',3 as 'Neither Agree nor Disagree', 4 as 'Disagree' and 5 as 'Strongly
Disagree' .
Cultural related benefits associated with heritage assets in Cape Coast
were the creation of cultural awareness, provision of opportunity for greater
understanding of culture and provision of intrinsic value. Table 10 shows that
the majority of the residents (92.1 %) agree that heritage assets found in Cape
Coast have cultural benefits. The mean rating of respondents suggest that they
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agree that heritage resource are an important aspect of culture (1.63), they
create cultural awareness (1.73), opportunity for greater understanding of
culture (1.83), serves as means of communication among people (1.90) and
provision of intrinsic value (1.97).
Also historical related benefits residents attached to heritage assets in
Cape Coast were that heritage shows the glories of the past, inform residents
of their roots, provision of unwritten information, heritage as history in
themselves, serving as a link between the past and the present and are of
architectural importance. It is evident from Table 10 that most of the residents
(94.3%) agree that heritage assets in Cape Coast have historical benefits. The
mean rating of respondents depicts that heritage resources show the glories of
the past (0.50), inform residents of their root (1.62), provision of unwritten
information (1.74), heritage resources as history in themselves (1.65), serving
as a link between the past and the present (1.69) and architectural importance
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of heritage resources(I.95).
Table 10: Perceived benefits from heritage assets in Cape Coast
•
Statement Percentage Mean Std ••~
t
N in Agreement Score Error ~.
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Cultural benefits
,I
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Import.ant aspect of our culture 140 92.1 1.63 0.0566
Creates cultural awareness 140 91.4 1.73 0.0532
Opportunity for understanding of culture 140 86.4 1.82 0.0651
Communicate among people 140 87.1 1.90 0.0598
Provide intrinsic value 140 82.1 1.97 0.0664
Average score 140 92.1 1.79 0.0480
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Table 10 continued
• ' Historical benefits
Shows the glories of the past 140 92.1 0.50 0.0620
Inform us of our root 140 92.9 1.62 0.0659
Provide unwritten' information 140 86.4 1.74 0.0726
History in themselves 140 92.9 1.65 0.0664
Shows link from past to present 140 92.9 1.69 0.0656
Architectural importance 140 80.7 1.95 0.0747
Average score 140 94.3 I.71 0.0593
• Economic benefits
Increase income 140 72.9 2.07 0.0993
Provide employment 140 74.3 2.10 0.0952
Open new businesses 140 62.9 2.32 0.0985
I
Bring additional income 140 66.4 2.27 0.0982
DiversitY local economy 140 61.4 2.42 0.0867I
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Increase government revenue 140 66.4 2.22 0.0940
Average score 140 66.4 2.24 0.0883
• Political benefits •n
~
Symbol for community members 140 71.4 2. I 7 0.07 I 1 ~
"-:/.
Provide national identity 140 73.6 2.17
,1
0.0624
Strengthen bilateral relation 140 72.9 2.19 0.0632
Make the nation popular 140 85.0 1.78 0.0639
Average score 140 78.6 2.15 0.0539
Overall mean score 140 83.47 1.21 0.0435
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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In order to ascertain the economic related benefits residents associated
with heritage resources found in Cape Coast, respondents were asked to
indicate their agreement or disagreement on certain items. Economic related
benefits assessed· in Cape Coast were: increase in income, provision of
employment, opportunity to open new businesses, bringing in additional
income, heritage business serving as a form of diversification of the economy
and increase government revenue. As shown in Table 10, average number of
residents (66.4%) agree that heritage assets have economic benefits. The mean
rating of respondents shows that heritage assets bring increase in income
(2.07), provision of employment (2. I0), opportunity to open new businesses
(2.32), bringing in additional income (2.27), serving as a form of
diversification of the economy (2.42) and increase in government revenue
(2.22).
Although this result generally shows that residents agree to economic
benefits of heritage assets in Cape Coast, their level of agreement is uncertain
in terms of agreeing to economic benefits of heritage assets in Cape Coast.
This is in line with what Gartner (1996) assumes that community residents do
not often understand the economic benefits derived from tourism, especially, if
they are not at the receiving end of the tourist expenditure. This finding is
' ..
contrary to the observations made by Jurowski, Uysal and Williams (1997)
and Tosun (2000) that locals often view economic impacts as being positive.
This result could be due to the fact that, for most of the economic related
benefits items, most residents in Cape Coast do not have a feel of it and that
they cannot attest to those benefits. However, according to US/ICOMOS
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(2000), economic benefit is one of the most powerful ways in which society
identifies, assesses and decides on the relative benefit of heritage assets.
Also. political related benefits associated with heritage assets in Cape
Coast ~"ere heritage serving as a s)lnbol for community members. provision of
national identity, strengthening of bilateral relation and heritage assets making
the nation popular. On the average. residents agree to political benefits of
heritage assets (2.15) with 78.6 per cent in agreement to political benefits of
heritage assets in Cape Coast. The mean rating of respondents shows that
heritage assets serve as a S)111bol for community members (2.17), provision of
national identity (2.17), strengthening of bilateral relation (2.19) and making
the nation popular (I.78).
An assessment of the overall benefits residents associate with heritage
assets in Cape Coast shows that 83.47 per cent are in support of heritage
benefits with a mean score of 1.21.
Perceived benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
There is a popular notion that benefit of heritage asset is influenced by
socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. Benefits that people
associate with heritage assets vary with their socio-demographic
characteristics. As noted by Apostolakis and Jaffry (2005), differences exist in
patterns of different segment of the population in terms of their socio-
demographic characteristics and benefits derived from resources.
As a result, the effects of the independent variables such as sex. age.
marital status. educational level, religion and length of stay on the dependent
variable benefits of heritage asset were examined. In examining the perceived
benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, t-test statistic
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was used for variables with only two categories (sex) and One Way Analysis
of Variance (ANOVA) was also used on variables with more than two
categories. The significance level for the analyses was set at 0.05.
Table 11 presents cultural benefits by socio-demographic
characteristics of respondents. It was noted that no significant difference
existed in variables such as sex, age, marital status, religion, level of education
and length of stay on cultural benefits of heritage assets in Cape Coast. On the
average, all the respondents agreed to cultural benefits of heritage assets,
independent of the categories in the socio-demographic characteristics of
respondents.
Table 11: Cultural benefits by socio-demographic characteristics of
respondents
Characteristic
"
Sex
Male
Female
Age
Less than 30
N
104
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24
Mean
1.77
1.83
1.66
Test
Statistic
T-Test
T/F
Value
-0.571
P-Value
0.569
30 -49
50 and above
Marital Status
Never married
59
57
28
1.71
1.92
1.67
ANOVA 2.918 0.057
Ever married 112 1.82 T-Test -1.190 0.236
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Religious Affiliation
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I Catholic ~? 1.84-'-(
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i Protestant 46 1.67,
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I Pentecostal 50 1.90 ANOVA 1.56 0.201II
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i Others i2 1.66
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1 Less than 3 years 12 1.91j
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I 3 - 5 years 4 2.00 ANOVA 0.692 0.502
6 years and above 123 1.77
Level of education
Primary 29 1.82
MiddlelJSS 57 1.82 ANOVA 0.366 0.694
SSS and above 54 1.74
"'Significant at 0.05
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
. Another benefit of heritage assets that were assessed in Cape Coast
was economic benefits. It was noted that a significant difference existed with
regard to sex, age, marital status and level of education. There is no significant
difference in economic benefit with respect to religion and length of stay.
.The males agree (2.09) to economic benefits of heritage assets while
the female neither agree nor disagree (2.66) to economic benefits of heritage
assets. The significant difference in sex with respect to economic benefits of
heritage may be attributed to the fact that males are the recipient of most of the
incomes generated from rent on heritage assets.
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Middle/JSS
SSS and above
57
54
2.10
2.01
ANOVA 8.948 *0.001
Ir
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* = significant at 0.05
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Age was another variable that was significantly different with regard to
economic benefits of heritage. Although, the various age categories agree to
economic benefits of heritage assets, those less than 30 years appear to agree
more (1.75) than those 30 years and above who are uncertain about their
perception (2.36) concerning economic benefits of heritage assets. This could
be due to the involvement of a large number of those less than 30 years in
tourism related jobs. This job related issue might benefit them economically
and for that matter have reason to agree more to economic benefit of heritage.
In addition to the above mentioned variables, level of education was
also observed to have significant difference with economic benefit of heritage.
Those with Basic education and below on the average were uncertain (2.93)
whether heritage assets have economic benefits or not and those with
Middle/JSS (2.10) and SSS and above (2.01) on the average agree to economic
benefits of heritage assets in Cape Coast. This difference may be attributed to
the educational attainment of respondents. Those with high level of education
might have learnt something concerning economic benefits of heritage and
those with lower level of education lack these information.
In addition to cultural and economic benefits, historical benefit was
also examined (Table 13). As evident from Table 13, there was no variable
that was statistically significant as far as historical benefit was concerned. On
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the average, all the categories of respondents under the socio-demographic
characteristics examined agreed to historical benefits of heritage assets in
Cape Coast.
Political benefit was investigated to find out whether there were
differences in rating with respect to sex, age, marital status, religion, length of
stay and level of education. Table 14 presents the result of political benefits by
socio-demographic characteristic of respondents. Again, no statistical
difference was observed in political benefits of heritage assets in Cape Coast.
On the average, all the categories of respondents under the socio-demographic
characteristics examined agreed to political benefits of heritage assets in Cape
Coast.
Table 13: Historical benefits by socio-dcmographic characteristics of
respondents
Characteristic
Sex
Male
Female
Age
Less than 30
30-49
50 and above
Marital Status
Never married
N
28
Mean
1.92
Test
Statistic
TIF
Value
P-Value
Ever married 112 1.66 T-Test 1.820
95
0.071
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I Religious AffiliationCatholic 32 1.53,I
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ProtestantI 46 1.65
I Pentecostal 50 1.90 ANOVA 2.075 0.106I
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I Others 12 1.66
Length. of stay
Less than 3 years 12 1.91
3 - 5 years
6 years and above
Level of education
Primary
Middle/JSS
SSS and above
* = significant at 0.05
5
123
29
57
54
2.00
1.68
1.68
1.68
1.75
ANOVA 1.035
ANOVA 0.179
0.358
0.837
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Table 14: Political benefits by socio-dcmographic charactcristics of
respondents
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Statistic Value
Sex
tvlale 104 2.09 T-Test -1.655 0.105
Female 36 2.33
Age
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Table 14 continued
Less than 30 24 2.08
~ I 30 -49 59 2.10 ANOVA 0.931 0.397I
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I Marital Status
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I Never married 28 2.10
Ever married 112 2.16 T-Test -0.462 0.644
Religious Affiliation
Catholic 32 2.03
Protestant 46 2.23
Pentecostal 50 2.24 ANOVA 2.025 0.1l3
Others 12 1.83
Length of stay
Less than 3 years 12 2.41
3 - 5 years 5 2.40 ANOVA 1.555 0.215
6 years and above 123 2.12
Level,9feducation
Primary 29 2.24 •;
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Middle/JSS 57 2.21 ANOVA 1.140 0.323 ~,II
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SSS and above 54 2.05 ;1
* - significant at 0.05
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
From the above results on perceived benefits of heritage assets by
socio-demographic characteristics of respondents in Cape Coast, it is been
observed that there is no significant difference as far as cultural, historical and
political benefits are concerned. On the average, respondents agree to these
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benefi!.s ofheritage assets in Cape Coast. However, there are significa~t
differences in sex, age, marital status and level of education of respondents as
far as economic benefits of heritage assets are concerned.
Threats to Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
,. Threats to heritage assets are important issues as far as heritage
management is concerned. Threats that affect heritage assets can lead to
deterioration in quality and quantity of heritage assets. It has been noted that
heritage resources cannot be substituted in case ofloss or major damage to the
asset (Riganti and Nijkamp, 2005). This section highlights the nature ofthreats
to heritage assets, threats of asset by ownership and residents opinion on near
coIlapse of assets in Cape Coast.
Nature of Threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast
Issues about threats cannot be eliminated from heritage conservation.
Threats may affect heritage assets from the inception of the product and
throughout its existence. At the international level, heritage assets are
diminishing in number and in quality because they have been affected by a
number of factors. Reeds (1999) wrote that the historic structures always melt
like snow in the summer sun (cited in Bluestone, 1999).
As noted by Westwood (1989), identification of threats to heritage
assets is one of the major steps in preparing heritage resources for the future.
In heritage conservation, threats that affect assets include vandalism, pillage,
soil erosion, dumping of waste, human (visitor) numbers, development, risk
from fire and neglect of asset.
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PI.ate 2: Eumples oftbreats to herit.age:L~ in Cape 0)2$1
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threats include vandalism, pillage, dumping of waste, development, risk from
fire, human numbers and neglect of asset. According to Salafsky and
Margoluis (1999), all threats that affect heritage assets encompass both the
internal and external direct threats.
. Some of the specific threats that affect heritage assets in Cape Coast
are vandalism, pillage, soil erosion, dumping of waste, human or visitor
number, development, risk from fire and neglect of heritage asset. Table 15
presents details of the threats facing heritage resources in the Cape Coast
Metropolitan area as observed by the researcher.
Table 15: Threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast
Threats
• Natural threat
Soil erosion
Frequency
35
Percentage Rank
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• Anthropogenic threats
Dumping of waste 27 21.1 2
Neglect 24 18.8 3
Vandalism 13 10.2 4
Development 10 7.8 5
Fire risk 8 6.2 6
Pillage 6 4.7 7
Human (visitor) number 5 3.9 8
Total 128 100.0
*N=74
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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THE LIBRARY
UtfIVER5IT'( OF CAPE COAST
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As evident from Table 15, most of the assets identified suffer from
negative effects in varying degrees. The threats have been ranked in order of
occurrence of a particular threat on the asset, that is, threats that affect most of
the heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Soil erosion is the topmost threat to heritage assets in Cape Coast
because of its coastal location. It involves erosion due to sea spray, sea erosion
and oxidation due to the presence of water on iron. It also involves gully
erosion that affects the foundations of most buildings. Soil erosion ranked first
with 27.3 per cent, in the threats that affect assets in Cape Coast. Soil erosion
has also changed the outlook of some of the assets.
The next threat to assets was dumping of waste around heritage assets.
Dumping of waste refers to the indiscriminate disposal of waste in and around
heritage assets or sites. This results in the asset being diminished in quality,
character or value. This mostly occurs due to bad attitudinal nature of some of
the residents in Cape Coast. In India, dumping of waste around heritage assets
has partly been attributed to increased tourist flow to heritage sites which leads
to deterioration ofthe asset (Millar, 1989).
Neglect of asset ranked third in the specific threats to assets in Cape
Coast. With reference to the type of asset, cultural heritage assets are more
neglected compared with historical heritage assets. Since most of the cultural
heritage assets are in the hands of families, maintaining them well becomes
difficult. A case in point is when some listed buildings in Cape Coa:>t were
neglected after been renovated by the Ghana Heritage and Conservation Trust.
Vandalism ranked fourth in the threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast.
It refers to defacement or destruction of asset. It is seen as a threat because it
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usually occurs to assets in Cape Coast when people intentionally cause
destruction to heritage asset; some also search for gold in or around assets and
others write on some of the assets. Vandalism in Cape Coast also includes
dropping of pieces of litter in and around assets, graffiti, dumping of refuse
and smashing of part ofassets. These actors do not follow the code of conduct
for tourists because these assets should be conserved for future generations
and for tourism development.
On risk from fire, it was observed that some heritage assets are still
using the old wires used when the assets were constructed. There are also
some non residential assets which have been wired and there is still power in
the wires and these can cause fire outbreaks. Other risks from fire could be
attributed to misuse of fire in the asset, misapplication of electrical gadgets or
appliances, the use of candles and negligence on the part of inhabitants. It
should be remembered that fire can occur at any given time. It was based on
risk of fire that the Nkum-Bentsir area was laid out on spacious new lines as a
precaution against outbreak of fire (Hyland, 1995).
The threat that was ranked eighth is human or visitor number. This
refers to large numbers of visitors to a particular site or living in an asset. This
manifests itself in bad sanitation in and around heritage assets, overcrowding,
and defecating around assets due to the number of people living in and or
usingJhe assets. This leads to wear and tear of the asset and the eventual
deterioration of the asset. Some assets are even sinking and are not in good
state. Plate 3 shows examples of assets affected by rapid deterioration. This
study is consistent with that of Rghei and Nelson (1994) where deterioration
of walled heritage sites was observed.
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Gothic House Prince Owusu Ansah House
Plate 3: Incidence of deterioration of heritage assets
Threats by Ownership of heritage assets
One useful way to assess threats to heritage assets is to assess them by
the ownership of heritage assets. Particular type of ownership of heritage
assets might be affected by particular threats. Table 16 shows classification of
heritage assets by ownership and associated threats that affect them.
From Table 16, all the threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast affect all
the types of ownership of heritage assets. However, heritage assets owned by
the community are the most affected followed by the family owned assets.
These types of ownership are the ones with large numbers of assets in Cape
Coast. This result presupposes that heritage assets owned by the community
and the family are at high risk of disappearing if nothing is done to check the
threats that affect the assets.
Concerning assets owned by institutions and the government, few of
the assets within these ownerships are affected by threat in Cape Coast. This
could mean that, care is being taken on assets belonging to institutions or the
government.
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An implication of the distribution in Table 16 is that it would direct developers
and conservationists of the category of owners of assets to target when there is
the need to address threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Residents opinion on the near collapse of assets in Cape Coast
Heritage assets in Cape Coast are in varied forms and are located at
different places. There are some heritage assets that are at risk of disappearing
because they have been neglected or lack maintenance. The survival of the
assets depends largely on the care that is given to the asset. Since the assets are
located at different places, different threats affect them and also they fall under
different ownerships. These contribute in part or whole towards the sUr/ivai of
the asset. As a result, some of the assets have been neglected while others have
been poorly maintained and are deteriorating at a faster rate.
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_To conserve the historic core of Cape Coast, the threats that affect
these heritage assets need to be considered. From the field observation,
heritage assets that have suffered neglect and lack of maintenance in the area
include Mensah Sarbah house at Amissah Akyir, Rev. S. R. N. Nicholas house
on the Ashanti road, Fort Victoria, Asafo Company No.6, Gothic house,
European cemetery, Prince Owusu Ansah house and others. Table 17 presents
the distribution of respondents' views on action to be taken on deteriorating
assets in Cape Coast.
Table 17: Action to be taken on deteriorating assets
Action Frequency Percentage
Maintain 84 60.0
Put to other use 54 38.6
Destroy 2 1.4
Total 140 100.0
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Even though, some of these assets are at risk of disappearing, over half
of the respondents (60.0%) said the asset should be maintained and 38.6% said
the asset should be put to other use. Only 1.4% of the respondents said the
assets should be destroyed and these respondents were from those living
around Rev S. R. N. Nicholas house.
Based on the nature of the asset, respondents see it as a threat to the
life of those living around it and even during the process of the identification,
it was realised that a notice had been placed on it to be demolished as shown
in Plate 4.
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Plate 4: Rev. S. R. N. Nicholas house to be demolished
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
Proponents of heritage assets being maintained and assets put to other
use are of the view that the nature of the asset could be improved or renovated,
they could be used to generate income and because of the history associated
with the assets. This is in line with an inscription in the Cape Coast Castle
which states that:
"Buildings need to be maintained, and buildings that have been neglectedfor
many years can be brought back to life with sensitive and thoughtful
conservation. Old buildings can continue to sen'e the Community through a
wide spectnl1n ofjimctions - creating and presen'ing a historic em'ironment
that is part ofour common heritage will never be lost to jilture generations. ..
Users of heritage assets in Cape Coast
Heritage assets are used by different people and for different purposes,
In the same way heritage assets in Cape Coast are used by different categories
of people. The degree in which these assets are used vary based on visits and
utilization of the asset. Table 18 presents the categories of user group of
heritage assets in Cape Coast.
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Table 18: Users of heritage assets in Cape Coast
User Frequency
People living in heritage buildings ,97
Community 85
Tourists 64
Percentage
28.8
25.2
19.0
Students
Organisations
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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37
16.0
11.0
. The survey result indicates that heritage resources in Cape Coast are
patronized by five main entities. These entities are the tourist, community as a
whole, people living in heritage buildings, organisations and students. As
evident from Table 18, heritage assets in Cape Coast are mostly used by the
people, living in heritage buildings. In both cultural and historical heritage
assets, it is evident that people living in heritage buildings use the assets most
(28.8%). This result confirms what l'vlcKercher (200 I) noted that residents
often share heritage resources with tourists and sometimes may be primary
users of the resources.
The second group of people considered by the respondents to be users
of the assets is the community (25.2%). The community as a whole uses the
heritage assets for most of their functions such as festivals, durbars and also all
the Asafo Companies are there in the interest of the community. Other
categories of people that use heritage assets in Cape Coast are tourist~ which
constitute 19 per cent, students as users cover 16 per cent and organisations
constituted II per cent.
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Possible utilization of assets in Cape Coast
r-.10st heritage assets are not purposely built for tourism but they can be
incorporated into the tourism attraction base in an area. Resources are
subjective, relative and functional (Zimmerman, 1951) and as such some
heritage assets in Cape Coast can be used for other purposes such as tourism,
educational and cultural purposes. These purposes of assets add to the value of
assets in Cape Coast. According to Hall and Jenkins (1995), heritage assets
with collective values provide foundation for the pol icy arena in the tourism
policy making. Table 19 presents a distribution of possible utilization of
heritage assets in Cape Coast.
Table 19: Possible Utilization of heritage assets in Cape Coast (percent)
Possible Utilization Cultural heritage Historical heritage
Agree Disagree Agree Disagree
Hotel 26.5 73.5 41.0 59.0
Guesthouse 40.6 59.0 49.2 50.8
Restaurant 22.4 77.6 41.7 58.3
Bar 20.6 79.4 25.4 74.6
Flat 19.4 80.6 18.3 81.7
Museum 72.1 27.9 83.6 16.4
Shop 39.4 60.6 39.0 61.0
Craft workshop 48.5 51.5 66.1 33.9
Artist studios 50.7 49.3 56.7 43.3
Exhibition 71.6 28.4 8I.7 18.3
Indoor sports 26.1 73.9 24.1 75.9
Stores or Offices 36.8 63.2 38.6 61.4
Source: Fieldwork, 2007
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Table 19 shows that respondents would allow the assets to be used for
museum, guesthouse, craft workshop, artist studios and exhibitions. For
restaurant and hotel, percentages of agreement were over 40 per cent for
historical assets because most of the assets that fall under the historical assets
are houses built by important people in Cape Coast.
On the other hand, the Posuban shrines and other assets that are under
cultural heritage asset cannot be used for such purposes and that they scored
lower percentages under these uses.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Heritage Assets in Cape Coast
1n the tourism planning process, Fridgen (1996) suggests that the
strengths and weaknesses of the identified heritage assets in the community
should be made known. This wiII help to identifY current tourism opportunities
in the community. Heritage assets in Cape Coast are of different types and can
be grouped into different categories. These groupings serve in diverse ways to
attract different types of tourists and stakeholders interested in heritage assets.
Quality of heritage assets in Cape Coast is worthy to be mentioned. Some of
the assets have been maintained and are in good condition that could be used
for tourism purposes. Gartner (1996) noticed that product quality determines
value and since most assets are of good quality, it is hoped that their values
would be high in tourism. Also, the assets are located at strategic places that
make them accessible to visitors. Places in and around the heritage assets that
may need development either infrastructure or superstructure could be done to
add value to the assets.
Most of the assets are unique and of a single kind in themselves. This
increases their ability to draw visitors to the site. In panning for tourism,
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replicating what exists In the market or in other destination does not add
anything new to the tourist. The most important thing is to present a unique
attraction. and Cape Coast has these assets which need to be packaged and
present to the public.
Nevertheless, the quantum of heritage assets in Cape Coast has
reduced. Most of the assets are affected by threats and these have led to
deterioration of some of the assets. Table 15 shows evidence of threats to
heritage assets by ownership in Cape Coast. Threats serve as major weakness
to heritage assets in Cape Coast. Anthropogenic threats are seen as a weakness
to heritage assets because they can cause an asset to disappear or collapse.
Summary of chapter
The chapter has provided information on heritage assets in the Cape
Coast Metropolitan area. It started with the assessment of the socio-
demographic characteristics of respondents. It then looked at the heritage
assets that have been identified in Cape Coast as at January, 2007. These
assets have been classified into categories based on nature and ownership of
the heritage assets. Some of these assets in Cape Coast have been lost entirely
and others are at risk of disappearing. Threats that affect heritage assets were
assessed and benefits residents associated with heritage assets were also
examined. The closing sections of this chapter consist of users of assets,
possible utilization and strength and weaknesses of heritage assets in Cape
Coast. The next chapter focuses on summary. conclusions and
recommendations ofthe study.
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CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This part of the study reflects on the entire research of heritage assets
in Cape Coast. In view of this, a summary of the purpose of the study and
major findings have been elaborated. This has been followed by conclusions
from the major findings as well as recommendations to help sustain heritage
assets in Cape Coast.
The purpose of this study was to make an inventory of heritage assets
in Cape Coast and examine the threats that affect these assets. This was to help
document the existing heritage assets in Cape Coast to increase the tourism
resource base for visitors and plan towards the development of these assets for
tourism and cultural purposes.
The study aimed to achieve the following objectives:
• identil)' heritage assets in Cape Coast,
• identify benefits residents of Cape Coast associate with heritage assets
in the Metropolis,
• c1assil)' heritage assets in Cape Coast,
• discuss the threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast and
• assess residents' perception about using the heritage assets of the area
for tourism, durbar or other functions.
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The study has sought to identitY relevant heritage assets in Cape Coast
as at January, 2007. Heritage asset is part of culture that is preserved to
educate, inform and entertain people. It has been found out that assets are an
important part of tourism product and that they need to be identified,
conserved for posterity and for tourism purposes. The study was guided by the
Threat Reduction Assessment model and the Cultural SignificanceNalue
Assessment model. These models outlined the threats and values of heritage
assets.
In order to achieve the stated objectives, data relating to heritage
assets, benefits of assets, threats to heritage assets and possible utilization of
assets were collected from heads of household in or around selected heritage
assets from January to July, 2007. Stratified sampling was used to select
heritage assets for the survey. Twenty six heritage assets were selected for the
survey from which 140 interview schedules were conducted.
Statistical techniques were employed for the analysis of data.
Frequencies, percentages and descriptive statistics were employed to examine
the nature ofthe responses of respondents. The analysis of variance (ANOVA)
and the t-test were performed to test whether there were significant differences
in benefits residents associate with heritage assets and socio-demographic
characteristics of respondents. The t-test was used for variables involving two
groups while the ANOVA was used for variables involving three or more
groups.
Summary of Findings
The main findings of the study may be summarized as heritage assets
in Cape Coast, benefits residents associate with the heritage assets, threats to
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heritage assets in Cape Coast and possible utilization of those assets in· Cape
Coast.
From the study, Cape Coast has 74 different heritage assets consisting
of both cultural and historical assets. The heritage assets in Cape Coast are
either residential where people are living in it or non residential where the
asset is preserved for tourism purposes or for cultural purposes. The residential
heritage assets are 32.4 per cent and the non-residential heritage assets are
67.6 per cent of the identified heritage assets in the Carl: Cna~1 i\klnlr,>I;t:ln
Area. A number of heritage assets identified are clustered around the old
settlement ofCape Coast, which is around the Cape Coast Castle and along the
sea.
Heritage assets in Cape Coast have been classified into two different
types. These are classification based on nature of the heritage asset and
classification based on ownership of the heritage asset. Types of nature based
heritage assets in Cape Coast include socia-cultural resources. resources
associated with historic persons, pleasure garden, education, religious
resources, military resources and other resources. A related classification was
based on ownership of asset. The types of ownership of heritage asset in Cape
Coast are families, communities, institutions and government. These heritage
assets have rich historical background which needs to be preserved for future
generations.
Heritage assets are valued based on a number of reasons. With specific
reference to Cape Coast, heritage assets are valued because of their historical
background, spiritual benefits, important personalities associated with the
assets and some because of present awareness and importance of assets.
113
Residents were found to associate heritage resources in Cape Coa"! \\ ith
cultural, historical, economic and political benefits and these benefits extend
not to residents only but to the nation and international communities as a
whole in varying degrees. Cultural benefit was found to be the topmost benefit
ofassets in the study area.
Heritage assets that were identified in Cape Coast were found to be
affected by two main types of threats. These threats are anthropogenic threats
such as dumping of waste. vandalism. neglect and natural threats such as soil
erosion.
Soil erosion was found to be the topmost threat that affects most
heritage assets. Soil erosion in Cape Coast consists of sea spray, sea erosion
and oxidation due to the presence of water on iron. The second threat that
affected most of the heritage assets was dumping of waste in and around
heritage assets in Cape Coast. Some of the assets are located close to the sea
and the reaction of the breeze and some of the building materials deteriorate
the heritage assets. The threats that arlect the heritage assets reduce the qualit)
ofthe assets and the assets deteriorate at faster rate. In terms ofthreats such as
vandalism and pillage, not much was seen in Cape Coast although these
threats exist and affect some assets.
It was also realised that heritage assets can be used for a number of
purposes. Apart from the traditional purposes for which the heritage as"ets in
Cape Coast were built or are being used for, respondents were ofthe view that
heritage assets in Cape Coast can also be used for museum, guesthouse, craft
workshop, artist studios and exhibitions. Other possible utilization of heritage
assets for economic purposes such as hotel, restaurant, bar, flat, shop, indoor
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spml ::md sh0p'ollices which filay be :lpplicable elsewhere m3Y nN be
alternatiye utilizati0n of :lssets in Cape Co..,st.
Conclusions
Cape Coast will continue to be the historic tC\\\TI in Ghana ifthc assets
in it are well c0nserwd for future generations. The study has shown th:n. :IS :It
January - August. 2007. there were 74 different herit:lge resources in Cape
Coast. Herit:lge assets in Cape C0Jst are diverse in ternlS of nature :lnd
m\TIership. The resources haye rich historic:l1 backgrounds which l13ye been
handed dO\\TI through generations. During the processes of identification of
the assets. it W3S observed that most assets in C:lpe C03St were clustered
:lr0und the C3pe Coast Castle eyen though the old settlement of Cape Co:!st
was no more in existence.
Some of the heritage resources in C:lpe C03st hm"e deteriomted :lnd
some h:lve even dis3ppeared. Some of these lost assets include Acqu:lh's
hotel. Fort Fredrickburg, J. W. Sey's house on the side of the Anglic:ln
Cathedml :lnd others.
Heritage assets are :llways under thre:lts from :III sorts of :Ingles. When
these ~hreats are identified early and m:lnaged very well. it could 5.1feguard
assets from dis:lppe:lring :lnd the benefits of heritage could be enjoyed for a
longer period of time. The study has sho\\TI th:lt there are a numbcr of thre:lts
that atTect heritage assets in Cape Coast. These thre:lts include soil erosion.
dumping of W:lSle. fire risk. hum:ln number. ncglect of :IsseI. development.
pillage and Y:lnd:llism. All t11ese thre:lts :llkct :ISsets in varying degrees. Soil
erosion was identified as the most seriolls thre:lts th:lt atTect most of the :lssets.
Soil erosion mnked first in :III the threats t1mt were discllssed. Following the
115
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threat of soil erosion are the threats of rapid deterioration and fire risk while
vandalism and pillage were the least threats that were identified to affect assets
in Cape Coast.
. Generally, assets are valued by both residents and non residents of
heritage assets in Cape Coast. People visit these assets for tourism,
educational, cultural, entertainment and other purposes. This shows that
heritage assets in Cape Coast are beneficial and that they are worthy of
conservation.
Recommendations
The study has shown that, truly, Cape Coast is one of the historic
towns in Ghana. This is manifest in the number of important assets that are
located in the town. As a result, the following measures to help sustain the
assets in Cape Coast are proposed:
Conservation of assets
Based on the 74 different assets identified in Cape Coast consisting of
both cultural and historical assets, there is the need to conserve these assets.
Although, some of these assets are not in good condition and some have even
disappeared, their sites should be conserved for future generations. Care
should be taken not to erase the history of the asset in any way in an attempt to
conserve the asset. Since the assets in Cape Coast consist of both residential
and non residential and also the ownership are in the hands of stai\:eholders:
the family, community, institution and government, any conservation
measures that need to be undertaken should be done in collaboration with all
the stakeholders involved in the assets. The Cape Coast Metropolitan
116
Assembly and the Oguaa Traditional Council should be made aware of the
heritage assets and their threats in the area so that measures can be taken to
conserve these historic reSOurces.
Management of threats to assets in Cape Coast
There are a number of threats that affect heritage assets in Cape Coast.
As these threats have been identified, there is the need to manage them so that
the existing assets in Cape Coast would not be lost. It was realised that, soil
erosion affect most of the assets in Cape Coast. In view of this, Ghana
Heritage and Conservation Trust (GHCT), Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly
and Ghana Museums and Monument Board (GMMB) need to look at how the
threats can be reduced. Gutters and drainage systems should be provided at the
places where there are needed in the Metropolis and most especially where the
assets are located should be improved. Individuals and family members living
in or around heritage assets should assist in managing threats to assets in Cape
Coast.
Also, some of the assets could be used for other purposes to conserve
the assets and to generate income too. Those assets that can be used for other
purposes could be identified so that value could be added to them. In doing so,
care should be taken to keep faith with the original nature of the asset.
Education
Education is an important issue in heritage conservation. The Ghana
Heritage and Conservation Trust (GHCT) and GMMB should be in charge of
this education ofcommunity members on heritage assets. However, because of
limited resources there is the need to educate residents of heritage assets and
117
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those living around heritage assets. The education could cover conseryation of
available assets in the community the benefits that the assets generate and can
.' -
genera~e, threats that affect these assets and the whys of the conseryation of
the assets in Cape Coast. If this education is done, it will help in the
conseryation of the heritage assets in the area.
Recommendations for further research
Ghana Heritage and Conservation Trust (GHCn and GMMB should
employ a strategy of inclusiveness by calling on different disciplines and
bringing in the views of residents and non residents in Cape Coast in the
planning of heritage conservation.
Heritage values that have been identified are not exhaustive and that a
combination of methods from a variety of disciplines should be employed to
generate a sufficient assessment of heritage values in the study area. Other
benefits such as education (both formal and informal) should be looked at.
This will lead to a more conservation planning and management of assets.
The assets that have been identified consist of the tangible historical
and cultural assets in Cape Coast. There is the need to find out the other
tangible assets such as the natural and archaeological assets as well as the
intangible assets such as language and festivals in Cape Coast.
Contribution to knowledge
The study has contributed to knowledge in the following areas:
• The expansion on knowledge base on heritage assets in Cape Coast. It
has been realised that apart from studies done by Hyland (1995) and
Conservation International and GHCT (2000) on architectural history
I 18
: i.
f I
I II,
: i
. of Cape Coast and conservation and tourism development plan for
Cape Coast respectively, not much has been done in term of the
identification of heritage assets and their threats in Cape Coast. Most
of the studies done in this area of study have focused on the UK, the
.' USA and China. As a result, the study has helped to document heritage
assets in Cape Coast and their associated threats.
• The study has also been able to build on existing studies done by
SaIafsky and Margoluis (I999) on threats that affect assets, In the
identification of assets, the study combined two different methods used
by Inskeep (I 99 I) and McIntyre (I993) to arrive at a comprehensive
method of identifYing heritage assets within an area.
• In terms of concepts guiding threats to assets, the study has made a
contribution to the Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) model
developed by Salafsky and Margoluis (I 999). The adopted model had
a shortfall of the omission of natural threats as a variable that affects
assets and should be given recognition in terms of threats to assets.
Contribution to Practice
The study of heritage assets in Cape Coast is essential based on its
contribution to societal growth and tourism development. Among the
contributions of this research to practice are:
• The provision of baseline data on heritage assets in Cape Coast for
tourism development. For tourism to grow well, one of the issues is to
increase the attraction base of the destination. The study has therefore
119
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"I
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•
sought to identify and document eullural heritage assets which in effcct
will attract more of the heritage tourists to Cape Coast.
The study has also provided scientific data lhat ean be used as a basis
for tourism decision making and implementation jn Cape Coast. Issucs
relating threats. bcncfits and ownership of heritage assets in Cape
Coast have been provided in the study.
120
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Appendix I: Household LisliuJ.: Form - 2(l()7
o ::..........:=..;.:-.-;.:~~=-_~'- '-..;.;".~ __ .;.::.. "..;...:,.-. ._.-;;,.:...: ~ .:.._~~~:....::::;;;=::::::-::;
Arcn: lIedtnge Assets:
Building Number or
Number Locntion or III Is in 1111 Number Nnme or 1111 lIend People in III·' Number in (·111
Building Building? in Building 1111 List Selected?
Yes... I Yes... I
--
-
No.... 2 No .... 2
- -- --Yes... I Yes ... I
-- -
No.... 2 No .... 2
-- --Yes... I Yes... I
--
--
--
No.... 2 No .... 2
~-------
- --
--- ----
Ye~:... I Yes... I
-- -
Nil .... 2 No .... '2
--- -- ----Yes... I Yes... I
-- --
--
Nil.... '2 No .... '2
---- ----Yes... 1 Yes ... I
-- -- --
Nil.... '2 No .... '2
- -- ----Yes... 1 Yes... I
-_.
-
_._-
- ----._------------ -
Nil .... '2 Nil .... '2
--_._. ------
- -- ---_.--~----- ------- ----- -----Yes... I Yes ... I
-- - --
No.... '2 No .... '2
Yes ... I -- ----------- Yes ... 1
---
-- --
No .... '2 No .... '2
Yes... I -- ----- Yes... I
No.... '2 No .... '2
INTJ-:RVII·:WJ-:R SIJI'J-:RVISOR
Name ............................................................... Nulllc ...............................................................
J2~"-~=--,--,-,-c'-'-::::'-'-::'-'-'-"""" ....................: ............... Dale .................................................................
.--
130
1L
Appendix 2:List of Selected Heritage Assets for the Survey
Aequah's Hotel
Asafo Company No 5
Asafo Company No 4
ChiefKweku Arhin House
ChiefEmmanuel Sam Amissah House I
Gothic House
Kobina Seh.)'i House
Mensah Sarbah House I
Old Cape Coast Settlement/Nkum
Rev. S. R. N. Nicholas House
Philip Quaque Boys
Kwesi Plange House
Oguaa Traditional Area Symbol
Cape Coast Castle
Chapel Square
European Cemetery II
Former Colonial Court
Fort William
Heritage House/Government House
Victoria Park - Jubilee Park
Kofi Hills House
Methodist Cathedral
Mfantsipim School
London Bridge
Original Site, Wesley Girls High School/Mfantsipim School
Swanzy Building
Old Hospital Hill
131
,-
Appendix 3.: List of Heritage Assets in Cape Coast Metropolitan Area
Area Name of Heritage Asset
VCC University of Cape Coast
I Bakaano Fort Victoria
I
Bakaano European Cemetery II Bakaano Court ComplexI
I. Bakaano Philip Quaque Boys School
I: Bakaano Mensah Dadzie House
"I'.
II
Bakaano Town Hall
Bakaano Site for British Bank of West Africa
r Bakaano William Grant's House
I Bakaano European Cemetery II
[I Bakaano Asaase Pa
Ii Victoria Park Original Site: Wesley Girls High School and Mfantsipim
I Victoria Park Jubilee Park formerly Victoria Park
I Victoria Park Nkum Asafo Company No.4I
I
I Victoria Park Former A. M.E. Aggrey Memorial Zion Sec. School,I
I
I Victoria Park Burst of The QueenVictoria Park Gothic House
Chapel Square Former Colonial Police Station/Kofi Hills
Chapel Square Topps Yard
Chapel Square Chapel Square
Chapel Square Methodist Cathedral
Chapel Square Heritage House/Government House
Chapel Square Ato Austin Memorial Garden/Former Government Garden
Chapel Square Kwesi Plange's Library
Anaafo Asafo Company No.5
Anaafo Asafo Company No.2
Anaafo Nana Paprata
Anaafo Asafo Company No.6
Acquiruim St Nicholas Seminary/Ghana National College
132
~-
I'
,I Acquiruim
,
i Siwdu
I Siwdu
I Amoakofua
1 GegemI
I Gegem
I
II Castle
II Castle
!I Castle
II! Castle
Castle
I Castle
Castle
Adisadel
Mfantsipim
Aggrey
Aggrey
National
Zion/Bames Hills
Zion! Barnes Hills
TromlRoyal Lane
TromlRoyal Lane
Ntsin
Ntsin
Augustine's
London Bridge
London Bridge
Tantri
Old Hospital
Municipal
Jackson Street
Jackson Street
Kotokoraba
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--- -._-_.- .
------ - _._-----
Bus Park - Nana Mbrah Park
Sport Stadium
Nana Bakam
Fort Fredrickburg
ChiefKweku Arhin's House
ChiefCokers' House
Kobina Sekyi House
Old Cape Coast SettlementlNkum
George Maclean's Tomb
Philip Quaque's Tomb
Cape Coast Castle
Anglican Cathedral
War Memorial
Adisadel College
Mfantsipim School
Aggrey Memorial School
Aggrey Bridge
Ghana National College
A.M.E. Zion Church
Old Football Field/Lawn Tennis Pitch
Catholic Cathedral
Philip Quaqoo Girls
Asafo Company No, 3
Chief Emmanuel Sam Amissah House I & 2
St. Augustine's College
Oguaa Traditional Area Symbol (The Cmb)
London Bridge
Tantri Lorry Station
Old Hospital Hill
Prince Owusu Ansah House
Swanzy Building
Collection of architectural buildings
Kotokoraba Market
133
r
II -cA-cm-an'fu::-:;I,------AA-=sa::"lfi;:"o;::C~om-pa-n-y7N;--o--:.7=-----------
i Amanful Whale Burial Ground
I AmanfuI Trinity Methodist Church
II Commercial Street Merchant Buildings
I Commercial Street Palm HouseI Commercial Street Mensah Sarbah's House I
:jl Commercial Street Brempon Kwadwo's House
Mercathy HiI1 Kwesi Plange's House
1~,. Amissah Akyir Mensah Sarbah's house II
Ashanti Road Rev. S. R. S. Nicholas House
Coronation Acquah's Hotel Site
Fort William Fort William
134
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------_._-
Appendb: 4: Observation Checklist
HERITAGE ASSETS Di CAPE COAST, ]'-\;'-'UARY, 2007
. S~! DATE AREA I:"..DIE OF HERITAGE ASSET ILO:"GITUDE ILATITUDE ITYPE CfH
I : I i I
I I I
I : !
J35
,
r---
_~=c-cc------_... -- -- _.- -- - -.
Appcndix .t: Ohscrvation Chccldist continucd
----------,
HERITAGE ASSETS IN CAPE COAST, JANUARY, 2007
SIN RELATIYE LOCATION CURRENT STATE YEAR OWNERSHIP REMARKS
!i
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12 ~,
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--------
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Appendix 7: Interview Schedule for Respondents
UNIVERSITY or CAPE COAST
DEPARTMENT or GEOGRAPHY AND TOURISM
CAPE COAST
HERITAGE ASSETS IN CAPE COAST
The purpose of this survey is to collect data on heritage assets in Care Coast.
You are assured of complete anonymity as all information provided would
remain confidential to the researcher alone. I would be most grateful if you
could please answer the questions as candidly as possible.
Date: .
Area: .
Interviewer: ..
Name ofAsset .
SECTION A: SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Instructions: Please tick (,1/) in the appropriate box.
1. Sex of respondent a) Male o b) Female o
2. Age completed ·
3. Marital slalllS
a) Single 0
b) Married 0
c) Separated 0
d) Widowed 0
I
L
4. Number of children ..
139
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SECTION B: PHYSICAL CONDITION OF HERITAGE ASSET
Instructions: Please tick the appropriate answers where necessary.
13. Where are you living currently?
a) In a heritage asset 0 b) Outside/Around heritage asset 0
c) Works in a heritage asset 0
14. How long have you stayed in this place? , .
15. What is the name of this heritage asset? .
16. What is the nature of the heritage asset?
a) Residential 0 b) Non-Residential 0 c) Don't know 0
17. Ifnon-residential, what is the heritage used for at the moment?
18. Why was this heritage asset built?
19a.Does the heritage asset belongs to the people/group who built it?
a) Yes 0
19b. Ifno, why?
b) No 0
.............................................................................
.............................................................................
SECTION C: SIGNIFICANCEIVALUE OF HERITAGE ASSET
Instructions: Please tick Cl/) the appropriate answers where necessary.
20. Are people aware of the presence of this heritage asset?
a) Yes o b) No o
21 a. Do you approve of the present use of the heritage?
L
a) Yes 0 b)No 0
141
2 Ib. Give reason to your answer
23. Do you want visitors to visit this place?
22. Do, people come to visit the heritage asset?
b) No 0
b) No 0
a) Yes 0
a) Yes 0
......................................................................................
....................................................................................
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24. Does the heritage generate income at the moment?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0
25a. Do people value the heritage asset?
26. Benefits of the heritage
Please indicate the extent ofyour agreement on the scale where 1 =
......................................................................................
.......................................................................................
b)No 0a) Yes 0
25b. Give reasons
'/
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strongly agree,
2 = agree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = disagree and 5 = strongly
disagree.
Benefit Extent of Agreement
Cultural benefits ISA IA INAm ID ISD
Heritage assets are important aspect ofour culture
Heritage assets creates cultural awareness
Heritage assets provide opportunity for greater
.
142
understanding ofculture
Heritage assets help to communicate among people
of diverse background
Heritage assets provide intrinsic values
Historical benefits
Heritage assets show the glories of the past
"
Heritage assets inform us ofour root
Heritage assets provide unwritten information
Heritage assets are history in themselves
Heritage show direct link from the past to the
present
Heritage assets are ofarchitectural importance
Economic benefits
Heritage assets increase income
Heritage assets provide employment
-
Heritage assets open new businesses
Heritage assets bring additional income
Heritage assets diversi fy local economy
Heritage assets increase government revenue
Political benefits
Heritage asset is a symbol for community members
Heritage assets provide national identity
Heritage assets strengthen bilateral relations
Heritage assets make the nation popular
143
27.What do you think are some of the qualities of the asset that will attract
visitors to the site?
.......................................................................................
........................................................................................
.........................................................................................
SECTION D: MANAGEMENT OF HERITAGE ASSET
Instructions: Please tick the appropriate answers where appropriate.
28. How do you consider the state of the heritage asset?
a) Good 0 c) Deteriorating 0 e) Almost disappear 0
b) Stable 0 d) Bad 0
29a. Have you witness any maintenance on this asset before?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0
29b. Has this heritage asset been maintained before? a) Yes 0
b) No 0
30. Which group did the maintenance? (Tick all that apply)
od) Government Privatc Partncrshipa) Government o
b) Quasi government 0 e) NGO 0
c) Private 0 f) Other specify ..
3 I. What did they do on the asset? ..
........................................................................................
144
32. Which group(s) should be involved in maintaining this asset?
(Tick all that apply and provide reasons)
Group Yes No
Individuals/Families living in heritage asset LI 0
Reason:
-
LJThe community LJ
Reason:
,
DGovernment body I LJ
Reason:
DPrivate individual/organization I LJ
Reason:
l LJ DNGO
Reason:
I
D LJInternational organization
145
Reason:
Other specify
Reason
\
o o
33. \Vhat is the status of this heritage asset? a) Public 0
34. Is this resource on the itinerary of any tour?
b) Private o
a) Yes o b) No o c) Don't know o
SECTION E: COi'lSERVATION OF HERITAGE ASSETS
Instructions: Please tick the appropriate answers where appropriate.
35a. What should be done to heritage assets that are no longer needed for the
purposes
that they were built?
a) Maintain
35b. Qive reasons
o b) Destroyed 0 c) Put to other use o
............................................................................................
36a. Do you know any place of importance that has not been taken care of?
a) Yes 0
36b. Ifyes. please list them.
b) No 0
..........................................................................................
....................................................................................
37a. Do you know of any place in Cape Coast that u~ed to be an important
heritage asset
. I "but does not eXIst any onger:
1
a) Yes 0 b)No 0
146
c) Don't know 0
37b. Ifyes, name some of these heritage ~ssets in Cape Coast
.......................................................................................
.............................................................................................
38a. Has there been any damage on the heritage asset?
a) Yes 0 b)No o
38b. If yes, has it been repaired a) Yes 0
38c. Ifno, why?
b) No 0
..........................................................................................
39a. Is everything that is old worth conserving? a) Yes 0
39b. Please give reasons
b)No o
40a. Do you believe that a structured programme to encourage heritage
conseryation would be appropriate for this community?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0 c) Don't know o
I.
40b. If yes, what should this programme emphasize?
..............................................................................................................................
41. Conservation of heritage assets
Please indicate the extent of your agreement on the scale where I =
strongly support,
2 = support, 3 = neither support nor opposed, 4 = opposed and 5 = strongly
opposed.
Statement SS S NS/O 0 SO
The whole heritage asset should be replaced
Part of the heritage asset should be replaced
I
147
Instructions: Please circle the appropriate answers and rank where necessary.
44. Have you experienced negative impacts from visitors on the heritage
SCTION F: THREATS TO HERITAGE ASSETS
oc) Don't knowob) Nooa) Yes
42. Are you aware ofany threats to heritage assets in Cape Coast?
Change can be made without consulting oWners
,
Heritage should be put to different use
Nothing should be done to heritage assets
<
Those living around heritage should not be involve in
conservation issues
The interest of history should be part ofconservation
Areas with spiritual relevance should be conserved
Economic factors influence conservation of heritage
asset
Cultural factors influence conservation of heritage asset
Political factors influence conservation of heritage asset
Everything that is old should be conserved
I!
II
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II,
I
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II
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asset?
a) ~es o b) No o c) Don't know o
Ifyes, in what form?
.............................................................................
45a. Are you aware ofyour action on the heritage asset?
a) Yes o b) No o c) Don't know o
45b. Ifyes, please indicate any two of these impacts
148
l
I
-------_._--- --
......................................................................................
......................................................................................
46a. Have you ever received any education on threats to heritage assets?
a) Yes o b) No o c) Don't know o
46b. Nature of education , ..
...........................................................................................
SECTION G: OTHER POSSIBLE UTILISATION OF HERITAGE
ASSETS
Instruction: Please circle the appropriate answers and tick where appropriate.
47. Other possible utilization of the heritage asset.
Please indicate the extent of your agreement on the scale where I = strongly
agree,
2 = agree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = disagree and 5 = strongly
disagree.
Possible Utilization SA A NAID D SD
Heritage assets can be used for hotel
Heritage assets can be used for guesthouse
Heritage assets can be used for restaurant
Heritage assets can be used for bar
Heritage assets can be used for flat
Heritage assets can be used for museum
Heritage assets can be used for shop
Heritage assets can be used for craft
149
workshop ~
,
Heritage assets can be used for artist
studios
Heritage assets can be used for exhibition
I I
Heritage assets can be used for indoor
sports
Heritage assets can be replace with
stores/offices
Other possible use specif)'
48a.Do you want thIs asset to be marketed?
48b. Give reasons
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a) Yes o b)No 0 c) Don't know o
49, Are you aware of conservation policies in Cape Coast?
50. Are these policies being implemented in Cape Coast?
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a) Yes 0
a) Yes 0
b) No 0
b)No 0
c) Don't know 0
c) Don't know 0
51. In case of further development at this place, do you want to be contacted
before any
work is taken place?
c) Don't know 0
a) Yes 0 b)NoD
I •
SECTION G: RESIDENTS KNOWLEDGE ON HERITAGE ASSETS
Instructions: Please tick the appropriate answers whrre necessary.
52. ~o you have knowledge about the history of this asset?
a) Yes 0 b)No 0
150
c) Don't know 0
53. Have you ever heard of the tenn heritage asset?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0 c) Don't know 0
54. List any four (4) heritage assets that you are familiar with.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. " .. "" .
55. Haye you ever visited the Cape Coast Castle before?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0 c) Don't know o
56. Do you consider the Gothic House as a heritage asset?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0 c) Don"t know o
57a.Do you know of any heritage asset that has been destroyed?
a) Yes 0 b) No 0 c) Don't know o
57b. Name such heritage asset. .
58. Rank the following in tenns of sources of heritage knowledge
Sources of knowledge ISA IA NAID D ISD
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from
museums
i
Ever <Jot knowledge on heritage assets from i
::: ..... -
television II
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from travel I
I
broacher I
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from books
I I I
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I II
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from I
I
magazines
! :
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from I !
,
I
- - !
Secondary School ,
I
:
151
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from
CoIlegefUniversity
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from
newspaper
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from primary
school
Ever got knowledge all heritage assets from movies
Ever got knowledge on heritage assets from public
lecture
Other
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III,
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I II ! 59. How accessible IS this herItage asset?
a)Very accessible 0 c) Average o e) Out of bounds 0
b) Accessible o d) Not accessible o
60. Who are the primary users of the heritage asset? (Tick all that apply)
Tourist 0
Community 0
Residents 0
Organisations 0
Students 0
61. Does the heritage asset play any important role in shaping the identity of
the community?
a) Yes
THANK YOU
o b) No o
152
c) Don't :mow o
THE LIBRARY
4JNIVERSITY OF CAPE C:O~.~l