Statecraft, Chieftaincy and Local Government in Anlo State, 1560s to 1990s

Abstract

This thesis traces the origins of the Awoame and Kaklaku stools and establishes their significance to the creation and consolidation of the Anlo State. It then reconstructs the socio-economic and political history of the state up to 1999 when the last descendant of the Bate royal clan, Togbi Adeladza II, ruled over Anlo. It highlights the fact that the lawlessness and moral decadence which characterised the formative years of the Anlo state were brought to an end with the enstoolment of Awoamefia, Togbi Sri I, whose wise counsels became the guiding principles for the indigenes of Anlo. The promulgation of capital punishment and banishment system (nyikoƒoƒo) by Awoamefia, Togbi Nditsi, also guided the people of Anlo on the path of moral uprightness. Using archival sources, other primary sources as well as secondary documents and oral interviews for information on the history of the Anlo state through qualitative method, the thesis argues that the successes achieved by the rulers of Anlo, particularly during the pre-colonial times were attributable to the legitimacy and authority they derived from the Awoame and Kaklaku stools. The advent of missionaries and later British colonial rule changed the course of the history of the administration of the Anlo state. These events served to promote the development of the state by virtue of the preparedness of the paramount chiefs of Anlo to collaborate with the missionaries and British colonial officials. The study contributes to the understanding of Anlo state under the umbrella of the Europeans – Danes and British – and its subsequent effects on the political, social and economic lives in Anlo. This study adds to the historical knowledge of students, traditional rulers, opinion leaders, historians, readers and the general public about the history of the Anlo state.