Independence Series Trailer
Episode .01…
Asantehene Osei Bonsu is caught in a dilemma when his diplomatic efforts fail and the British General McCarthy brings war to his doorstep in an epic battle by the river Adaamanso near Nsamankow.
Episode .02…
The Assins rebel against Asante authority encouraged by British agents. The Asante army is sent south and lays siege to Cape Coast Castle where the rebels have retreated to. The British administrator negotiates for peace and the population around Cape Coast castle is taken captive as slaves to appease the king of Asante.
Episode .03…
The Cocoa HoldUps.
“The Asante Wars”…
The Asante Kingdom is expanding its influence in the region. It has conquered various ethnic groups by war including the coastal Fante and needs to maintain its dominance. Critical to its ambitions is the need to keep the trade routes to the coastal forts open and unimpeded, to ensure the supply of guns. Meanwhile, the British appetite for gold and other resources found in Asante territory is growing. They need to exert dominance over the Gold trade.
To maintain these respective interests, the two groups must either negotiate peacefully or wage war. Through a series of unfortunate events, both sides have concluded that the other cannot be reasoned with, hence war seems the only option.
“The Gold Coast”…
By the end of the 19th century, increased trade with Europe stimulated the need for professionals such as auctioneers, engineers, teachers and lawyers. Local merchants rose in importance and wealth. Trade in timber, rubber and gold led to a booming business in concessions, but it also led to conflicts over land use.
In seeking to resolve these conflicts, the British Administration put forward a bill to vest all unused land in the name of the British monarch. The Crown Lands Bill sets the stage for the rise in local activism against external control.
Episode .05…
John Mensah Sarbah, JP Sey and Ahuma Attoh congratulate each other as the first copy of The Gold Coast Aborigines newspaper rolls off the press with the screaming headline “OUR LAND IS OURS”.
These men together with several chiefs have set themselves on a collision course with the British Governor William Maxwell over control of the rights to land use in the Gold Coast. By this action, the first political opposition movement was born; the Gold Coast Aborigines Rights Protection Society.
Episode .06…
Cocoa exports from the Gold Coast have risen, making it the largest foreign exchange earner for the colonial government. A cartel of cocoa buying companies maneuvers to fix the purchase price of cocoa. The Farmers are unhappy about this and embark on agitations to force the colonial government to intervene. Their actions became known as the Cocoa HoldUps of 1931-34. Led by Nana Ofori-Atta of Akyem Aboakwa, can the cocoa farmers of the Eastern Region resist the temptation to capitulate to the schemes of the foreign cocoa buying cartel?
Produced by Documenta AudioVis
Series Creator:
Mawuli Afatsiawo
Directors:
Selom Afatsiawo , Mawuli Semevo
Head Writer:
Alba Amoo-Gottfried
Performed by:
Resident Theatre Company of
The National Theatre of Ghana
WRITERS
Alba Amoo-Gottfried
Isaac Boakye Danquah
Kofi Berko
Emmanuel Boakye
Nana Damoah
Kwesi Amoak
Nana Kofi Acquah
Kwaku Dankwa
ACTORS
Mawuli Semevo | Joseph Quao | Agnes PanfredPRODUCTION ASSISTANCE
RESEARCHER & HISTORIANS
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