Drumspeak: International Journal of Research in the Humanities

Integration of Nzema migrants into the Ivorian (Ivory Coast) society during the colonial and post-colonial periods

2025-03-24T09:52:42+00:00

Unlike the pre-colonial period, migration in Africa during the colonial and post-colonial epochs was bedevilled with migrants’ integration-related challenges. Research on the integration of international migrants into their host communities in West Africa refers to migrants’ challenges that are related to economic downturns. The situation of Nzema migrants in Cote d’Ivoire appears different. Using moderate postmodernist theory as a lens and information from the lived experiences of return migrants, current migrants, relatives of migrants and supplemented with secondary sources of data, the study aimed at investigating the peculiar situation of Nzema migrants in Cote d’Ivoire from 1893 to the 1990s. The study established that between 1893 and 1960, Nzema migrants in Côte d’Ivoire experienced integration problems that were not associated with the economic situation in that country. Furthermore, irrespective of Cote d’Ivoire’s economic boom during the period from 1960 to the 1980s, some Nzema migrants were confronted with integration challenges. As coping strategies, the migrants assimilated themselves into the Ivorian society. The study contributes to the conversation on migrants’ integration into their host communities by unveiling that migrants’ challenges are not always tied to the economy of the host country.

From ceremonial to social interventionism: An examination of media coverage of Ghana’s Second Lady, Samira Bawumia

2025-03-24T10:33:58+00:00

This research analyzed media framing of Ghana’s second lady, Samira Bawumia. Although the office and stature of the second lady has evolved over time, there is a clear paucity of literature investigating how such a high-profile personality has been covered in the media. A media framing analysis of news reports revealed six frames in the coverage of the second lady. These include spousal frame, which was the most predominant, followed by the social intervention frame, the political frame, policy frame, ceremonial frame and fashion frame. The tone of coverage was largely positive while thematic frames dominated as compared to episodic frames. A significant finding from the study was that the media ignored divergent sources with experts and civil society minimally sourced stories while non-sourced stories were prevalent. This study demonstrates that while media coverage is improving in terms of the tone and direction of coverage for high profile female personalities, more needs to be done in terms of training and capacity building to improve the nature of gender-based reportage.

Economic effects of conflict on inter-ethnic relations: Insights from Gonja-Nawuri conflict in Kpandai

2025-03-24T10:46:21+00:00

This paper examined the economic effects of Gonja-Nawuri conflicts on inter-ethnic relations in Kpandai. The protracted inter-ethnic conflict in Kpandai not only caused the loss of lives and properties in the area but also contributed significantly to ethnic displacement and low economic productivity. The conflict has also underwritten the underdeveloped nature of the district and its catchment areas in northern Ghana. The theoretical framework of analysis is the greed and grievance theory. The paper also employed an exploratory case study design and relied on data from in-depth interviews. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews from purposively selected 30 study participants from the five major ethnic groups and some key informants in the study area. The analysis of both primary and secondary data revealed that the colonial policy of subordination and realignment of traditional authorities in some parts of Northern Ghana for local administration and convenience created local power dominance. The phenomenon created ethnic superiority and political and social dominance of Gonjas over Nawuris in the Kpandai traditional area. The overall effect of the conflict from the study results is that it aggravates the social and economic relations among, and between the ethnic groups in the area. The paper concludes that the Gonja-Nawuri ethnic conflict had a severe tone on the lives of ordinary people irrespective of their ethnic origin. The devastating nature of it left many of the people jobless as they couldn’t continue with their day-to-day activities. The paper recommends that for Nawuris and Gonjas to harmonise their debilitating social relations, there is a need for mutual respect and a sense of social bonding. Also, though much effort went into peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction in the area, there is still the need for the local authorities, well-meaning citizens and opinion leaders in the area to intervene through social durbars with a theme ‘One Gonja, One Nawuri, One Kpandai’ in unity reconciliatory project.

Presidential addresses during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana: A rhetorical analysis of President Nana Akufo-addo’s speeches

2025-03-24T11:20:44+00:00

This study examined the addresses delivered by the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It addressed two research questions: a) What rhetorical elements framed the addresses; and b) What was the contribution of these rhetorical elements deployed in the speeches to the persuasive intentions of the speeches? The pragma-rhetorical theory and metaphor theory provided a theoretical and conceptual underpinning for analysing the speeches. The methodology for the study entailed the use of qualitative textual analysis using purposively sampled text versions of three of the President’s speeches. The results showed that the rhetorical devices employed entailed the use of figures of speech; modal auxiliaries; greetings; repetition narrative, flashback, alliteration, metaphor, and the mood of speeches. The findings suggest the need for more studies on audiences to discover the persuasive import of the techniques.

J. J. Rawlings and religious pluralism: A historical analysis of the man and his religious space in Ghana, 1981-2001

2025-03-24T11:01:32+00:00

Jerry John Rawlings came to the national limelight when he attempted a coup in May 1979. On the 4th of June 1979, he was released from prison by some Junior Officers of the Ghana Armed Forces and became the Head of State after a successful coup de ’tat, by the Junior Ranks of the Ghana Armed Forces. After a short stint in what he called house cleaning, J.J. Rawlings handed over power to the People’s National Party led by Dr. Hilla Liman. On the 31st of December 1981, J.J. Rawlings staged another coup to overthrow the government of Dr. Hilla Liman. This coup led to the establishment of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). J.J. Rawlings ruled for 11 years as a military dictator and later 8 years as a civilian democratic leader. This article discusses the Man, J.J. Rawlings and the country's religious situation during 1981-2001. The article historicizes the space that J.J. Rawlings gave to the various religions to operate in the country. It also examines how the three main religions of Ghana, namely, Indigenous African Religion, Christianity and Islam all co-existed and found space in national affairs under him. Our position is that even though J.J. Rawlings introduced the PNDCL221, which to some extent, outlawed some religious denominations on the grounds of not meeting the standards, such intervention largely brought sanity to the religious space in the country. Again, the fact that the three main religions found space in national affairs during the regime of J.J. Rawlings underscored how religious pluralism reached its crescendo in the country from 1982 to 2001.