Info For Y'all Kobina Sekyi: Nationalist Lawyer, Hardcore Pan-Africanist, Final President Of Aborigines Correct Protection Gild (Arps) Too The Exclusively Educated Elite Inwards Colonial Africa Vowed Never To Habiliment European Stuff Too Was The Starting Fourth Dimension To Seem Inwards Courtroom Inwards Traditional African Cloth

William Esuman-Gwira Sekyi, ameliorate known as Kobena Sekyi (1 Nov 1892, Cape Coast – 1956) was a nationalist lawyer, politician, author  a celebrated Pan-Africanist inward the Gold Coast (now Ghana). As a firebrand nationalist he became the president of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS), an aboriginal organisation that fought as well as won their battle against the British obnoxious Land Bill of 1897 that seek to give Queen Elizabeth of England all the unoccupied lands inward Gold Coast (Ghana) as well as also entire British West Africa inward general.
Kobena Sekyi was also executive fellow member of the National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA), as well as fellow member of the Coussey Committee for constitutional alter that finally pave agency for the independence of Ghana.

Kobena Sekyi, nationalist lawyer, politician, writer.  a celebrated Pan-Africanist, finally president of the Aborigines Right Protection Society (ARPS) inward the Gold Coast (now Ghana) as well as the solely educated elite inward Africa who vowed never to have on European vesture again, as well as became the initiatory of all lawyer inward the British colony to look inward courtroom inward a traditional African cloth. He never have on coat as well as European clothes until he died inward 1956.

As a individual born into the Gold Coast coastal aristocratic Fante household unit of measurement as well as a highly educated fellow member of his society, he was brought upward to believe that European civilisation was superior to African culture. But it did non choose long for Sekyi to commit shape suicide as well as transmogrify into an unshakable apostle of African values, traditions as well as culture. Sekyi did non solely became an unrepentant hardcore Pan-Africanist inward his days, but, inward fact, he  lived as well as practiced African civilisation as well as traditions to the rattling core; so much that 'he vowed never to have on European vesture again, as well as became the initiatory of all lawyer inward the colony to look inward courtroom inward a traditional African cloth. He never have on coat as well as European clothes until he died inward 1956.
Though an ethnic Fante human himself, Kobena Sekyi criticized the mode his Fante coastal towns take maintain became anglicised to such an extent that fifty-fifty instantly a Fante cannot beak a judgement without less than iv English linguistic communication words. They anglicised their local names into English linguistic communication such that y'all tin listen Koomson, Blankson, Menson, Filson etc. Some take maintain all unusual names without a local name.  To exhibit his utter abhorrence as well as disdain for this anglicization of Fante names as well as outright adoption of unusual names, Kobena Sekyi as a affair of regulation as well as leading yesteryear instance removed "William" from his names as well as became merely "Kobena Sekyi."
Kobena Sekyi was born inward Nov 1,1892 into  Cape Coast (Oguaa) aristocratic family. His begetter was Mr  John Gladstone Sackey (note, Sackey is the anglicization of Fante elevate "Sekyi" to accommodate European tongue), headmaster of the renowned Wesleyan School (Mfantsipim) inward Cape Coast. Mfantsipim is the initiatory of all secondary schoolhouse inward Republic of Ghana as well as was established inward 1876. Mr John Gladstone Sackey himself was a royal as well as a the boy of Chief Kofi Sekyi, the Chief Regent of Cape Coast.
Kobena Sekyi`s woman raise was Wilhelmina Pietersen, also known as Amba Paaba, miss of Willem Essuman Pietersen (c.1844-1914), an Elmina-Cape Coast human of affairs as well as one-time President of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS), a afterwards president of which was Sekyi's uncle, Henry van Hien, whose heir Sekyi was.
Like his father, Sekyi was also educated at Mfantsipim School and and went on to study philosophy at the University of London. He was accompanied to United Kingdom yesteryear his maternal grandfather. Sekyi was originally to study English linguistic communication Literature, however, a beau pupil (Nigerian) persuaded him to surrender English linguistic communication Literature inward favour of Philosophy.

Lawyer Kobena Sekyi inward his African cloth

After completing his philosophy degree, Sekyi  returned to Gold Coast to learn for sometime as well as participated inward the political affairs. Realizing that Gold coast has many lawyers as well as liberal fine art scholars, Sekyi went dorsum to England inward 1915 amongst invention to go an engineer similar his mother's younger brother, J.B. Essuman-Gwira, but because his household unit of measurement controlled the pocketbook strings as well as they wished him to study law, so that was the career he entered. He was called to the Bar from the Inner Temple inward 1918 as well as also awarded MA inward philosophy. Sekyi became a lawyer inward private exercise inward the Gold Coast.

Lawyer Kobena Sekyi (L) inward his Western clothes earlier he became Pan-Africanist who never have on European stuff until his expiry inward 1956 amongst his grandpa Willem Essuman Pietersen (ca. 1844 – 6 Jan 1914) also known as Willem Edmund Pietersen, was a Gold Coast merchant, politician, as well as educationist. He is also remembered as a goldsmith as well as lookout repairer. Pietersen was co-founder of Mfantsipim School inward Cape Coast as well as a one-time president of Aborigines Right Protection Society (ARPS).

It should live emphasized that Kobena Sekyi had life changing sense whilst traveling on a ship to England. It is said that "On the voyage out his boat, the SS Falaba, was torpedoed yesteryear a High German U-boat as well as some lives were lost. Sekyi managed to acquire to a lifeboat, at which bespeak a European shouted at him that he should go out of the boat, as a dark human had no correct to live live when whites were drowning. It was this incident that had a profound effect on him, confirming his rejection of European pretensions to superiority.  

Robert Ross inward his bulk "Clothing: H5N1 Global History' published inward 2008 citing authors White as well as White, "Slave Clothing" page 156 averred that "Equally, inward the Gold Coast, Kobena Sekyi, a coastal lawyer, is said, inward the household unit of measurement tradition, to take maintain been subjected to racist racist insults when wearing a accommodate piece beingness trained inward London during World War I. In consequence, he vowed never to have on European vesture again, as well as became the initiatory of all lawyer inward the colony to look inward courtroom inward a cloth."

Whilst practicing police push clit inward Gold Coast Sekyi married Lilly Anna Cleanand, miss of John Peter Cleanand as well as Elizabeth Vroom.

SS Falaba, a British ship which was torpedoed yesteryear High German U28.in 1915. Of the 145 passengers as well as 95 crew, 104 lives were lost. One was the American mining engineer Leon Thraser, who was returning to the Gold Coast (today: Ghana). Lawyer  Kobena Sekyi was ane of the lucky people who survived.

Sekyi was afterwards elected as a president of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society, succeeding his uncle Henry van Hien. The Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS) was an association critical of colonial rule, formed inward 1897 inward the Gold Coast, as Republic of Ghana was known. Originally formed yesteryear traditional leaders as well as the educated elite to protestation the Crown Lands Bill of 1896 as well as the Lands Bill of 1897 that threatened traditional the world tenure, the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society became the main political organisation that led organised as well as sustained opposition against the Colonial Government, laying the foundation for political activity that would ultimately Pb to Ghanaian independence. J. W. Sey, J. P. Brown, J. E. Casely Hayford as well as John Mensah Sarbah were co-founders. 

ARPS prominent success was its victory against the obnoxious Land Bill of 1897 that seek to give Queen Elizabeth of England all the unoccupied lands inward Gold Coast (Ghana) as well as also entire British West Africa inward general. ARPS sent delegation to British parliament using celebrated Ghanaian (Gold Coast) lawyers as well as some of their Nigerian as well as Sierra Leonean lawyer friends to fighting their instance that inward Africa when a the world is unoccupied it does non hateful the the world has no possessor "all y'all demand to produce is to go into an unoccupied land" or start develop it as well as the existent possessor volition exhibit up. They won their instance inward the British parliament as well as 1897 the world Bill was thrown into oblivion thereby saving entire West Africa from their lands from beingness appropriated similar what the British did inward East as well as Southern Africa.

Kobena Sekyi ably led ARPS as a song mouthpiece of the Gold Coast people against British imperialism until the organisation started declining inward the mid-1930s as well as dying out finally. That saw Kobena Sekyi as the finally president of ARPS. The ARPS colapsed because in the initiatory of all place, it never gained potent roots beyond Cape Coast inward the Central Province. For example, the social club never developed inward the adjoining Eastern Province. The social club also remained elitist, as well as its decisions were made yesteryear a few individuals at the helm of the organization. Above all, the Cape Coast elite, inward spite of the rapid economical transformation as well as social alter as good as the vigorous consolidation of colonial rule, had called for radicalization of African protests as well as could non disengage from the old reformist protests of the nineteenth century. Thus, yesteryear the 1930s the ARPS, having lost pop support, existed as a ghost of its old self. Indeed, inward the 1920s it had been taken over yesteryear the as elitist but broader-based as well as to a greater extent than radical NCBWA, which sought to choose nearly primal alter inward colonial rule.

Sekyi also became an executive fellow member of the National Congress of British West Africa after the demise of ARPS as well as contributed towards radical opposition to the British colonial regime. The cofounders of NCBWA included Thomas Hutton-Mills, Sr., the initiatory of all President, as well as J. E. Casely Hayford, the initiatory of all Vice-President. Other co-founders as well as early on officials included Edward Francis Small, F. V. Nanka-Bruce, A. B. Quartey-Papafio, Henry van Hien, A. Sawyerr as well as Kobina Sekyi.

With the interest of Sekyi, The Congress agitated for the institution of a West African Court of Appeal, where judges would live nominated Africans. As a outcome of their demands, when 

In his regard as an sharp pol as well as celebrated Gold Coast lawyer, Kobena Sekyi was appointed as a  member of the Coussey Committee for constitutional change. It must live stressed hither that inward 1948, a primary of Osu Alata inward Accra Mantse Nii Kwabena Bonnie III led a a grouping of Gold Coast workers, ordinary citizens, politicians as well as demobilized Gold Coast soldiers to boycott all unusual goods as well as also a peaceful march to the Christianborg Castle to introduce a petition to the Governor nearly the plight of veterans. The veterans were shot at the Osu Christianborg crossroads resulting inward 3 casualties; Sergeant Cornelius Frederick Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe as well as Private Odartey Lamptey.  The riots that ensured led to the taking into custody, inward remote parts of northern Gold Coast, 6 of the nationalist leaders of the UGCC, namely,  Ako Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, Dr Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Odarkwei Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori-Atta as well as Kwame Nkrumah as well as the setting upward of a Commission of Enquiry nether the chairmanship of Sir Aitkin Watson.  The detained nationalists take maintain since as well as so come upward to live known as the “Big Six”. The Watson Commission of Inquiry reported that the Burns constitution of 1946, which had granted Africans a bulk inward the legislative council, was “outmoded at birth.” The  outcome of Watson’s Commission was an all-African commission nether a eminent Gold Coast jurist as well as a president of West African Appeals Court Sir James Henley Coussey which was laid upward inward Dec 1949 to pull upward a novel Constitution for the country.  The  recommendations of the Coussey Constitutional Committee formed the reason of the 1951 Constitution, which marked a giant stair forrad towards independence. It was this of import Committee that lawyer Kobena Sekyi was an integral purpose of. It was so unfortunate that Sekyi did non live to run into Ghana`s independence inward 1957. He died inward 1956.

In his capacity as ane of the early on Gold Coast writers, Kobena Sekyi famously authored a hard-hitting comedy "The Blinkards" (1915) which satirized the credence yesteryear a colonized social club of the attitudes of the colonizers. His novel The Anglo-Fante was the initiatory of all English-language novel written inward the Cape Coast.

As a political theorist as well as playwright Kobena Sekyi predicted inward the early on purpose of the century that what was needed most for Gold Coast Africans to endure the modern populace was non dwell on the dichotomy betwixt European as well as African cultures, betwixt the "civilized" as well as the "savage," but a pragmatic drama as well as concerts that creates infinite for critical evaluation as well as selective appropriation. He was of the persuasion that the solar daytime when Africans were told they take maintain to acquire to beak English, consume amongst fork as well as knife, have on covered shoes as well as Western clothing, value nuclear household unit of measurement over the extended matrilineage, espouse ane spouse, halt paying homage to ancestors, as well as attend Christian churches must non portrayed to inward plays as well as concert as the solely agency Africans tin fully partake inward the economical advantages of "progress." Unfortunately, inward today`s drama populace both Nollywood as well as Ghallywood inward Nigeria as well as Republic of Ghana respectively are silent portraying what Kobina Sekyi admonished Africans to avoid, instead of concentrating on creating infinite to exhibit the rich African civilisation to the world.

A REVIEW OF KOBENA SEKYI`S "BLINKARDS" BY NANA FREDUA AGYEMAN
The Blinkards yesteryear Kobina Sekyi
Title: The Blinkards, H5N1 Comedy as well as The Anglo-Fanti - H5N1 Short Story
Author: Kobina Sekyi
Genre: Play/Short Story
Pages: 256
Publishers: Heinemann/Readwide
ISBN: 978-0-435-92784-4
Year of Publication: 1974 (this edition, 1997)
Country: Gold Coast (Now Ghana)

Setting: This bulk contains 2 stories: The Blinkards - a play as well as The Anglo-Fanti - a brusk story. Though the stories are from 2 dissimilar genres, ane theme thread through them: the effect of absolute cultural osmosis or ameliorate silent the consequences of swallowing an alien civilisation without much scrutiny, as happened inward occupied countries popularly referred to yesteryear the occupiers as colonies (colonies of what? Ants? Bees?) Both stories took house inward Cape Coast as well as the setting is rattling meaning to the story. Apart from the author beingness a Fanti as well as hailing from Cape Coast, Cape Coast was the initiatory of all bespeak of introduction to colonial rule. As a seaport city, it was the initiatory of all town that was initiatory of all brought nether colonial rule; thence in that location are numerous Castles as well as Forts scattered inward Cape Coast as well as surrounding towns similar Elimina as well as Anomabo. However, the inhabitants of this swell city, which was the initiatory of all upper-case alphabetic quality of Republic of Ghana earlier it was moved to Accra inward 1877, became anglicised to such an extent that fifty-fifty instantly a Fanti cannot beak a judgement without less than iv English linguistic communication words. They anglicised their local names into English linguistic communication such that y'all tin listen Koomson, Blankson, Menson etc. Some take maintain all unusual names without a local name. Yes, it is that serious. And it is this that Kobina Sekyi, who was also known as William Essuman-Gwira Sekyi was speaking against. Here, it would serve a expert purpose if ane realises that the play was initiatory of all performed somewhere or so 1915 whereas The Anglo Fanti brusk even out was initiatory of all published inward the West Africa magazine inward 1918.
To sympathise why Kobina Sekyi, who himself was from the elite who were eagerly morphing into caricatures of hybrids, turned or so to criticize the condition quo, which inward the initiatory of all of the nineteenth century marked the borderline betwixt civilisation as well as bushmen upward to today, ane needs to read nearly his biography above.

The Blinkards
The Blinkards is a satirical play written inward English linguistic communication as well as interspersed amongst Fanti (all the Fantis take maintain been translated on the left manus side of the page or the even-numbered pages). It tells of the consequences of blindly mimicking the European culture.
Mrs. Borɔfosεm (someone who exhibits also much European tendencies inward his/her actions) eats solely European foods, though nosotros know that at several points inward fourth dimension she yearns for locally prepared nutrient such as roasted plantain. She goes everywhere inward a frock, boots amongst an umbrella as well as a lorgnette. Though she speaks bad English, she does so amongst a forced English linguistic communication accent. As a married adult woman to Mr. Borɔfosεm, she forces him to send as an Europeanised man: smoking cigar, eschewing local foods as well as dresses.
Mr. Tsiba (a cocoa farmer) brought her miss to Mrs. Borɔfosεm to educate so that her miss would go merely similar her as well as this Mrs. Borɔfosεm did amongst eagerness, instilling inward her 'proper' English linguistic communication mannerism. Later, Miss Tsiba met a immature man, who to attract her attending as an Europeanised man, had also gone to operate amongst Mr. Onyimdze - a lawyer who avoided anything European except those that are germane to the execution of his profession such as the wearing of dark gowns as well as white curled wigs.
As the play goes on nosotros discovery that the 2 (the immature human Okadu as well as Miss Tsiba) finally met at a garden political party thrown yesteryear Mrs. Borɔfosεm as well as in that location as well as and so got engaged inward mode of ane they had read from an English linguistic communication novel (without the presence of whatever household unit of measurement member). Mrs Borɔfosεm told Mr Tsiba that her miss was nearly to espouse as well as that he, Mr. Tsiba, had to purchase the clothes for the impending wedding. He got furious but calmed downward when he was told that it was the ways of the Europeans for the bridegroom's begetter to purchase the clothes for the bride as well as bridegroom. When Na Sompa (wife to Mr. Tsiba) heard the intelligence she got furious as well as insulted Okadu. It was inward the middle of ane of such vituperations that she got a heart-attack as well as died. Nana Katawerwa, hearing that her miss (Na Sompa) was dead as well as her granddaughter was marrying without next tradition stormed the chapel as well as disrupted the whole program.
Nana Katawerwa refused to allow Miss Tsiba into her 'husband's' house. Later Miss Tsiba was to espouse some other human through the traditional mode. This infuriated Okadu, who got grandmother as well as granddaughter arrested. The instance went to courtroom as well as Nana Katawerwa as well as her miss won nether the exposition of the Native Law.
The even out is deep as well as borders on several aspects of our lives. It is a compassion that the province of affairs silent pertains today. People cannot beak their local linguistic communication properly as well as yet would produce everything to exhibit that they tin beak English linguistic communication including faking the voice. It is easier to run into people inward 3 slice suits walking nether the scorching sun. Still the borderline betwixt enlightenment as well as colloquialism is measured yesteryear how much ane has adopted Christian as well as European values. But in that location is hope: gradually people are changing, people are finding their roots... it is a irksome procedure instantly but it would operate out. It is the linguistic communication that is becoming a problem. There is a old presidential candidate who changed his elevate from Joseph Houston-Yorke (yes he is a Fanti) to his local name.

The Anglo-Fanti Short Story
Like The Blinkards, this even out concerns blind assimilation of European culture. It's nearly a man child who was brought upward to go an aficionado of European mannerisms, piece shunning African culture. Following this path as well as learning rattling difficult he got a scholarship to London where he studied Law. Whilst in that location he realised that London was non all that they state it is. There are classes as well as divisions as well as the people they imitated are on the lower scale of their social ladder. He also recognises, that no affair what he did he was described as a savage peculiarly when people began call for whether he wore clothes or non (and they produce instantly inquire Naipaul!).
"It does non choose him long to discovery out that he is regarded as a savage, fifty-fifty yesteryear the starving unemployable who asks him for alms. Amusing questions are frequently seat to him as to whether he wore clothes earlier he came to England; whether it was prophylactic for white men to go to his province since the climate was unsuitable to civilised people; whether wildlife wandered at large inward the streets of his native town." (page 230)
However, in that location were many Africans who also came to a similar disillusionment when they saw England amongst their ain eyes; yet these grouping began to choose these disconcerting matters as incidental to civilisation.
"... but if his friends, fifty-fifty those who had been similarly disillusioned, take maintain begun to choose for certain disconcerting matters as incidental to civilisaiton, as well as instead of argument from the unpleasantness of such incidents to the inherent unwholesomeness of that to which they are incidental, they conclude somewhat perversely that whoever cannot explicate cannot explicate away such unpleasantness is non civilised. " (page 231)
Time came for Kwesi Onyidzin (Kwesi without a name) - known as Edward Cudjoe -  to come upward to Gold Coast as well as to Cape Coast. His household unit of measurement were all expecting him to send similar an European man. So when he laid downward to operate as well as began wearing native dresses as well as consume native foods they became disappointed inward him. Some fifty-fifty considered him mad. Others made it their duty to exhibit him the way. After he was virtually thrust into marriage, it became his wife's pursuit to strength her hubby to send similar an European. Later, she resorted to the cooking of European foods as well as throwing of garden parties. Working harder as well as always harder to avoid these incidents, Kwesi Onyidzin broke down.
The number of cultural invasion is ane that has taken the populace yesteryear tempest peculiarly inward these days of globalisation. Should in that location live a universal populace culture? as well as who would decide what should live inward such a culture? or each province should proceed its culture? Are other cultures at a threat from European culture? These are questions nosotros demand to ask. Culture is something y'all are born into. It grows amongst you. Yet people who were born exterior of it similar VS Naipaul as well as other aliens who pass a solar daytime or 2 inward ones country, solely to label their civilisation as backward, are either insane or mentally distabilised. To me such behaviours as well as thoughts are infantile as well as limited zippo relieve folly. Ignorance is no sin yet ignorance expressed inward hatred or bad linguistic communication is stupidity.
This even out is purely narrative amongst no dialogue inward it. If y'all dear a narrative novel I recommend this to you. If y'all are a staunch believer of the communalism rather than individualism, I recommend it to you. If y'all believe inward selective cultural absorption, incising for certain unproductive parts of civilisation as well as replacing it amongst tested ones non merely dumping the whole into the society, I recommend this to you.
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