The Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS) was formed in 1897 in the historic city of Cape Coast, a hub of intellectual and political activism in Ghana. The ARPS delegation met with Joseph Chamberlain (18361914), the colonial secretary, with whom they discussed the questions of land, taxation, and constitutional reform. 0000015054 00000 n Instead, he suggested that the dismissal or the suspension of chiefs should be carried out by a resolution of the Legislative Council instead of by Order in Council. Crises and Transitions in African Historiography (1950-1990), Essential History Primary 5 Teacher's Guide, [Ghanabib 1819 1979 Prepared 23/11/2011] [Ghanabib 1980 1999 Prepared 30/12/2011] [Ghanabib 2000 2005 Prepared 03/03, The Politics of Educational Borrowing: Reopening the Case of Achimota in British Ghana Author(S): Gita SteinerKhamsi and Hubert O, Migration from Historic Mission Churches to Pentecostal Churches in Ghana by REV, Singapore in Global History Singaporederek Heng Is Assistant Professor at the History in Singapore in Department, Ohio State University, Nationalism in Question: a Study of Key Categories in Ghanaian History 1863-1965, Colonialism, Maritime Culture and Conflict in Southern Gold Coast, 18601932, KWAME NKRUMAHS CONTRIBUTION to PAN-AFRICANISM an Afrocentric Analysis D.Zizwe Poe, Resource Flows and Technology Adoption in Tamale, Ghana: Implications for Urban and Peri-Urban Vegetable Growers. The connection of the Gold Coast ARPS with the global movements for freedom and rights for people of colour began with interactions between the leaders of Gold Coast ARPS and other anti-imperialist and pan-Africanist leaders abroad and ended with Gold Coast ARPS involvement with the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress. Although the ARPS was an alliance between the African intelligentsia and the chiefs or the indigenous rulers, its leadership was mostly made up of educated Africans who were able to use their literacy to negotiate with the colonial government. endobj The Town Councils Ordinance dealt with the levying of municipal house rates. News ), Opera News is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Opera News. Sarbah was the eldest son of John Sarbah, a successful merchant, and was subsequently well-educated. See More, We're Not To Be Blamed When Waste Bins & Containers Overflow - Municipal Environmental Officer. 23 0 obj Some other sources (including Magnus Sampson, 1969) give 6 November 1910 as the date of Mensah Sarbahs death. He was also the first African from the Gold Coast to be called to the Bar. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. ! Y Crises and Transitions in African Historiography (1950-1990), Essential History Primary 5 Teacher's Guide, [Ghanabib 1819 1979 Prepared 23/11/2011] [Ghanabib 1980 1999 Prepared 30/12/2011] [Ghanabib 2000 2005 Prepared 03/03, The Politics of Educational Borrowing: Reopening the Case of Achimota in British Ghana Author(S): Gita SteinerKhamsi and Hubert O, Migration from Historic Mission Churches to Pentecostal Churches in Ghana by REV, Singapore in Global History Singaporederek Heng Is Assistant Professor at the History in Singapore in Department, Ohio State University, Nationalism in Question: a Study of Key Categories in Ghanaian History 1863-1965, Colonialism, Maritime Culture and Conflict in Southern Gold Coast, 18601932, KWAME NKRUMAHS CONTRIBUTION to PAN-AFRICANISM an Afrocentric Analysis D.Zizwe Poe, Resource Flows and Technology Adoption in Tamale, Ghana: Implications for Urban and Peri-Urban Vegetable Growers. There he fought the Native Jurisdiction Bill, which gave Fante chiefs exclusive powers to administer local laws. John Mensah Sarbah was a patriot, statesman and one of the most outstanding nationalists of the Gold Coast at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. << He noted that the late lawyer did five hundred and sixty mineral cases in Accra, Secondi in the early 1990s. He was educated at the Cape Coast Wesleyan School, and at Taunton School Devon, England. John Mensah Sarbah returned the 400-guinea fee which the ARPS gave him because he felt that it was an honor to serve his country. endobj 1864-1910 [2] 0000034111 00000 n The society was able to mediate between Africans and the colonial government, thereby moderating colonial rule. John Mensah Sarbah (June 3, 1864-November 27, 1910), patriot and statesman, was one of the most outstanding nationalists of the Gold Coast at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In 1892 Sarbah led the fight against a bill that proposed to transfer administration of public lands from African chiefs to British officials. Having successfully forced the colonial government to abort the implementation of the Lands Bill, the ARPS tackled other objectionable colonial policies, including forced labor, taxation, indirect rule, and the lack of African representation on the Legislative Council. He waborn at Cape Coast in 1864and was the eldest son of John Sarbaha merh nd o SaahHe /CropBox [0.0000 0.0000 595.2756 841.8898] Sign up here to receive the quarterly Journal of African Christian Biography and DACB News (FREE). Furthermore, some of its members joined in the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) which eventually lead to the independence of Ghana. To Sarbah this went against the democratic traditions of the Fante. He died in 1910, without, however, making any provision in his will for the education of his children, probably because he believed that the Akan family system would cater for them. ", This page was last edited on 17 March 2022, at 16:53. /Filter [/FlateDecode ] Site redesigned by Alex Mayfield (2017 and 2019). /ID [<28bf4e5e4e758a4164004e56fffa0108><28bf4e5e4e758a4164004e56fffa0108>] document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. He therefore helped J. P. Brown, J. W. de Graft Johnson, and others, to form the Aborigines Rights Protection Society (ARPS) to watch over the interests of the African population. The delegation was successful because the Colonial Office later asked the colonial government to abandon the Lands Bill and the hut tax. Apr John Mensah Sarbah was one of the pioneers of Ghanaian politics and a distinguished African politician in the Gold Coast in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Answer: In 1897 he worked with JE Casely Hayford, JP Brown, JW de Graft Johnson, and others to form the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS). Publications such as Gold Coast Nation and Gold Coast Times came from this organization. When the Gold Coast Native Jurisdiction Ordinance (1883) was being amended in 1910, Section 29 caused a stir among the people because they felt it would empower the governor to usurp the rights of the people in the destooling of chiefs. 0000020963 00000 n His successors in this field were J. E. Casely Hayford, and Dr. J. Although the formation of the ARPS was due to the cumulative effects of colonial rule in the late nineteenth century, the immediate reason for its formation was the Lands Bill. As a lawyer, Sarbah was interested in spreading knowledge of Fante laws and of the Fante Constitution. Overall, however, the protest politics of the ARPS went beyond mere reformism. The African intelligentsia had the full support of the chiefs, especially from the inception of the ARPS to about 1912, when Governor Hugh Clifford effectively implemented the indirect rule, which used the chiefs as the main agents of local administration. John Mensah Sarbah was a good legislator, He was nominated as a member of the Legislative Council by the governor, Sir Mathew Nathan (term of office, 1900- 1904), in 1901 and sat except for a short break, as a member until his death. /Info 21 0 R Eventually, the Forest Bill led to the establishment of forest reserves. [8] This reclamation of nomenclature influenced the naming of the "Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society," as it was originally conceived as a branch of the Aborigines' Protection Society of London but later renamed so as to serve as its own unique entity with a direct connection to the African continent in general and the Gold Coast in particular. In 1898 ARPS sent a delegation to London and successfully got the Lands Bill overturned. It is the aim of the foundation set by his descendants is to promote educational scholarships and digitally archived the works of the late John Mensah Sarbah. 0000029491 00000 n Sarbah was chosen by his peers to present the indigenous case against the Lands Bill to the Legislative Assembly, which at the time was composed only of British Crown representatives. [2][3], In 1897, along with J. W. de Graft-Johnson, J. W. Sey, J. P. Brown and J. E. Casely Hayford, Mensah Sarbah co-founded the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society, which became the main political organisation that led organised and sustained opposition against the colonial government, laying the foundation for Ghanaian independence. By his publications he began the tradition of educated nationalist politicians finding time to write about their countrys history and institutions. He was a good churchman, and bought a pipe organ for the Methodist Church at Cape Coast. He was a good churchman, and bought a pipe organ for the Methodist Church at Cape Coast. His suggestion, which was an improvement on the amendment, was not accepted. /Type /Catalog On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ghana. The Oil Palm and Its Products, Journal of the African Society, London, 1909. From Taunton he matriculated to Lincoln's Inn to train as a barrister. He was eventually honored with the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1910, months before he suddenly died at the age of 46. Methodist He made a lasting mark on national life in politics, education, and law. Had the Lands Bill been passed, it would have allowed the colonial government to take over so-called waste or public lands in the entire British West Africa. >> This article was reprinted from The Encyclopedia Africana Dictionary of African Biography (In 20 Volumes). % 0000020815 00000 n A multi-faceted leader and legal pioneer, John Mensah Sarbah was born in Cape Coast in 1864. He became known for defending the rights of Africans against British colonial authorities. His Fanti Customary Laws is still regarded as an indispensable book for lawyers in Ghana. My latest banger got nothing to do with Mahama - Volkano_KM. The society also sought to modify or prevent the passing of several bills, including the Town Councils Ordinance of 1894 that came into force in 1904, and the Forest Bill (19071911). Sarbah House, at Mfantsipim, is named for him. 0000029963 00000 n Aborigines' Rights Protection Society The First political movement in Ghana and the entire British West Africa (An extensive detail of its activities in Ghana and West Africa). Required fields are marked *. John Mensah Sarbah was one of the pioneers of Ghanaian politics and a distinguished African politician in the Gold Coast in the late 1800s and early 1900s. [3], J.W. As a legislator he was interested in law reform, and tried his best to prevent the passage of laws inimical to the interests of his countrymen. He entered Lincolns Inn in London in 1884 to study law, and qualified as a barrister in 1887, being the first African from the Gold Coast to gain this qualification. 0000014819 00000 n The ARPS went beyond mere reformism last edited on 17 March 2022, at Mfantsipim, is named him. Accra, Secondi in the early 1990s he began the tradition of educated politicians. 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