Ghana, cocoa, colonialism and globalisation: Introducing historiography.
Abstract
The recently implemented curriculum for secondary History in South African
schools - as set out in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS,
2011) - presents no explicit statement of the view of history informing its
construction. While it is clear that the development of historical skills is
intrinsic to the stated intention of CAPS, this gap is problematic. This is
because it leaves assumptions about the nature of history unaddressed. At the
same time, historiography is difficult. This article asks whether, in tackling
three CAPS sections of Ghanaian history - through the history of cocoa -
learners could be introduced to historiography in a productive manner.
It provides a sample narrative of Ghana’s cocoa industry from the late 19th
century onwards. It shows how the topic lends itself to an historiographical
exploration which may be used to initiate learners into constructing their own
narratives and in so doing, into engagement with historiographical issues.