Beschreibung
This book on conflicts in Northern Ghana, relying on
long-term first-hand research stays, points towards the
importance of local wars for the formation of alliances and
consciousness that inform and mould the character of the
whole post-colonial state. It is about war in specific
conditions of today’s Africa, where war seems to be a normal
means for achieving political goals. Civil wars multiplied
soon after the colonial powers left the scene, when
important deposits of mineral wealth were discovered or eth
no-religious composition was preventing equitable
development. Another category of armed conflicts are those
in which two or more groups within a state compete for
hegemony on a particular territory. These conflicts are not
really civil wars but conflicts which are not intended to
upset the post-colonial state. However they indicate that
people involved in them cherish values that might look
esoteric to the outsiders. Among these values tower the
differences in cultural or socio-political structure but
also the quest for recognition of `traditional‘
institutions.