People of Northern Ghana. Mobility and political alliances in historical perspective

This contribution stems from my interest in Konkomba communities living on the shores of the Oti River, at the border between Ghana and Togo. I have worked for some years on their political instances, and I propose here an historical reading of their relations with their neighbours, aiming at locating the debate, when possible, during pre-colonial times. The conflictual situation between Konkomba and their neighbours, that originated the 1994 conflict that disrupted Northern Ghana, is a direct consequence of the colonial oppression and violence that reified local relationships and justified Dagomba rule over Konkomba. However, I propose here to interrogate precolonial sources and studies, to try to understand which could have been the dependency relations between Konkomba and their neighbours before Germans, French and British colonial powers arrived in the area. This attempt is not oriented at minimising colonial responsibilities, quite the opposite; it aims at restoring local agency in directing political decisions and eventually offering a more coherent image of the power relations in the region, where colonial administrations wasn’t actually the only factor causing turmoil and political reconfigurations.