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Introduction
Joseph Boakye Danquah, born in 1895 in Bepong, Gold Coast (now Ghana), stands as a foundational figure in the intellectual, political, and cultural history of modern West Africa. Best remembered for proposing the name "Ghana" for the newly independent nation, Danquah’s life was marked by a rich tapestry of achievements as a scholar, lawyer, politician, theologian, and cultural critic. While his literary contributions may not have equaled the renown of his political legacy, Danquah’s intellectual curiosity and advocacy for African cultural and literary development earned him a crucial place in African literary history.
This article explores J.B. Danquah’s contributions across various domains—his scholarship on Akan theology, his creative writing experiments, and most notably, his role as an early literary critic who helped shape the trajectory of African literature in English.
Early Life and Education
Danquah was born into a prominent Akan royal family in the Eastern Region of the Gold Coast. He was part of the first generation of Africans to benefit from Western education, attending the Basel Mission School and later, the University of London, where he studied law and philosophy. A brilliant student, he earned a doctorate in philosophy, one of the earliest Africans to do so at the time, and was called to the Bar in London.
Upon returning to the Gold Coast, Danquah took up multiple roles—legal advocate, cultural scholar, nationalist politician, and public intellectual—demonstrating a rare ability to bridge the African tradition and the demands of modernity.
Scholarly Work: Theology and Akan Culture
Danquah’s most acclaimed scholarly contribution is The Akan Doctrine of God (1944), a theological and philosophical text that reinterprets traditional Akan spirituality in rational, academic terms. In this groundbreaking work, he argues that the Akan concept of God (Onyame) is compatible with monotheism and moral order, contradicting colonial and missionary assertions that African religions were animistic and irrational.
By articulating the depth and complexity of African spiritual traditions, Danquah reclaimed a space for African metaphysical thought in global religious and philosophical discourse. His scholarship laid the foundation for later thinkers and writers who sought to decolonize African consciousness and validate indigenous knowledge systems.
Foray into Creative Writing: The Third Woman
Danquah ventured into creative writing with his play The Third Woman (1943), a dramatic piece that attempts to fuse Akan folklore with modern theatrical conventions. The play explores metaphysical themes such as creation, morality, and divine justice, all through a lens informed by traditional oral narratives.
While not as artistically refined or influential as contemporary works by writers such as Wole Soyinka or Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, The Third Woman is a significant early example of African literary experimentation. It reflects Danquah’s intellectual ambition—to prove that African forms and worldviews could be expressed in English literary forms.
However, literary critics often regard the play as uneven and underdeveloped. Its value lies more in its ideological and cultural aims than in its artistic execution.
Danquah the Literary Critic: Champion of African Fiction
Perhaps Danquah’s most enduring literary contribution lies in his critical writing. His role as a literary reviewer is often overlooked but deserves significant attention. In the 1943 foreword to R.E. Obeng’s novel Eighteenpence, Danquah made an insightful distinction that resonates with modern debates about the function of African literature.
He wrote:
“Casely Hayford’s Ethiopia Unbound, which, in a way, was an imaginative story, was political in motive. Eighteenpence is a true novel in the sense of a fictitious prose tale concerned with the more sensitive passions of the human heart.”
With these words, Danquah asserted the value of literary fiction that prioritized human emotion and psychological depth over political messaging. At a time when African writing was largely viewed as a tool of nationalist struggle, his remarks emphasized the artistic and affective dimensions of literature. This perspective foreshadowed later debates about the balance between aesthetics and politics in African fiction.
Danquah's review of Eighteenpence thus stands as one of the earliest examples of formal literary criticism in anglophone Africa. His engagement helped usher in a literary tradition grounded not only in political expression but also in emotional resonance and artistic complexity.
Political Legacy and Tragic End
Outside of literature, Danquah was a major figure in Ghana’s nationalist movement. He co-founded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), one of the earliest political parties in the colony, and mentored younger politicians including Kwame Nkrumah. Ironically, Danquah later became one of Nkrumah’s most vocal critics. His opposition to Nkrumah’s authoritarian tendencies led to his imprisonment under the Preventive Detention Act.
In 1965, Danquah died in Nsawam Prison after suffering health complications while in custody—a tragic end to the life of a man who contributed so significantly to Ghana’s independence and identity.
Conclusion
J.B. Danquah’s intellectual life defies easy categorization. He was a nationalist, theologian, literary critic, dramatist, and cultural philosopher. While his creative writing may not have achieved canonical status, his scholarly and critical work significantly shaped the trajectory of African literature and thought. His nuanced understanding of African culture and his insistence on its intellectual validity laid important groundwork for future generations of writers and thinkers.
More than just the man who gave Ghana its name, Danquah must be remembered as a pioneer of African humanism—someone who fought for a space where African spirituality, literature, and law could thrive on their own terms.
References
- Danquah, J.B. The Akan Doctrine of God. London: Lutterworth Press, 1944.
- Obeng, R.E. Eighteenpence. Ilfracombe: Arthur H. Stockwell, 1943.
- Arhin, Kwame. The Life and Work of J.B. Danquah. Ghana Publishing Corporation, 1974.
- Awoonor, Kofi. “The African Literary Tradition.” Transition, 1965.
- Boahen, A. Adu. African Perspectives on Colonialism. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987.
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