Criticism of British Colonial Rule
Mensah Sarbah was a leading critic of British colonial rule, especially in connection with colonial land appropriation and the attempt to place all lands in the Gold Coast under British imperial rule. He argued that all land in Africa belonged to someone and that therefore any confiscation by the British was illegal.
European imperialism created complex pressures for new African leaders. Mensah Sarbah chose the path of utilizing Western standards in defence of African rights. He used English constitutional arguments to claim that the British had no right to rule the Gold Coast and were consistently violating established African laws. He actively urged expanded responsibilities for educated Africans who could preserve Africa's traditional communal virtues. His multi-volume Fante National Constitution (1906) followed from his elaborate research on customary law. He founded several organizations designed to protect traditional African land titles in British legislation of 1898. Mensah Sarbah thus worked in two worlds, an early example of a leader striving to unite Western methods and African goals.
He also wrote a notable book entitled Fanti Customary Laws (1904).
Read more about this topic: John Mensah Sarbah
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