Benjamin Ajabuin
- BSc (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, 2019)
Topic
The Bulsa Land Relations and Political Structure in the Colonial and Postcolonial Era
School of Indigenous Governance
Date & location
- Friday, August 23, 2024
- 9:30 A.M.
- Human & Social Development Building, Room A260h
Examining Committee
Supervisory Committee
- Dr. Devi Mucina, School of Indigenous Governance, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
- Dr. Dzifa Dordunoo, School of Nursing, UVic (Outside Member)
External Examiner
- Dr. Francis Adu-Febiri, School of Arts and Science, Camosun College
Chair of Oral Examination
- Prof. Anne Grimm, School of Music, UVic
Abstract
This research answers critical questions about belonging among the Bulsa people of Northern Ghana in the context of colonial mapping of their land governance systems and political structure. To belong is to remember our collective governance that concerns our cultural, social, and political systems about the land. Throughout this study, I used critical cartographic procedures to evaluate and assess the colonial spatializing of the Bulsa systems, body, and minds and also as a refusal of this project by highlighting the Bulsa ways of mapping. My aim is to inspire hope and an imagined future that honours our ancestors and the Bulsa people yet unborn. I used data from colonial records and archives and my personal memory and understanding of our Bulsa history (memories), customs, traditions, and folktales to share knowledge about our land. Out of respect for the Bulsa land and customs, I am motivated to share my fragmented pieces and invite all into a conversation on the future of our land relations.