Human world
Earthenware Vessel
Accession Number 10.4.11.14
West Africans have mined gold for more than 1000 years. For centuries Europeans called the coast of Ghana the Gold Coast. Gold was a key export, except between the 17th – 19th centuries when the slave trade dominated. Since the early 19th century products like palm oil and cocoa have also become important exports.
As a result of centuries of trade, coastal African peoples like the Fante and Ga became very cosmopolitan. Cultural influences came from various African cultures, from Europe, the Caribbean and Brazil. African rulers and wealthy traders dealt with European powers as equals.
Inland, African societies competed for control over the trade routes to the coast. A number of African states emerged during the wars of this period - the most powerful of which was the Asante Empire.
The Gold Coast became a British colony in the late 19th century. During colonial rule, African traders lost out to European firms. Descendants of coastal trading families, however, remained influential as lawyers, educators, clergy and politicians.