In the late seventeenth century Wala emerged as a small state in what is now northwestern Ghana. Its creation involved on the one hand warrior groups of Mande, Dagomba and Mamprusi origins, and on the other hand scholars from the centres of Muslim learning on the Middle Niger. Ivor Wilks traces the history of Wala from its beginnings to the present, paying particular attention to relations between the Muslim and non-Muslim elements in its population. He also examines the impact of Zabarima, Samorian, British and French intrusions into Wala affairs. By the use of orally transmitted traditions and recensions of these in Arabic and Hausa, he is able to show how the Wala themselves view their past. Wala is periodically convulsed by crises often resulting in communal violence. He suggests that the policy maker involved in the region's political problems needs a sound knowledge of Wala history and an understanding of the deeper structures of Wala society, especially in the context of official support for decentralization.

The first full study of Wala history and society, which will be of interest to Africanists, Islamic studies specialists and historians of colonialism.
Reviews
"In this generation no scholar has surpassed Ivor Wilks's contribution to Ghanaian history. This study of Wa, a small yet complex polity, complements his earlier analyses of Asante, Gonja, and the larger field of Islamic historiography in West Africa." Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780521894340
Author Ivor Wilks
Format Paperback
Page Count 276
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 453g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 152mm * 18mm