source: padfm.com.gh 27th March, 2021.
The leadership of the Gonjaland Youth Association has petition the Ministry of Education on what the leaders said is “some distortions of facts about the history of the Gonja Kingdom and the Savannah region in portions of Ghana Education Service (GES) text books”.
The Gonjaland Youth Association President, Mr Mohammad Amin Oman Esq, signed the petition. The unhappy leaders stated that the attention of the Gonjaland Youth Association has been drawn to some distortions with presentations and unfounded historical facts contained in some textbooks in circulation about the Gonja Kingdom and the Savannah region which “we wish to bring to your kind attention for the necessary rectification”.
The history of the Gonja Kingdom as an ethnic group and indigenous people of Ghana is well-established across the globe and that any attempt by anybody to change the history of the heroic people by misrepresenting the facts particularly for teaching children who are the future of our country cannot be accepted in any way.
“We do not see any tangible excuse for the completely avoidable and needless discussions and misrepresentations of impeccable history, considering the good number of people with the requisite knowledge and expertise in the history of the Gonja Kingdom who are available and readily accessible to the publishers”
On the particulars of distortions the Golden history of Ghana BS 2 said the “Main ethnic group of Savannah region is Mole Dagbani”. The fact is the main ethnic group in the Savannah region is Gonja.
The Golden History of Ghana B.S. 5 said; “Daboya is a village located in the Northern region of present day Ghana”. Fact is Daboya is located in the North Gonja district of the Savannah region. It is the capital of the district.
The Gonjaland Youth Association further stated that it is not right that Gonjas are part of the 28 Guan ethnic groups located in the Savannah region of Ghana. All the 28 are not located only in Savannah region.
It is also a well known fact that the Gonja Kingdom has the largest land in Ghana and the Savannah region is the largest region in Ghana by land size.
A sentence in the Victory series History of Ghana page 13 said; (Northern region is the largest region in terms of land size. The fact is the Savannah Region is the largest region in Ghana.
“The Association is therefore extremely alarmed at this needless attempt by the publishers of the books concerned to deliberately distort the history of the heroic people of Gonja for their self-serving interest”.
The strand 2- My Country Ghana, origin of the people of Ghana says “Gonjas originated from Mande land in Sierra Leone”. The fact is Mande is not in present day Sierra Leone.
The same Strand 2- My Country Ghana, origin of the people of Ghana says; “The Gonja Kingdom was founded by Wahd Naba or Nabaga”. These names are strange to Gonjas. Gonja kingdom was founded by Sumaila Ndewura Jakpa.
The same Golden History of Ghana B.S. 5 said; “Salaga is a town in the Northern region of present day Ghana”. Fact is Salaga is a town in the Savannah region of present day Ghana.
The leadership of the association are therefore, calling on the GES authorities to correct the misrepresentation and distortions.
“We are by this petition respectfully, drawing your attention to the fact that the above statements are completely inaccurate in respect of the Gonja Kingdom in the Savannah region as the case may be”.
The GLYA are also demanding for an immediate withdrawal of the books from circulation and the publishers should be required to correct the distortions as soon as practicable and assure the Ministry of Education of their readiness to engage them and the publishers as may be necessary, to offer their assistance and expertise in this regard.
They disclosed that other legal channels could be considered should the ministry turn their blind eye to the petition.
“In the likely event that we do not receive a favourable response from your offices, we shall be left with no option than to pursue other legitimate means of seeking redress and resisting this attempt to distort and misrepresent the history of our people”.
Abdulai Zulkaninu 0242381890
