A HISTORY OF THE NAWURI VILLAGE OF BALAI 1900-2000

ABSTRACT

There exist limited scholarly historical studies on the Nawuris of Northern Ghana. In addition, a few studies made on the Nawuris are limited in scope, have a number of conflicting accounts, and often give different interpretations concerning the socio-cultural and political history of Nawuris. For these reasons, I make a strong case to study the socio-cultural and political changes and continuities that had taken place due to their interaction with the global political economy.

The study employed qualitative and ethnographic methods such as interviews, as well as the phenomenological research approach. It shows that before the Nawuris of Balai settled at their current place, there were no traces of human settlement in the area. Later, other Nawuri groups migrated from Larteh to join them. The study revealed that significant changes have occurred in the Balai village overtime especially in aspects religion, ideology, values, political orientation, way of life among others due to modernity and globalization. Finally, modernity has produced far-reaching socio-cultural implications for the village including identity problems, and use of the Nawuri language by the youth.