Road to Kotokuraba (Hausa town), 1885-1910. Basel Mission Archives.

Road to Kotokuraba (Hausa town), 1885-1910. Basel Mission Archives.

UNDERSTANDING THE ZONGo: Socio-Spatial Processes of Marginalization in Ghana 

The spatial processes of marginalization and ghettoization have been described, labeled, and theorized extensively in the United States and Europe, yet there has been little research dedicated to these processes in the literature concerning urban Africa. Rather than using prescribed Western concepts, this project interrogates the spatial processes of marginalization by beginning with the local and particular – in this case, the Zongo, a fascinating, and understudied historical phenomenon in Ghana. Zongo means “traveler’s camp” or “stop-over” in Hausa and was used by British Colonial Officers to define the areas in which Muslims lived. Traditionally, the inhabitants of these settlements were Muslims migrating south either for trading purposes or as hired fighters. Today, Zongos have become a vast network of settlements and there is at least one Zongo in every urban center in Ghana. Since these ethnic groups were not indigenous to the territory, it is not surprising that many were historically marginalized. This project uses history as the primary mechanism by which to dismantle, complicate, re-construct, and understand the Zongo phenomenon – to demonstrate how it has evolved over time - with and against political, economic, and religious forces. Rather than a sweeping comparative approach between settlements, the strategy is to deeply investigate its most extreme case of marginalization – that of the Zongo located in the coastal city of Cape Coast. It seeks to answer what combination of historical and social factors have caused the Cape Coast Zongo to become so marginalized. The project contributes to larger theoretical discussions explaining how, why, and when ghettoization functions in West Africa. 

Authorship (Academic-MIT Thesis): Emily Williamson; Advisor: Professor James Wescoat and reader Professor Nasser Rabbat

*To download the full thesis, please follow the link here.

*To read the abbreviated article, please follow the link here.

FIGURE 8: Partial Plan of a Courtyard House in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURES 9-12: Houses in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 13: Interior of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 12: Tools at the Market in Wa. FIGURE 13: Kola Nuts in the Wa Zongo Market. FIGURE 14: Cereals and Beans at the Market in Wa. FIGURE 15: Ancient Mosque Outside the City of Wa. FIGURE 16: The Wa Naa Palace. FIGURE 17: Ahmadiyya Mosque. Drawings and Photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.

FIGURE 8: Partial Plan of a Courtyard House in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURES 9-12: Houses in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 13: Interior of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 12: Tools at the Market in Wa. FIGURE 13: Kola Nuts in the Wa Zongo Market. FIGURE 14: Cereals and Beans at the Market in Wa. FIGURE 15: Ancient Mosque Outside the City of Wa. FIGURE 16: The Wa Naa Palace. FIGURE 17: Ahmadiyya Mosque. Drawings and Photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.

FIGURE 7: 1886 Map of Gold Coast Colony Source: Map of Gold Coast Colony, http://www.pennymead.com/images/WINMP0071.jpg, Accessed March 5, 2014. FIGURE 8: Ships at Cape Coast Castle. The Illustrated London News, September 24, 1864, p. 313, Issue 1279. FIGURE 9: The Ashantee War: General Market, Cape Coast Castle, The Illustrated London News, January 24, 1874 - 77. FIGURE 18: A Mural of a Mosque and the Ka’ba, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 19: A Mural the Ka’ba in a Madrasa, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 20: A Mural of the Prophet’s Night Journey, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. Photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.

FIGURE 7: 1886 Map of Gold Coast Colony Source: Map of Gold Coast Colony, http://www.pennymead.com/images/WINMP0071.jpg, Accessed March 5, 2014. FIGURE 8: Ships at Cape Coast Castle. The Illustrated London News, September 24, 1864, p. 313, Issue 1279. FIGURE 9: The Ashantee War: General Market, Cape Coast Castle, The Illustrated London News, January 24, 1874 - 77. FIGURE 18: A Mural of a Mosque and the Ka’ba, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 19: A Mural the Ka’ba in a Madrasa, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 20: A Mural of the Prophet’s Night Journey, in a Madrasa - Cape Coast Zongo. Photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.

FIGURE 35: Oceanfront at Sekondi with Oil Rigs in the Distance. FIGURE 36: Survey of the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 37: Main Street in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 38: Side Street in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 39: Development Plan for Best Western in Sekondi-Takoradi. FIGURE 40: Mosque in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 29: Plan of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo north of Johnson Road. FIGURE 30: Plan of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo south of Johnson Road. FIGURE 31: Map Showing the Shops lining the edge of the Zongo. Drawings and Photographs by Emily Williamson.

FIGURE 35: Oceanfront at Sekondi with Oil Rigs in the Distance. FIGURE 36: Survey of the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 37: Main Street in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 38: Side Street in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 39: Development Plan for Best Western in Sekondi-Takoradi. FIGURE 40: Mosque in the Sekondi Zongo. FIGURE 29: Plan of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo north of Johnson Road. FIGURE 30: Plan of a House in the Cape Coast Zongo south of Johnson Road. FIGURE 31: Map Showing the Shops lining the edge of the Zongo. Drawings and Photographs by Emily Williamson.

FIGURE 41: Central Region and Cape Coast Municipal District. Data from the 2010 Population and Housing Census from The Ghana Statistical Service dated June 2013. FIGURE 42: The City of Cape Coast (Zongo in Yellow). FIGURE 43: The City of Cape Coast. Photograph by Brian Wimer. FIGURE 44: The Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 34: Rendering of One Airport Square of Airport City, http://www. oneairportsquare.com/i/home_banner.jpg, Accessed April 20, 2014.  FIGURE 35: Rendering of Villagio II, “The Utopian Dream,” http://www.wallpaper.com/galleryimages/17051193/gallery/testuser5_ jun2009_02_Villagio_ ls250609_vltsjk_FSOoQC. jpg, Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 36: Construction of Kanda Mosque, Accra. http://kuukuwa.wordpress.com/category/ghana/ Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 37: Tema Complex - Saif & Jos General Trading LLC. http://jospongroup.com/data/images12/tema_complex.jpg. Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 38: Osu, Accra. http://wellahoythere.files.word-press.com/2011/04/p1040239_1. jpg. Accessed April 20, 2014. Unless otherwise stated, drawings and photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.

FIGURE 41: Central Region and Cape Coast Municipal District. Data from the 2010 Population and Housing Census from The Ghana Statistical Service dated June 2013. FIGURE 42: The City of Cape Coast (Zongo in Yellow). FIGURE 43: The City of Cape Coast. Photograph by Brian Wimer. FIGURE 44: The Cape Coast Zongo. FIGURE 34: Rendering of One Airport Square of Airport City, http://www. oneairportsquare.com/i/home_banner.jpg, Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 35: Rendering of Villagio II, “The Utopian Dream,” http://www.wallpaper.com/galleryimages/17051193/gallery/testuser5_ jun2009_02_Villagio_ ls250609_vltsjk_FSOoQC. jpg, Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 36: Construction of Kanda Mosque, Accra. http://kuukuwa.wordpress.com/category/ghana/ Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 37: Tema Complex - Saif & Jos General Trading LLC. http://jospongroup.com/data/images12/tema_complex.jpg. Accessed April 20, 2014. FIGURE 38: Osu, Accra. http://wellahoythere.files.word-press.com/2011/04/p1040239_1. jpg. Accessed April 20, 2014. Unless otherwise stated, drawings and photographs by Emily Williamson Ibrahim.