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6CCVD Research

Women and Gendered Roles in the History of Diamond Mining in Colonial Ghana

At a Glance

Section titled “At a Glance”
MetadataDetails
Publication Date2025-02-26
JournalAfrican Studies Review
AuthorsE. Sasu Kwame Sewordor
InstitutionsUniversity of Basel
AnalysisFull AI Review Included

Executive Summary

Section titled “Executive Summary”

This historical analysis focuses on the overlooked contributions and gendered roles of African women in the African-run diamond mining industry of colonial Ghana (Gold Coast), particularly in the Wassa (Tarkwa) district, from the 1930s to the 1950s.

  • Core Thesis: The prevailing male-centered historiography of diamond mining in Ghana reproduces the biases of the colonial archive, marginalizing women despite their integral roles in the industry’s development.
  • Identified Gendered Roles: Women were involved in the industry in various capacities, including:
    • Discoverers (e.g., Abina Nokuba, who found diamonds in the Kyirifan Stream in 1930).
    • Washers and Panners (performing the final, critical step of concentrate processing).
    • Laborers (carrying gravel, digging concentrates, employed alongside men and boys).
    • Licensed Prospectors and Dealers (documented cases exist, though sparse in archives).
  • Historical Erasure: The study highlights how women’s agency, such as Abina Nokuba’s discovery, was often acknowledged initially but subsequently overshadowed or “manwashed” by male contemporaries (e.g., Fred Kwofi and Ben Kwofi) in formalized written and oral narratives.
  • Labor Statistics (1949): Female labor was estimated to constitute approximately 10 percent of the total labor force in the African-run diamond fields.
  • Methodology: The research relies on a critical reading of multivariant sources, including colonial archives (PRAAD, AASA), oral traditions from descendants, and contemporary newspaper articles (e.g., Daily Graphic, 1953).
  • Scholarly Contribution: The article advocates for shifting the scholarly framing of diamond history in colonial Africa to account for the industry as co-constructed by gendered divisions of labor, moving beyond the limitations of male-authored records.

Technical Specifications

Section titled “Technical Specifications”

NOTE TO ENGINEERS: The provided source material is a historical and sociological study of colonial diamond mining practices and gender roles in Ghana. It does not contain any data related to material science, diamond synthesis (e.g., CVD/HPHT), crystallography, electronic properties, or engineering specifications relevant to modern diamond technology.

ParameterValueUnitContext
Diamond Type DiscussedIndustrial diamonds (bort)N/ASmall-sized diamonds excavated from shallow pits in Akyem and Wassa fields.
Production Scale (1938/39)1,440,322caratsCombined output from African diggings and European companies.
Production Scale (1952)Over 2 millioncaratsTotal Gold Coast export, making Ghana the second largest global producer.
African Output (1952)1,500,262caratsApproximately 70 percent of total Gold Coast production.
European Output (1952)680,295caratsRemaining production share.
Labor Compensation (Wassa, 1940s)4shillings dailyNon-profit sharing basis for laborers (men, women, and boys).
Female Labor Percentage10percentEstimated female labor base in the industry (1949 Loveridge Report).

Key Methodologies

Section titled “Key Methodologies”

NOTE TO ENGINEERS: As this is a historical paper, the methodologies listed below pertain to historical research and archival analysis, not material synthesis or engineering processes.

  1. Archival Retrieval and Analysis: Systematic review of colonial government records, including reports from the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) and the Akyem Abuakwa State Archives (AASA).
  2. Source Triangulation: Joint assessment of written colonial records (e.g., Fred Kwofi’s 1957 petition, 1949 Loveridge Committee Report) with oral testimonies and visual sources (historical photographs).
  3. Gendered Reading of Archives: Employing a critical lens to “sift through the male-dominated voices” in colonial records to identify and amplify marginalized female voices and contributions.
  4. Oral History Collection: Conducting interviews with descendants of key historical figures (e.g., Abina Nokuba’s family) and former diamond diggers in the Tarkwa district (Ahwetieso, Dompim) to reconstruct local historical memory.
  5. Analysis of Formalized Narratives: Tracking the standardization of male-centered accounts across different decades (1949, 1953, 1957) to understand how women’s roles were diminished in official history-making.

Commercial Applications

Section titled “Commercial Applications”

NOTE TO ENGINEERS: This paper focuses on the historical economic structure of colonial diamond extraction (1930s-1950s) and does not discuss modern commercial applications of synthetic or mined diamonds. The applications below reflect the historical economic activities described in the text.

  • Historical Economic Sectors (Colonial Ghana):

    • Industrial Diamond Export: Export of small-sized industrial diamonds (bort) for global industrial use.
    • African Enterprise Development: Establishment and operation of African-run small-scale mining concessions, particularly in the Wassa area.
    • Financial Services: Banking and financial transactions related to the purchase and export of African-won diamonds (e.g., British Bank of West Africa).

  • Historical Labor Roles:

    • Gold and Diamond Panning/Washing: Manual processing of concentrates using wooden cone-shaped bowls and hand jigs to recover diamonds.
    • Licensed Prospecting and Dealing: Formalized roles held by both men and, occasionally, women for searching, extracting, and marketing diamonds.

  • Relevance to Modern Supply Chain Ethics:

    • The historical context provides foundational data for understanding the origins of labor structures and gendered divisions in African resource extraction, relevant for modern supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing initiatives.
View Original Abstract

Abstract The extant literature on diamond industries in Africa has predominantly focused on men, with few attempts to examine the industry from a gendered lens. I trace women and highlight their gendered roles in the diamond-mining industry in colonial Ghana (Gold Coast). Relying on archival, oral, and visual sources, this article highlights women’s involvement in Ghana’s diamond industry in different capacities—as discoverers, washers, licensed prospectors, and dealers. Ultimately, I argue that the dominance men have enjoyed in studies about diamond mining in Ghana (and Africa generally) reproduces the colonial archive but can be overcome through creative and innovative research.

Tech Support

Section titled “Tech Support”

Original Source

Section titled “Original Source”

References

Section titled “References”
  1. 1931 - Annual Report for 1930-31
  2. 2002 - Women in Colonial Histories
  3. 1987 - Capital and Labour on the Kimberley Diamond Fields 1871-1890
  4. 1939 - Annual Report for 1938-39

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