Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford, (29 September 1866 – 11 August 1930), also known as Ekra-Agyeman, was a prominent Fante
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
journalist, editor, author, lawyer, educator, and politician who supported
pan-African nationalism. His 1911 novel ''
Ethiopia Unbound
''Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation'' is a 1911 book by J. E. Casely Hayford that is one of the first novels in English by an African writer and has been cited as the earliest pan-African fiction. It was first published by C. M. Ph ...
'' is one of the earliest novels published in English by an African.
Biography
Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford was born on 29 September 1866 in
Cape Coast, in the British
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
colony, now
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
.
His family, part of the
Fante Anona clan and descendants of a dynasty of ''
omanhene In several Akan nations of Ghana, the Omanhene (''Pl. Amanhene)'' is the title of the supreme traditional ruler ('king') in a region or a larger town. The omanhene is the central figure and institution of the nation. Officially, he has no function i ...
s'' and ''
okyeame
''Okyeame'' was a literary magazine founded by the Ghana Society of Writers in the post-Independence era, which saw the rapid rise of a new generation of thinkers, writers and poets in the country. The first issue of ''Okyeame'' appeared in 1960,Ja ...
s'', was part of the Fante coastal elite.
His father,
Joseph de Graft Hayford
Joseph de Graft Hayford (1840–1919) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister who was a prominent figure in Fante politics and society in the Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made u ...
(1840–1919), was educated and ordained as a minister in the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
church, and was a prominent figure in Ghanaian politics. His mother was from the Brew family, descended from the 18th-century Irish trader Richard Brew and his African concubine. Brew settled in this area about 1745.
[Alistair Boddy-Evans]
"JE Casely Hayford – Leading West African Pan-Africanist"
African History, About.com.
Casely was one of Joseph's middle names; he adopted Casely Hayford as a non-hyphenated double surname. His brothers were
Ernest James Hayford
Ernest James Hayford, (23 April 1858, Anomabu – 6 August 1913, London) was a physician and lawyer in the Gold Coast.Michael R. Doortmont, ''The Pen-Pictures of Modern Africans and African Celebrities by Charles Francis Hutchison: A Collectiv ...
, a doctor, and the Reverend Mark Hayford, a minister.
Early life
Casely Hayford attended Wesley Boys' High School (now known as
Mfantsipim) in Cape Coast, and
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-l ...
in
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
, Sierra Leone. While in Freetown, Casely Hayford became an avid follower of
Edward Wilmot Blyden
Edward Wilmot Blyden (3 August 1832 – 7 February 1912) was a Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician who was primarily active in West Africa. Born in the Danish West Indies, he joined the waves of black immigrants from the ...
, the foremost pan-African figure at the time, who edited ''
Negro
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
,'' the first explicitly pan-African journal in West Africa.
Upon returning to Ghana, Casely Hayford became a high school teacher. He eventually was promoted to principal at Accra Wesleyan Boys' High School. He was dismissed from his position at the school for his political activism.
[
In 1885, he began working as a journalist for the ''Western Echo,'' which was owned by his maternal uncle James Hutton Brew.]["Casely-Hayford, J. E.", ''Makers of Modern Africa: Profiles in History'', London: Africa Journal Ltd for Africa Books Ltd, 1981, pp. 125–126.] By 1888 Casely Hayford was the editor, and he renamed the paper as the ''Gold Coast Echo''. From 1890 to 1896, he was co-proprietor of the ''Gold Coast Chronicle.'' He also wrote articles for the ''Wesleyan Methodist Times.''
Inner Temple and the bar
In 1893, Casely Hayford travelled to London to study as a barrister at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
, and at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
on 17 November 1896. That year, he returned with his second wife Adelaide to Ghana to private law practice in Cape Coast, Axim, Sekondi
Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...
and Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
. He also continued his work as a journalist, editing the ''Gold Coast Leader''. In 1904, he helped found the Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and ...
. In 1910, he succeeded John Mensah Sarbah
John Mensah Sarbah (3 June 1864 – 27 November 1910)S. Tenkorang, "John Mensah Sarbah, 1864–1910", in ''Transactions of the HYistorical Society of Ghana'', Vol. XIV, No. 1, Legon, June 1973 (pp. 65–78), pp. 65, 76. Some other sources (incl ...
as president of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society, the first anti-colonial organisation founded in the Gold Coast.
Political activism
Casely Hayford wrote several books, primarily as commentary and opposition to land management acts issued by the colonial government, such as the Crown Lands Bill of 1897, and the Forest Ordinance of 1911. His view was that African identity and African social stability were inextricably linked to conservation of existing conventions concerning land rights.
In his 1903 book ''Gold Coast Native Institutions'', Hayford analyzed Fanti Fanti is an Italian surname. Notable people with this name include:
*Bartolomeo Fanti (1428–1495), beatified Italian Carmelite priest
*Fausto Fanti (1978–2014), Brazilian actor, comedian and musician
*Franco Fanti (1924–2007), Italian Olympic ...
and Asante governmental institutions, and argued for a self-governing Gold Coast within a federal greater Britain.
While visiting London to protest the Forest Ordinance of 1911, he was part of a group that gave financial assistance to Dusé Mohamed Ali
Dusé Mohamed Ali (Bey Effendi) (21 November 1866 – 25 June 1945)
(دوسي محمد علي) was a Sudanese-Egyptian actor and political activist, who became known for his African nationalism. He was also a playwright, historian, journalist, ...
to get his ''African Times and Orient Review
The ''African Times and Orient Review'' was a pan-Asian and pan-African journal launched in 1912 by Dusé Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian-British actor and journalist, with the help of John Eldred Taylor. It is thought to have been "Britain's first Blac ...
'' off the ground. Others were Francis T. Dove and C. W. Betts from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
and Dr. Oguntola Sapara
Chief Oguntola Odunbaku Sapara M.D. (9 June 1861 – June 1935) was a Yoruba doctor, originally from Sierra Leone, who spent most of his career and life in Nigeria. He was best known for his campaign against smallpox.
Early life and education
...
from Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
.
Casely Hayford was also deeply involved in the political movement for African emancipation. He corresponded with W. E. B. Du Bois, and participated in Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
's International Conference on the Negro in 1912. Casely Hayford's correspondence with Washington fostered the pan-African movement in both Africa and the United States.
Casely Hayford's career in public office began with his nomination to the Legislative Council of the Gold Coast in 1916. As a legislator he served on various public commissions, and received an MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
in the 1919 Birthday Honours for services in aid of the Prince of Wales's Patriotic Fund. In the same year he formed West Africa's first nationalist movement, the National Congress of British West Africa, one of the earliest formal organisations working toward African emancipation from colonial rule. He represented the Congress in London in 1920, to demand constitutional reforms from the colonial secretary, and address the League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
Union. He was criticised for accepting inadequate concessions from the colonial authorities. While promoting an African nationalism that demanded unity and cultural awareness among Africans, Hayford advocated only constitutional political reforms within the framework of Ghana remaining a colony. He became the first patron of the in 1925, and was elected as municipal member for Sekondi in September 1927. The National Congress was dissolved shortly after Casely Hayford's death in 1930.
He published a novel entitled ''Ethiopia Unbound
''Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation'' is a 1911 book by J. E. Casely Hayford that is one of the first novels in English by an African writer and has been cited as the earliest pan-African fiction. It was first published by C. M. Ph ...
'' (1911), which is one of the first novels in English by an African. It has been cited as the earliest pan-African fiction. The novel is set in both Africa and England. It relies on philosophical debates between an African and his English friend, as well as references to contemporary African events and ancient African history, to provide a context for its exploration of African identity and the struggle for emancipation
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...
.
Marriage and family
Casely Hayford was the progenitor of the Casely-Hayford
Casely-Hayford is an English language patronymic surname that is native to Ghana. It is most commonly borne by the Casely-Hayford family, descendants of the famous 19th century Euro- Fante and Pan-Africanist, J. E. Casely-Hayford of Cape Coast. ...
family of Ghana and Britain. His descendants have served as part of the latter country's Black British elite
The Black elite is any elite, either political or economic in nature, that is made up of people who identify as of Black African descent. In the Western World, it is typically distinct from other national elites, such as the United Kingdom's ari ...
.
He was first married to Beatrice Madeline Pinnock. The couple's son Archie Casely-Hayford
Archibald "Archie" Casely-Hayford (1898 – 20 August 1977) was a British-trained Ghanaian barrister and politician, who was involved in nationalist politics in the former Gold Coast (present-day Ghana). Having joined the Convention People's Par ...
became a barrister, district magistrate and the first Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the First Republic of Ghana.
While in London studying at the Inner Temple and lodging at a hostel for African bachelors in 1893, Casely Hayford met Adelaide Smith, a lady of Sierra Leonean Creole origins. They later married, and she returned with him to the Gold Coast in 1896 after he was received by the bar. She became a prominent writer and established a Freetown girl's vocational school. Adelaide and Joseph had a daughter, Gladys May Casely-Hayford (1904–1950), who was a teacher, an artist and a poet, publishing some of her poems under the pen name of Aquah Laluah.[ Margaret Busby, "Gladys May Casely-Hayford ('Aquah Laluah')", in '' Daughters of Africa'' (1992), Vintage edn, 1993, pp. 217–220.]
Bibliography
*''The Truth About The West African Land Question'' (1898. Reprinted, 1913. Reprinted London: Frank Cass
Frank Cass (11 July 1930 – 9 August 2007) was a British publisher. He was the founder of Frank Cass & Co., an imprint of books and journals of history and the social sciences acquired by Taylor & Francis in 2003.
Early life
Frank Cass was born ...
, 1971)
*''Gold Coast Native Institutions: With Thoughts Upon A Healthy Imperial Policy for the Gold Coast and Ashanti'' (1903. Reprinted London: Frank Cass, 1970, )
*''Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation'' (1911. Reprinted London: Frank Cass, 1969, . Black Classic Press, with an Introduction by Molefi Kete Asante
Molefi Kete Asante ( ; born Arthur Lee Smith Jr.; August 14, 1942) is an American professor and philosopher. He is a leading figure in the fields of African-American studies, African studies, and communication studies. He is currently professo ...
, 2011)
*''Gold Coast Land Tenure and the Forest Bill'' (1911)
*''William Waddy Harris, the West African reformer'' (1915)
*''United West Africa'' (1919)
*''West African Leadership: Public speeches delivered by the Honourable J. E. Casely Hayford''; edited by Magnus J. Sampson (1951)
References
External links
Thoemmes Continuum – The History of Ideas: Writings of Ekra-Agiman (J. E. Casely Hayford)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayford, J. E. Casely
1866 births
1930 deaths
20th-century novelists
African newspaper editors
Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Fante people
Fourah Bay College alumni
Ghanaian Methodists
Ghanaian novelists
Ghanaian pan-Africanists
Ghanaian people of English descent
Ghanaian people of Irish descent
Ghanaian politicians
Ghanaian schoolteachers
Ghanaian writers
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People from Central Region (Ghana)
J.E.