Posted by Chester Morton / Saturday 21 January 2017 / No comments
The problems of the Aborigine's Rights Protection Society
Introduction
The formation of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society in
1897 in Cape Coast by John Mensah Sarbah was initially triggered by the 1897 Land
Bill which was to be introduced by Governor William Griffith.
PROBLEMS
Desertion of the chiefs
One of the problems the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society
faced was the withdrawal of the chiefs from their activities. This was after the
British introduced the policy of Indirect Rule, giving more powers and
responsibilities to the chiefs. This ensured that the Society could present a united
front against the British anymore.
Withdrawal of influential members
The formation of the National Congress of British West Africa
also dealt a big blow to the activities of the society. The Congress was able to
lure some of the prominent members of the society into their fold, thereby watering down the strength of the society.
Division among leaders
At a point, the leaders could no longer forge a united front
to confront the British. This was particularly manifested after the First World
War. The leaders were bereft of ideas to cope with the situation at the time and
this was part of the reason why the society’s leadership disintegrated.
African representation on the Legislative and Executive
Council
Another failure of the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society
was that they could not ensure adequate African representation on the Legislative and
Executive Councils. In the case of the Executive Council, for example, it was
only in 1942 that Africans were allowed a few representation on the Council.
Membership was elitist
Another problem was that the membership of the Aborigines’
Rights Protection Society was a bit elitist. The membership did not include a
large number of the common man in the street. This being so, when they needed
the support that was necessary to fight their course, they could not get it.
Absence of radicalism
The methods adopted by the society to pursue their goals did
not help the society much. The society did not adopt the radical approach in
their dealings with the British. They tried to solve their problems by using
the constitutional and legal means which were available to them under colonial
rule. This did not help them.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Highlight six problems that were faced by the Aborigines’
Rights Protection Society.
2. a. What is Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society?
b. Give five
reasons why the society collapsed.
