Survey of the colonial architectural heritage of force and coercion in the core of Accra, Ghana

Abstract Between 1855 and 1957, the British, who constituted the colonial administration, proposed strategies to consolidate colonial power on the Gold Coast (Ghana). In Accra, they produced architecture that forced and coerced residents to conform. Such architecture remains unexplored and is confronted with forces of vulnerability such as teardowns and neglect. This study sought to spatially identify such architectural monuments and discuss their contemporary significance. The study adopted a survey research design, which allowed various data collection methods, such as mapping, semi-structured interviews and personal field observations, to be used to collect empirical data. Fourteen heritage items categorised under four colonial typologies (fortifications, judicial buildings, military installations and cemeteries) were mapped. These typologies included activities and employed architectural features that contributed to making Accra a ‘deathworld’ through factors including evoking fear and anxiety; keeping surveillance and gathering knowledge about locals; serving as disciplinary spaces; sidelining residents; and granting the colonial administration unlimited powers. One of the major achievements of this research is the production of a colonial architectural monuments of force and coercion map of Accra, which is very much needed to inform subsequent interventions.