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Cocoa, Marriage, Labour and Land in Ghana: Some Matrilineal and Patrilineal Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2011

Beatrice Akua Duncan
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Abstract

There is evidence to show that the institution of marriage, particularly customary law marriage, has served as an important framework for the extraction of conjugal labour as a factor in cocoa production since its introduction in the Gold Coast in 1879. This was necessitated by the abolition in 1874 of slavery and pawning, and the consequent need to replace an illegitimate and coercive system with a legitimate one. By virtue of a pre-existing customary obligation placed on women to assist their husbands in their economic pursuits, the marriage institution provided a basis for this transition. It has been argued, however, that some forms of economic relationship in Ghana revolve around expectations of reciprocity, and that human beings are not altogether altruistic in their dispensation of labour. Hence, women who provide labour support to their husbands expect to be rewarded with land or cocoa farms. In this article, I argue that the pivotal role of cocoa in the rural economy intensified the use of conjugal labour and the consequent expectation of land by wives from their husbands, resulting in a situation in which cocoa, marriage, labour and land rights eventually evolved as ‘institutional quadruplets’. Through case studies extracted from field work conducted in six communities in the Brong Ahafo, Western and Volta Regions of Ghana I demonstrate the continued interplay between these forces in modern times, and outline some policy-centred concerns for the future direction of the cocoa industry.

Des données montrent que l'institution du mariage, notamment le mariage en droit coutumier, a servi de cadre important pour l'extraction du travail conjugal en tant que facteur dans la production du cacao depuis son introduction sur la Côte de l'Or en 1879. Elle répondait à une nécessité après l'abolition de l'esclavage et de la mise en gage d’êtres humains en 1874, et au besoin qui en a résulté de remplacer un système illégitime et cœrcitif par un système légitime. En vertu d'une règle coutumière préexistante obligeant les femmes à prêter assistance à leurs époux dans l'exercice de leurs activités économiques, l'institution du mariage fournissait une base à cette transition. Certains soutiennent, cependant, que certaines formes de relations économiques au Ghana portent sur des attentes de réciprocité, et que l’être humain n'est pas entièrement altruiste dans l'exercice du travail. En conséquence, les femmes qui soutiennent leurs époux par leur travail attendent en retour d’être rémunérées en terres ou exploitations de cacao. L'article soutient que le rôle essentiel du cacao dans l’économie rurale a intensifié l'utilisation du travail conjugal et par là-même l'attente des femmes vis-à-vis de leurs époux sous la forme de terres, et a abouti à une situation dans laquelle le cacao, le mariage, le travail et les droits fonciers ont fini par former des « quadruplés institutionnels ». À travers des études de cas extraites de travaux de terrain menés auprès de six communautés des régions Brong Ahafo, Western et Volta au Ghana, l'article démontre l'interaction continue entre ces forces à l’époque moderne, et expose des inquiétudes (centrées sur la politique) sur l'orientation future de l'industrie du cacao.

Type
Research Articles
Information
Africa , Volume 80 , Issue 2 , May 2010 , pp. 301 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2010

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