BOOK  REVIEWS

Erica Powell, Private Secretary (Female)/Gold
Coast.  London: C. Hurst end Company, 1984.
228 pp.  £8.95.

In the years  following  the  overthrow of
President  N m m a h,  many  books  ware  written
from  different  ideological  perspectives in
an attempt to  explain  Mcunah's  personality
and his policies.  There were books such as
Fitch  and  Oppenheimer's  Ghana:  Bid of an
Illusion,  Geoffrey Bing's Reap the Whirlwind,
Peter Onari's  tame  Nkrunah: the  Anatomy  of
an  African  Dictatorship,  C.L.R.  Janes'
Nfrunah and  the Ghana Revolution  and  Basil
Davidson's Black Star.

In  recent  years,  ncwawer,  and  with  the
passage of time,  Ntotmah's  place in the
history  and  politics of Ghana  is being
reassessed  more  and  more  objectively,  and
seme of his former colleagues and  associates
have come cut with memoirs and reminiscences
of their association with Dr. Nlrunah.  Such
is  Tawiah  Adamafio's  By Nkrunah's  Side,
Genoveva Marais1 Kwane Ntarunah as I toew Him
and  Erica  Powell's  voluma  presently  under
review.

Erica  Powell  worked  as Dr.  Nkrunah's
Private Secretary from 1955 to  1956, having
previously served as the Governor's Secretary,
In that  latter capacity,  she came  to  know
Dr.  N!<runah  and  established a  friendship
with  him  which  was to culminate  in her
appointment as his  secretary  and  confidant.
Pa-ell's book gives us  an  insight  into the
workings of colonial  government  and  society
and the  racism  and  prejudices of colonial
officials.  She  presents a highly  readable
account of the heady days leading to indepen-
dence and behind-the-scenes  incidents. Her
easy  conversational  style moves  the  reader
along rapidly.

Howeil's portrait of  Norunah  is  realistic
and sympathetic and we see him as the  ordi-
nary  man 'with  his  doubts  and  fears,  the
friend, the political leader and the statesman
In her description of Dr. N:4tmah's style of
work, one is reminded of Dei-Anang's account
in his book  The  Administration of Ghana's

Foreign  Relations,  1957-65, of the  very
exacting way  in which Nkrunah  drove  himself
and those around him.  Monjnah's  tremendous
capacity for work, his ccnplete disregard of
official  hours  for  himself  and  his  staff
inspired  them to carry  on beyond  their
endurance.  His seeming  indifference  to  the
needs of his staff is vindicated by touching
accounts  such  as  his  personal  intervention
to restore domestic  harmony  in the  hems  of
his  Principal  Secretary  following  conflict
over his hours of work.  Indeed  Ms. Powell
gives other accounts of Hannah's hunaneness
and  accessibility  and  of the  way many
Ghanaians travelled  to  see  him  to  resolve
their personal problems, material  or other-
wise^

The  book  recaptures  the  ebullience  ana
charisma of Dr.  Nkrureh  around  his  many
state visits  abroad.  Powell  describes  the
turbulence of the  1960s on the  African
continent  and  Dr.  Nkrunah's  role in  it,
essentially  in the Congo Crisis.  She  inti-
mates the beginnings of the  economic  crisis
in Ghana, the political  intrigues  and  assa-
ssination attempts which created a state of
insecurity and suspicion and  led to  growing
arbitrariness  and  the denial  of  democratic
rights for political opponents which were to
culminate in the coup d'etat.

Powell's highly personalised  recollections
am  vivid and reflect both her understanding
of  her  years in Ghana  and  her  personal
convictions.  She  had  arrived in the  Gold
Coast  with no political  convictions,  and
without  encountering  Dr.  Worunah,  would
have, in all likelihood, retxrned to Britain
without  any  real  contact with  or  knowledge
of  the  people  and  the  country. 
Through
Dr. Maurah, she became intimately connected
with  the  fortunes of the  young  Ghanaian
state  and  from  her  position,  helped to
organise  the  President's  private  life  and
household and sought to influence his tastes
and  opinions.  As a secretary,  she  was
highly'efficient and hard-working and as Dr.
Nkrumah said, she reminded him of the  loyal
breed of British secretaries who  had  worked

for  him  during  his  impoverished  days  in
London.  Aid British  she remained.  As she
herself  put  i t,  "I  have  been  loyal,  almost
at  times  to the point  of  fanaticism,  to the
President  personally  and to  Ghana  . ..  at no
time  have  I  been, or will  I  ever be,  disloyal
to  my country,  Britain.  The occasion has
never  . ..  arisen  when  I  have  had to  face
divided  loyalties  between  Ghana and Britain.
If  such  an occasion  does  arise,  I  will not
lack  the courage  and honesty  to  inform  . ..
the  President  of  my difficulty  and ask to
resign my position  as his private  secretary".
The  book  is  an  important  contribution  to
the  growing  body  of  literature  on the  life
and  work  of  Dr.  ffcronah,  and its  insights
into  his  character  and personality  frcrn cne
of  the  individuals  who perhaps  was closest
to  him, should  irrprove  our  understanding  of
KWame  Nknmah  the  man and  the  statesman.
Ms.  Powell's  book  is  much more  comprehensive
than  Genoveva  Marais',  and her position  of
vantage as his secretary  allows for a portrait
which  is  f u l l er  and many-faceted.

Takyiwaa Manuh.

Meyer  Fortes,  Religion,  Hrality  and the
Person  (Essays on Tallensi  Religion).  Edited
and  with  an  introduction  by  Jack  Goody.
Cambridge  Paperback  Library,  C.U.P.  1987,
^i 
Phgrt°9rapns,  Notes,  References

The  author  of  this  book,

Fortes

series of  distinguished

ays  were

at  various  times to associations  of  anthropo-
logists  and other  audiences.  The  earliest
of  these  essays  appeared  in  Essays  on the
Ritual  of  Sxial  Relations  (1952,  ed. M.
Gluckman)  and the  most  recent 
is  Fortes'
preface to Sacrifice  (1980, eds. C.  Bourdillon
and M. Fortes).

interrelated 

.The  t i t le  of  the volune  aptly  surmarises
'Religion,  morality  and the
its  content. 
person1  is  a  set  of 
themes
pervading  the vtole  of  Fortes'  work.  The
specific 
issues  dealt  with  in  the  volume
include the ancestors,  divination,  sacrifice,
prayer,  the concept  of  person,  rituals  and
office,  the f i r st  bom, destiny, 
totem and
taboo,  custom  and conscience  and  festivals.
In  all  of  these,  the  ancestors  emerge  in
Fortes'  view as the linen-pin. 
In  Chapter 4
the author delves  into  psychology  and psycho-
analysis to explain  the role  Tallensi  ances-
tors  assure  in the. social  experience.

'The  Dynamics'  and  'The  web1  both  deal
with  the issues  central  to  this  volune  but
the book is not, for that  matter,  redundant.
The author  took  the opportunity  provided  by
the  interests  of the particular  audience and
the  occasion  to  demonstrate  the  motivation
and  appeal  of  his  earlier  analyses  and to
relate  anthropology to other  hunan concerns.
Fortes'  work  follows  the  trends  set  by
Functional ism  although  Fortes  does  not
always  agree  with  the  arch-functionalists.
This  school  of  anthropological  study  has
drawn  much  criticism  from  Marxists,  Trans-
actionists  and Structuralists  and Fortes has
had his share of  such  criticisms,  which  have
at  times  been  scathing.  These  essays  have
provided  Fortes  with  the  chance  to  answer
that
back.  They  demonstrate  his  conviction 
functional ism  is  useful. 
Us  refers 
to
theory1
Structuralism  as  'massage  oriented 
and argues  that  it  complements  but does  not
'actor-centred'  approach  of
replace 
the 
functional ism. 
Fortes  has  always  paid
attention  to  empirical  evidence, 
to  anic
categories  whether  in  the  form  of  Tallensi
exegesis  or the  etynology  of  Talni  words.
These  essays  demonstrate  these  methods  and
qualities  in his work.

Fortes  like  many  functionalists  has  been

accused  of  producing  accounts  which  ignore
the issue of time.  Although  in these essays
he does not confront this criticism directly
he  nevertheless  makes  reference  to  social
change and compares synchronically at least,
if  not  diachronically,  temporal  phases  of
Tallensi  society. 
For  many  Tallensi  the
traditional  and  the  modem  coexist  and
individuals  have  evolved  a  'dual  sector1
attitude  which  allowed  for  compromise  and
synbiosis.

The essays  are  also  interesting  from  the
point of view of style.  In earlier publica-
tions like  'The Dynamics1 the style is very
formal and the  anthropologist was concerned
with explanation of the working  of  society.
Layers of compact diagrams, exotic names and
a  welter  of  terms  have  often  combined  to
make  those  accounts  difficult  reading.
These essays by contrast are full of  asides
aimed at taking the reader  into confidence,
personal  details  and  witty  remarks. 
The
essays for example reveal that Fortes was  a
first bom  from  a  large Jewish  family, and
that he had  studied  Psychoanalysis  and  had
also once practised  clinical  psychology  in
East  London. 
In  the  essays  he  now  goes
beyond his customary reference to individual
Tallensi  as  'my  friend  so  and  so1  and
actually discusses his personal relationships
and  the  attitudes  of  Tallensi  to  him.  He-
jokes for example, about songs  Tallensi  had
composed  about  him  which  showed  that  seme
Tallensi did not syrpathise with  his  curio-
sity.  He expresses at another point pleasant
surprise  when  sons  Tallensi  credited  the
arrival of rain on the conclusion of the dry
season Qolib rites to his attendance.  He is
similarly  pleased  when,  in  recounting  the
Master  legend  as  a  feature  of  one  of  the
esoteric rites to which he had  gained  admi-
ttance,  the  Earthpriest  compared  Master's
arrival in Taleland  to the  visit of  Fortes
several centuries  later.  Fortes tells  also
of how he had  to  provide  a  cow as  a  fine
imposed  on/him  by  his  'brethren'  of  the

Boghar Cult.  Tliere are many of such episodes
which the author recounts in this Voltme but
not in his  other publications.  Apart  from
the  relief  provided  by  such  humour  such
episodes  are  important  in  a  subject  wnicn
depends  heavily  on  what  tlie person  at tfie
spot,  the  ethnographer, reports  and  his
interpretation of the evidence.

This volune is a valuable addition to  the
literature on the Tallensi and  it should  be
of interest to scholars and others concerned
with Northern Ghana-  The appeal of the book
should however transcend the North.  Fortes
makes  references  to  the  Ashanti  and  other
Ghanaian  people. 
In  Chapter  8  we  find
Ashanti  being  compared  to  Tallensi  in  an
attempt to explain the prevalence of witch-
craft  beliefs  among  the  Ashanti  and  the
absence of such beliefs among  the Tallensi.
Perhaps  a  more  rreaningful  exercise  should
explain  the  absence  of  such  beliefs  in
Taleland by comparing with the neighbours of
the  Tallensi  who  are  more  similar  to  the
Tallensi yet have beliefs  concerning witch-
craft not shared by Tallensi.

The  essays  in this  volime deal  with  the
general  field  of  human  experience. 
The
angle  of  comparison  is  often  widened  to
encompass  China, India,  Western  Europe,  or
the  Middle  East. 
we  find  references  to
ancient texts including the Bible, the Koran
and  Greek  Mythology  juxtaposed  with,  and
illustrative of, modem  experience.  His aim
has  been  to  illustrate  that  beyond  the
superficial differences of custom and ritual
there exist  basic  hunan  proclivities  which
unite mankind across space and time.  Fortes
holds the  view that  Anthropologists  should
study  these  underlying  similarities. 
In
addition to the  'how' of  ethnography, there
is  also  the  'why1. 
Fortes  laments  that
anthropologists  have either  ignored  psycho-
logy or paid only lip service to it.

AX Puedtiba.