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An overview of kinship, land, and architecture in urban Ghana

R. A. OPPONG AND D. DUNSTER, UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL, UK

Abstract: It appears that the process of social change and life-styles have compelled people nowadays to live among non-kin where they engage in economic activities in urbanized areas of Ghana. This bears semblance to the late medieval loosening of family attachments to land and the existence of very active land transactions amongst kinsmen and non-kinsmen. Traditional architecture as an embodiment of civilization is lost in the process through destruction of original buildings and open spaces. This article is based on ethnographic observations and examines the correlation between architecture on one hand and kinship and land on the other. It concludes that, an understanding of this correlation is critical for a more meaningful management and development of urban Ghana and Africa.
Keywords: Architecture, Kinship, Land, Matrilineal, Patrilineal, Urban Ghana

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