Stepping back from the brink: a review of the 2008 Ghanaian election from the capital of the Northern Region

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Periodical article

Title:	Stepping back from the brink: a review of the 2008 Ghanaian election from the capital of the Northern Region
Author:	Ovadia, Jesse Salah
Year:	2011
Periodical:	Canadian Journal of African Studies (ISSN 0008-3968)
Volume:	45
Issue:	2
Pages:	310-340
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ghana
Subjects:	elections Dagomba polity conflict chieftaincy
External link:	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00083968.2011.10541057
Abstract:	During the 2008 Ghanaian election, the threat of violence in northern Ghana, due to an unresolved chieftaincy dispute in the Dagbon Traditional Area, brought the city of Tamale to the brink of widespread conflict. The dispute divided communities on the basis of religion, familial ties, and partisan affiliation. With high stakes, even higher tensions, and party supporters on both sides organized and armed. This article blends interviews and observations in order to explore what occurred during the election and, more importantly, what did not. While the end result diffused the mounting tensions, the underlying factors that brought the community so close to the brink remain. Moving forward, underdevelopment and conflict in the north must be addressed in order to ensure peace and stability in the Dagomba Kingdom and throughout the country. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English and French. [Journal abstract]