Non-Fiction Tradition in Ghana: An Analysis of the First West African Novel, Marita or the Folly of Love

Abstract

Considered as the first West African novel, Marita or the Folly of Love has been hailed for the anonymous writer's infinitesimal recording of the colonial enterprise in Ghana. The compilation, published by Newell in 2002, was originally serialized in two newspapers, the Western Echo and the Gold Coast Echo, between January 1886 and February 1888.  Aside the novel's acclaimed political relevance, it also hands down some of the tenets that have shaped the development of non-fiction culture in Ghana, influencing compatriots such as Awoonor. This paper, therefore, seeks to explicate some of the techniques used by A. Native in his work.