A Prampram sculpture, Northern Ghana. Partly encrusted patina, Signs of ritual use and age. The established scholarly consensus situates the Dangme people, including the inhabitants of Prampram, within the Ga-Dangme ethnic group, tracing their origins to migrations from the east, likely from areas corresponding to present-day Togo or Benin. Linguistically and culturally, the Dangme are distinct from the Moba of northern Ghana and Togo, who speak a Gur language and maintain different ritual and social structures. There is little documented evidence of sustained contact or cultural influence between these groups historically. In contrast, Baba Sylla offers an alternative interpretation, positing that the Prampram people have been significantly influenced by the Moba culture. According to Sylla, this influence manifests in shared ritual practices and social organization that suggest historical interactions overlooked or underestimated by conventional ethnographic accounts. Baba Sylla’s thesis challenges the prevailing narrative by highlighting possible migration routes and intercultural exchanges that connect northern and southern Ghana in ways that complicate simple east-to-west migration models. While Sylla’s views remain subject to debate within the academic community, they invite a reconsideration of cultural boundaries and the fluidity of ethnic identities in West Africa. Further interdisciplinary research combining oral histories, linguistics, and archaeology is necessary to fully understand the depth and nature of the relationship between the Prampram and the Moba peoples. Meyerowitz, E.L.R.: The Early History of the Ga People. London: Red Candle Press, 1951.
Kropp Dakubu, M.E.: The Languages of Ghana. London: Kegan Paul International, 1988.
Goody, J.: Technology, Tradition, and the State in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.
Sylla, Baba.: Youtube Video about the history of the Prampram. CAB26850