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Dr Iren Odoitei Odoi Kpoti introduced a major policy in La by separating politics from religion. According to Oral tradition, people were dying because the shrine was more or less in the centre of the town. The town has also appreciated or increased in population. It was said this phenomenon was not good for the people for the god to be right in the middle of the town. According to Labadi tradition, the king who was then chief priest chose a subordinate to perform the rituals of Lapka, a principal god of Labadi. Lakpa’s grove was therefore removed from its original place at the courtyard of the king and placed in the outskirts of the town in the present Leeshi Akutso. La Mantse is responsible for installation of Lakpa wulomo and after marrying a wife for him. It is a ritualised father/son relationship. La in the 19th century In the nineteenth century, there was Danish expansion eastwards and whenever the Danes fought one finds the people of La backing them. However, at one point, the Lapka got so further up. Then he sung a song translated: ‘‘I am further upI am not fighting anymore warThe Danish man should take his own war and fightI am not fighting any war.’’
By this action the war ended. If Lakpa says he is not fighting who will fight? So when he speaks people listen. In 1850, the Danes gave away their forts to the British and left the Gold Coast. In 1852, there was the introduction of poll tax by the British. The people of La, Osu and Teshi said they were not going to pay the poll tax and it led to the bombardment of the town.
Paramountcy of Ga Mantse’s Stool
The paramountcy of Ga Mantse’s stool has been a very controversial issue involving the stool of the Ga Mantse and other stools such as La during the colonial time and post-independent government.
The reason for this controversy is that changes have occurred at different historical periods. Originally, the Ga lived in independent towns, villages and hamlets, and they moved into the Accra plains in independent groups. From the beginning of the seventeenth century to 1680, they were cohesive political unit under the King of Accra, whose territories stretched from Breku in the west to the Volta in the east. The defeat of the Ga by Akwamu in 1680 shattered the political cohesion of the kingdom of Accra. This was caused by the fact the new King of Accra did not have the machinery to grant protection and enforce his will in the Ga towns. The subjects in the individual Ga towns turned to their own leaders for protection. These leaders owed allegiance directly to the king of Akwamu and not through the king of Accra even if the Ga had wanted to continue acknowledging the authority of the king of Accra it is doubtful whether, apart from Dutch, the other European companies would have encouraged. This was because the king of Accra lived under the Dutch fort and since he depended on the Dutch for protection; he was likely to be influenced by the Dutch Company.
The English and Danes would therefore find themselves and their protégés, ruled by a Ga king under the control of their trade rivals the Dutch. Field has stated that ‘‘each of the six coastal towns is an independent republic with its own territory and its own unique set of customs. There has never been any political association between the towns and they have never had a paramount chief, or indeed any chiefs at all in the sense that the word usually conveys.’’ With the advent of British colonialism an attempt was made by the British for administrative convenience to raise the status and strengthen the position of the Ga Mantse visa vi other chiefs. The people of La and neighbouring towns appeared to vaccillate on the acceptance of Ga the Mantse’s paramountcy.
In colonial period they accepted the position of the Ga Mantse’s paramountcy. But it appears that for them it is for the sake of peace (kplemo woo lei) because the colonial government was consulting the Ga Mantse on issues concerning the Ga. Besides, they have affinity culturally. The recognition they gave him was like an elderly brother. Since independence governments have tended to follow the colonial government. The people of La saw it as a degradation of status. Under Kwame Nkrumah they were given recognition as paramount in their own. But the National Liberation Council that overthrew Nkrumah reversed the decision and they went back to the former subservient status. They saw this as degradation and continued to petition the government. The petitions were largely ignored. But finally during Acheampong’s era a commission was set up to delve into the issues. It was a struggle between the Ga Mantse on one hand and the stool of Teshie, Osu and La on the other hand. The people of La refused to accept that they have to be on the same status of the Ga Akutsei.
The issue was not only theoretical but it was backed by material gains and losses. For instance, in sharing resources the Ga Mantse get 67% and the chiefs of Osu, La, Teshi, Nungua and Tema gets 33%.
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