HISTORY OF THE DANGME PEOPLE

 Brief History of the Dangme People

The Dangme groups came from north-eastern Africa, specifically ancient Egypt and surrounding areas in what is now called the Middle East. They were also victims of a series of invasions in Egypt from 600 BC to the 14th century AD.

 

After the fall the Songhai Empire at the end of the 16th Century(1591), the various Dangme people started their journey as one group together with their Ewe friends of Dahomeh (Benin) at Widah (Ouidah) and Huatsi after they moved to southern Niger throught Northern Nigeria to Sameh (a place between present day Nigeria and Benin)

 The Dangme people traveled as one group, and it was not until their arrival in Ghana that they split into the seven Dangme groups we know of today. The place of their split was renamed “Lɔlɔvɔ”, an Ewe term meaning, ”Love is finished (ended)”. The place is still in existence and is now known as the Tagologo Plains.

 

 

The seven Dangme Groups are as follows- Krobo, Ada, Prampram, Shai, Ningo, Osu-Doku, and Kpone. The Osudoku people climbed the Osudoku mountain, The Ada people went to the East Coast, The Shai, Prampram and Kpone people travelled inland. The Ningo people also travelled southwards to the coast. All these seven groups speak Dangbe of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages.

The Dangme People have the largest Population among the two related Ga-Dangme People. About 70% of the Greater Accra Regional Land is owned by the Dangmes located in Dangme East and Dangme West Districts of Ghana. Also, in the Eastern Region and Volta Region of Ghana, about 15% of lands belong to the Dangme People. These are mainly in the Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo Districts of the Eastern Region. In the Agotime Area of Volta Region and the Dangme Area in the Southern part of Togo