Between the umbrella and the elephant:Elections, ethnic negotiations and the politics of spirit possession in TESHI, ACCRA

This article focuses on a number of Ga spirit mediums located in Teshi, a neighbourhood of the Ghanaian capital, Accra. These individuals host foreign spirits from areas north of Ga territory, such as the modern Ashanti, Gonja and Dagomba regions. Such encounters of cross-cultural spirit possession have often been analysed in the scholarly literature as an embedded history of contact between peoples. These histories of ethnic or cultural contact - which inform cross-cultural spirit possession - are constantly re-imagined by spirit mediums and the broader community they service. How this re-imagination occurs, in conjunction with developments in the contemporary political and public spheres, is a theme that remains understudied. The perceived shifts in the contours of ethnic alliances and rivalries on a national scale, against the backdrop of modern Ghanaian party politics and the ever-changing relationships between the Ga and their northern neighbours, led to a thematic reconfiguration of possession practices in 2004. This ethnographic vignette details how spirit mediums were able to apply the ethnic and conceptual cultural divisions intrinsic to this corpus of ritual practice to a critique of national political events, producing a commentary, through possession, on the changing discourses on ethnicity and ethnic relations in the Ghanaian state

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet properties of the latex of unripe fruits of Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae)

Background: Anticoagulants have found use clinically in the management of coagulation disorders. The aim of this study therefore was to ascertain the anticoagulant and antiplatelet properties of the latex of the unripe fruits of Carica papaya (CPUFL) using in vitro and in vivo models.Methods: CPUFL was screened for phytochemicals. The time taken, for 100 μL quantities of plasma or whole blood mixed with 100, 300, and 600 μg of CPUFL and standard assay reagents, to form clots in the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and clotting time tests were determined (using 1 mg rivaroxaban, 50 IU heparin, or plasma as references). The time taken for cessation of induced marginal ear vein bleeding of New Zealand White rabbits pre-treated orally with either CPUFL (4-12 mg/kg), 2 mg/kg aspirin, or 1 ml/kg distilled water, or 1.5 mg/kg heparin intraperitoneally for 30 mins was also determined.Results: Saponins, tannins, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids were present in CPUFL. Treatment with CPUFL (100-600 µg), increased both PT and aPTT significantly (p≤0.01-0.0001). There was also a significant increase (p≤0.0001) in clotting time of whole blood at 600 µg/100 µL. CPUFL treatment (4, 8, and 12 mg/kg) showed a dose-dependent increase (p≤0.0001) in bleeding time. Effect between CPUFL, heparin, and aspirin treatment were not significantly different.Conclusion: The latex of unripe fruits of C. papaya L. exhibited anticoagulant and antiplatelet properties suggesting its potential usefulness in the management of blood coagulation disorders

The development of Christian-related independent religious movements in Ghana, with special reference to the Afrikania movement

Includes bibliographical referencesAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX218334 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo