XXᵉ siècle
Gold Coast, West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Gold Coast Cocoa Hold-up of 1930 was a collective producer protest against expatriate buying firms and their control over cocoa prices and trade. Cocoa farmers withheld their produce from the market between October and December, boycotted European goods, and faced arrests and fines imposed on supporting chiefs. The colonial administration ultimately used coercion to end the movement because both the government and commercial firms depended heavily on cocoa revenue.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Between October and December 1930, cocoa farmers in the Gold Coast organized a major hold-up by refusing to deliver their produce to market. The action responded to their exposure to international market forces and to the power of large expatriate buying firms. It was described as an economic strike intended to secure higher prices for cocoa producers.
The movement challenged the structure of colonial trade. Farmers directed their resistance against the monopoly control exercised by large firms, while also boycotting European manufactured goods. Chiefs who supported the hold-up were fined, and arrests were made in an effort to maintain the boycott and preserve the flow of commodities and customs revenue.
The administration eventually broke the movement by force. Its effectiveness threatened the foundations of colonial economic relations because the government, like the expatriate companies, relied on the cocoa trade for revenue. A second major hold-up during the 1937/8 cocoa season extended into Western Nigeria and ended only after intervention by the British government.
XXᵉ siècle
Gold Coast, West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Gold Coast Cocoa Hold-up of 1930 was a collective producer protest against expatriate buying firms and their control over cocoa prices and trade. Cocoa farmers withheld their produce from the market between October and December, boycotted European goods, and faced arrests and fines imposed on supporting chiefs. The colonial administration ultimately used coercion to end the movement because both the government and commercial firms depended heavily on cocoa revenue.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Between October and December 1930, cocoa farmers in the Gold Coast organized a major hold-up by refusing to deliver their produce to market. The action responded to their exposure to international market forces and to the power of large expatriate buying firms. It was described as an economic strike intended to secure higher prices for cocoa producers.
The movement challenged the structure of colonial trade. Farmers directed their resistance against the monopoly control exercised by large firms, while also boycotting European manufactured goods. Chiefs who supported the hold-up were fined, and arrests were made in an effort to maintain the boycott and preserve the flow of commodities and customs revenue.
The administration eventually broke the movement by force. Its effectiveness threatened the foundations of colonial economic relations because the government, like the expatriate companies, relied on the cocoa trade for revenue. A second major hold-up during the 1937/8 cocoa season extended into Western Nigeria and ended only after intervention by the British government.