Documentation of fishing practices among the Dwang

The Endangered Language Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides grants worldwide to for the linguistic documentation of endangered language and knowledge. Grantees create multimedia collection of endangered languages. These collections are preserved and made freely available through the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) housed at the library of SOAS University of London.

This project proposes to document practices related to fishes (including catching, processing, marketing and consumption) among the Dwang communities who inhabit the south of the Volta Lake. Dwang belongs to the northern branch of the Central Guang branch of the Kwa family. Their traditional occupations are fishing and farming, although fishing by natives practically came to halt when a hydro-electric dam was built in 1966, creating the Volta Lake, which is the world's largest reservoir by surface area. The reasons for the decline in fishing are not clear. The people insist that they haven't lost their expressions related fishing activities. Primary investigator: James Essegbey

Project Details


Location: Ghana, Western Africa, Africa Organiser(s): Endangered Languages Documentation Programme Project partner(s): University of Florida Funder(s): Arcadia Funding received: £7,476.00 Commencement Date: 01/2009
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