Book Launch: Stephan Miescher, A Dam for Africa

In A Dam for Africa historian Stephan Miescher explores four intersecting narratives that weave together around Akosombo: Ghanaian aspirations about building a hydroelectric dam in the context of decolonization and Cold War; international efforts of the US aluminum industry in benefiting from Akosombo through subsidizing the VALCO aluminum smelter; local stories of upheaval and devastation in resettlement towns; and a nation-wide quest toward electrification and energy justice during times of economic crises, droughts, and climate change. This book and its accompanying documentary film Ghana’s Electric Dreams (R. Lane Clark and Stephan F. Miescher, co-produced with France Winddance Twine) tell the stories of Akosombo from multiple perspectives by foregrounding a range of historical actors.