The 1918 Spanish Flu in the Gold Coast: A Colony in Crisis

While the First World War raged in Europe, a silent killer landed on the shores of the Gold Coast. In 1918, the Spanish flu arrived by steamship, tearing through Accra, Sekondi, and the mining towns of Obuasi. Colonial authorities were caught off guard: understaffed hospitals overflowed, traditional healers stepped in, and entire villages mourned. This episode explores how the pandemic exposed the fragility of colonial healthcare, the resilience of Ghanaian communities, and the long-term impact on public health policy. We follow the spread from the coast to the interior, the contrasting responses of British officials and local chiefs, and the forgotten stories of those who lived through it. A revealing look at how a global disease reshaped a colony on the brink of change. #SpanishFlu #GoldCoast #1918Pandemic #GhanaHistory #ColonialEra #Accra #Sekondi #Takoradi #Obuasi #Kumasi #SirHughClifford #ColonialHealth #TraditionalMedicine #Asafo #PandemicHistory #WestAfricanHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo