Date of Graduation

8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in History (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

History

Advisor/Mentor

Cleveland, Todd

Committee Member

Banton, Caree Ann Marie

Second Committee Member

Gordon, Joel

Keywords

boxing, Ghana

Abstract

Ghana’s Amateur Boxing Team, known as the Black Bombers, has impacted the country’s political and socio-economic development since its formation in 1958. This thesis argues that amateur boxing was one of the sports that Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, used to promote nation-building and, more broadly, a Pan-African agenda. The team’s success in international competitions has widely projected Ghana's sporting reputation and reinforced the Pan-African principles of Black pride and excellence in the global athletics arena, and beyond. This thesis traces the origins of amateur boxing and the formation of the Black Bombers, the squad’s participation in international athletics events in Africa and globally, and the sporting and other outcomes of such engagements. It also contends that the Black Bombers have helped to nurture world-class boxers, promoted nation-building and Pan-Africanism, and attracted local and foreign investment to assist in the socio-economic development of the country. This thesis also argues that young Ghanaian boxers looking to attain income, international moblity, and public recognition have considered joining the Black Bombers an economically appealing option.

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