A Short Account of West Africa's Gold Coast and Its Nature

This book's very existence is significant, since the material is that of the end of the seventeenth century, the period when the dramatic changes that took place in the eighteenth century were beginning to materialize. Transatlantic slaving was to become the chief interest and the use of firearms was to become much more widespread. Tilleman's time on West Africa's Gold Coast came just after Jean Barbot's and coincided with that of Thomas Phillips and Willem Bosman. It is of interest to compare and contrast their reports to give us a fuller picture of events, practices, and allegations. Tilleman's text allows for a comparison of the areas in which they agree and where there are discrepancies, especially considering that these four men represent different European backgrounds, colored by their particular national interests. It is also important to note that the Europeans' headquarters on the coast were in different places and among different cultural groups and polities: Barbot and Phillips used Cape Coast, among the Fetu, as their home base; Bosman lived and worked at Elmina among the Fante; Tilleman worked at Christiansborg among the Gã and Akwamu. Tilleman's book also reveals, as do the other sources, prevailing attitudes and beliefs held by the Europeans, as they described the Africans and their lives. Since Tilleman's purpose was to produce a practical guide to sailing and trade, it was much easier for him to reiterate than investigate the general European attitudes toward, for example, religious practices, the character of the people at various places, or the supposed beliefs held by the Africans.