Boahen's academic work crossed over into politics. In February 1988 he publicly lectured on the history of Ghana from 1972 to 1987. Because of this, he is credited with breaking the so-called "culture of silence" which marked the regime of PresidentJerry Rawlings, who had served continuously since 1981.[2] The lectures, originally held in the British Council Hall in Accra, were published in 1998 as The Ghanaian Sphinx: The Contemporary History of Ghana 1972–1987.[1]
In 1990 he co-founded the Movement for Freedom and Justice, and served as its first chairman. The ban on political parties in Ghana was lifted in 1992. In the subsequent 1992 presidential election, Boahen was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nominee, with Roland Issifu Alhassan as his running mate for vice president.[3] Boahen lost to Jerry Rawlings,[1] but received 30.4% of the vote.[4] Due to dissatisfaction with alleged ballot rigging in that election, Boahen boycotted the 1992 parliamentary election.[1] In the 1996 presidential election, John Kufuor stood instead as the candidate for the NPP and fared somewhat better than Boahen, receiving 39.6% of the vote.[5] In 1998, Boahen tried to return as the New Patriotic Party's presidential nominee, but Kufour was chosen instead. Ultimately, Kufour won the 2000 presidential election and became president.[1]
Boahen died on 24 May 2006, his 74th birthday.[2] He was survived by his wife Mary Adu Boahen and his five children. Jerry Rawlings was among the mourners who paid a visit to his family.[1] He was honoured with a state funeral, and in June 2006 was posthumously awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana.[2] John Kufour inaugurated a National Honours Day on 30 June, and several others were awarded the Order.[6] His roots can be traced down to Osiem, a village in the Eastern Region of Ghana where his place of residence has been given the area council building. His son Charles Adu Boahen was appointed deputy minister of finance in Ghana in 2017 by President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo.[7][8][9][10][11] Charles was removed from the position for allegations of corruption.[12]
Partial bibliography
Britain, the Sahara and the Western Sudan 1788–1861. London/Oxford, 1964 (dissertation).
Topics in West African History. Harlow/London, 1966.
Ghana: Evolution and Change in the 19th and 20th Centuries. London, 1975.
The Revolutionary Years: West Africa Since 1800. Accra/London, 1975.
"Politics in Ghana, 1800–1874", in J. F. Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder, History of West Africa. London, 1977 (3rd edition), Vol. 2, pp. 167–260.
African Perspectives on Colonialism. Baltimore, 1987.
The Ghanaian Sphinx: Reflections on the Contemporary History of Ghana, 1972–1987. Accra, 1989.
Mfantsipim and the making of Ghana: A Centenary History, 1876–1976. Accra, 1996.
Yaa Asantewaa and the Asante–British War of 1900–1. Accra, 2003.
Africa in the Twentieth Century: The Adu Boahen Reader. Trenton, NJ, 2005.
With J. B. Webster and H. O. Idowu: The Revolutionary Years: West Africa since 1800. London, 1980.
