Dr. Marius Haas, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Ghana, 2007-2010

“…Increasingly, the German Government is expanding this programme to the safeguarding of literature, music and other sources of intellectual heritage. Thus, the translation of “Die Ewe-Stämme” is only one example of the German Foreign Office‘s policy to protect immaterial cultural heritage from vanishing forever. This book, the translation of the groundbreaking work “Die Ewe-Stämme”, is a fine example of German-Ghanaian cultural cooperation in the fi eld of preserving our common cultural heritage. This book is by far the most important still existing documentation on the history, culture and socio-economic organization of the Ewe in nowadays Togo and Ghana. The importance of this book to scholars and the interested public in general, and to the Ewe in particular, is best demonstrated by the central role it still plays in chieftaincy disputes and other legal proceedings among the Ewe in their traditional areas. Regrettably, this book is not easily accessible, as only a handful copies exist amongst the Ewe. The fact that the book is mainly written in German constitutes an additional obstacle to its use. This is due to the fact that German is no more in widespread use amongst the Ewe. Therefore, this translation of “Die Ewe-Stämme” into English and contemporary Ewe might create a revival of interest amongst researchers, enhance the understanding for the traditional Ewe culture and become reading material in schools and universities…”