G. E. Ferguson

**George Ekem Ferguson** (14 Yuli 1864 &#x2013; 7 Afrilu 1897),  wanda aka fi sani da **Ekow Atta**, ma'aikacin farar hula Fante ne, mai bincike da zane-zane wanda ya yi aiki a lokacin mulkin mallaka na Burtaniya na Gold Coast  (Ghana ta zamani).

## Rayuwar farko
An haifi Ferguson a Asuom. Mahaifinsa shi ne Robert Archibald Ferguson, wanda ya yi aiki da kamfanin kasuwanci F. & A. Swanzy a Winneba, yayin da kakansa, Samuel Ferguson, ya yi aiki a matsayin likita. Yana da 'yan'uwa tagwaye, wanda ya mutu yana ƙarami, da ƴan'uwa mata huɗu. Ba a san mahaifiyarsa ba sai dai ita Kirista ce. An haifi Ferguson a cikin wani babban iyali wanda al'adun Birtaniyya suka rinjayi salon rayuwarsu, kamar na takwarorinsu. 

Ferguson ya yi karatu tun yana ƙarami, yana zuwa makarantar firamare a Cape Coast. Ya ci gaba da shiga makarantar Wesleyan Boys High School, wanda ke Freetown, a cikin shekarar 1876. Iyalin Krio May ne suka kafa makarantar sakandare a ƙarƙashin kulawar Methodist Society a ranar 6 ga watan Afrilu 1874. Karatun Ferguson a wurin sun haɗa da lissafi, labarin kasa, Biritaniya da tsohon tarihin, litattafai, Faransanci, ɗaukar hoto, da ilimin addini.

## Sana'a

Ya bar makaranta a shekarar 1881, kuma, yana la'akari da zama minista na Methodist, ya koma Cape Coast, inda ya yi aiki a matsayin malami a makarantar sakandare ta Wesleyan Boy. Daga baya a shekarar, ya shiga hidimar Mulkin Mallaka kuma ya sami muƙami a ofishin Gwamna. A cikin watan Nuwamba 1882, an naɗa shi magatakarda na Lauyan Sarauniya, tare da albashin £60. A shekara ta 1886 ya koma ofishin Gwamna, a matsayin ƙaramin magatakarda, kuma a shekara ta 1889 an ƙara masa girma zuwa magatakarda na biyu, tare da albashi na £ 120. A wannan lokacin, ya yi tafiya tare da Gwamna a ziyarar zuwa Prasu (1881), zuwa Legas (1881, 1882, 1884), zuwa Keta, Ada, Krobo da Akwapim (1882) da Wassa da Nzima (1888). Ferguson ya kasance mai kima ga hukumomin mulkin mallaka wajen sasanta rikice-rikicen ƙabilanci, kamar wanda ya faru tsakanin Krobo da Akwamu a shekarar 1886, saboda yana iya magana da Fanti da Ga, wanda ya ba shi damar yin magana da mafi yawan mazauna kudancin yankin. Ya kuma samar da taswirar yankin tare da gudanar da bincike kan yadda ake samar da ruwan sha a birnin Accra a wannan lokacin a wani ɓangare na aikinsa.

Bayan hidimar shekaru takwas a matsayin ƙaramin ma'aikacin gwamnati, Ferguson ya nemi yin karatun kwas na shekara ɗaya a Kwalejin Kimiyya ta Royal, London. Hukumomin mulkin mallaka ne suka ba shi izinin biya, wanda ya karfafa masa burinsa na ilimi. A Landan, ya karanci aikin hakar ma'adinai, ilmin ƙasa, bincike, lissafi da ilmin taurari; da yake nuna kwazo a jarabawar sa ta watan Yuni, ya samu shaidar kammala karatun digiri na farko.  A cikin watan Satumba 1890, ya koma Gold Coast. A ranar 21 ga watan Oktoba na wannan shekarar, Gwamnan ya buƙaci Ferguson ya yi tattaki daga Accra zuwa Atebubu, domin neman duwatsu masu daraja, da kuma bayar da rahoto kan ingancin tituna da matsayin kasuwancin gida. Da ya isa Atebubu, Ferguson ya yi yarjejeniya da sarakunan yankin, waɗanda suke tsoron zalunci daga Daular Ashanti, da suka ɓalle a shekara ta 1875. (Ahrin 1985, pp.&nbsp;7–8) An buga rahotonsa daga balaguron kuma wataƙila ya rinjayi Albert Ernest Kitson don neman lu'u-lu'u a yankin a cikin shekarar 1919. (Ahrin 1974, pp.&nbsp;26-7)

An naɗa Ferguson a matsayin Babban Jami'in Ayyuka a cikin shekarar 1891. A cikin wannan shekarar ne aka umarce shi da ya duba kogin Volta da Keta. Hukumomin mulkin mallaka sun yi sha'awar yiwuwar cika rafin daga kogin a lokacin rani, don hana tafkin ya zama marar motsi. (Thomas 1972, shafi.&nbsp;181-215) Ferguson ya kuma yi aiki a kan hanyar jirgin ƙasa mai sauƙi don jigilar zinari daga Ancobra zuwa tashar jiragen ruwa na Axim.

An kafa iyaka tsakanin Gold Coast da Jamus na Togoland a cikin shekarar 1887, wanda ya haifar da wani yanki na ɗan lokaci wanda ya ƙunshi muhimman garuruwa kamar Salaga da Bimbila. A cikin shekarar 1890, Yarjejeniyar Heligoland-Zanzibar ta haifar da sake fasalin, kuma a cikin shekarar 1892 Ferguson ya taimaka wa Hakiman Biritaniya guda biyu don binciken sabuwar kan iyaka. Taswirorin da turawan Ingila suka samar sun fi na takwarorinsu na Jamus kyau, musamman saboda shigar Ferguson cikin aikin. 

Ya ɗauki ƙarin nauyi a matsayin mai kula da hanyoyin kasuwanci daga watan Oktoba 1893.

## Mutuwa

An kashe Ferguson a kusa da Wa ta hannun wani bawan  da Mande warlord da aka sani da sunan Samori a shekarar 1897. An binne gawarwarsa a Wa (a yankin Upper West na Ghana), makabartar da a yanzu ake kira kabarin George Ekem Ferguson. 

## Manazarta