Anansi's Gold: The man who swindled the world

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'An impressive feat Afua Hirsch 'An essential work of history by a great writer Peace Adzo Medie 'Tenacious reporting' Kirk Wallace Johnson The astounding, never-before-told story of how an ingenious Ghanaian con artist ran one of the 20th centurys longest and most audacious frauds. When Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957, it immediately became a target for opportunists determined to lay hold of whatever assets colonialism hadnt already stripped. The military ousted the new nations first president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of stealing the countrys gold and hiding it overseas. Into this story stepped one of historys most charismatic scammers, John Ackah Blay-Miezah a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty, Blay-Miezah declared himself the custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece, if only you would help him rescue it with a small investment. Over the 1970s and 80s, he grew his scam to epic proportions, amassing hundreds of millions of pounds from thousands of marks all over the world. He baffled Henry Kissinger, scandalised Shirley Temple-Black, and had Nixons former attorney-general at his beck and call. Many tried to stop him, but Blay-Miezah continued to live in luxury, protected by ex-SAS soldiers while he deceived lawyers, businessmen and investigators around the globe. In Anansis Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases the ever-wilder trail of Blay-Miezah and unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements and African dreams revealing the untold story of the grifter who beat the West at its own thieving game.

Reviews

This astonishing book reveals not just Ghanas history as youve never read it before, but some of the most important global events of the twentieth century. An impressive feat -- Afua Hirsch
Anansis Gold is an unflinching look at history that illuminates both the past and the present. It is meticulously and impressively researched. This book is sharply written and is a highly engaging and readable account of Blay-Miezahs life, of politics and society in Ghana, and of the rapaciousness and cruelty of colonization and of external involvement in Africa. An essential work of history by a great writer -- Peace Adzo Medie
This captivating story of a gifted con artist and his international network of abettors is not only a sheer pleasure to read, but also a profound inquiry into how a lie can become a legend. Yepoka Yeebo's tenacious reporting and relentless pursuit of the truth are nothing short of heroic -- Kirk Wallace Johnson
Anansis Gold is as gripping as a heist movie, with a sparkling cast and a plot that is stranger than fiction. Yepoka Yeebo tells a tale from another time, but in an era of fake news and too-good-to-be-true cryptocurrency scams, it feels thrillingly contemporary -- Tom Standage
Yepoka Yeebo has achieved something truly remarkable, brilliantly reframing the independence era under Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah, while vividly illuminating the tawdriness of its aftermath with an unforgettable tale of corruption. This is African history and storytelling of the first order -- Howard French
This hugely important and riveting book tells a true story of avarice and ambition that is centered on Ghana but reveals a web of lies and deceit on a vast international scale. At the heart of this utterly compelling narrative is a theme of real urgency today: the political and social dangers and the terrible harm caused by the deliberate falsification of the past -- Susan Williams
Even as [Yeebo] catches readers up in what often reads like a breathless caper, the author takes care to ground them in what matters most: Ghana and its sadly fragile history . . . Utterly absorbing -- Kirkus Reviews
Journalist Yeebo brilliantly illuminates the stranger-than-fiction career of Ghanaian fraudster John Ackah Blay-Miezah (19411992) in this thrilling true-crime account . . . Yeebos details and research are beyond meticulous, and she spins her central con artist into a charismatic lead. This is perfect for fans of Frank Abignale Jr.s Catch Me If You Can * Publisher's Weekly *

Author Bio

Yepoka Yeebos work has appeared in the Guardian, Huffington Post, The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, Quartz, among other publications. A graduate of Queen Mary College and Columbia Universitys School of Journalism, she divides her time between Ghana, Bristol and New York. Anansis Gold is her first book.