For decades in the late 19th century, the Bulsa (Builsa) people of northern Ghana lived under the constant threat of slave raids led by Babatu, the feared Zabarima warlord whose campaigns devastated many stateless communities across the Grunshi belt.
Yet history records that the Bulsa were not passive victims. Through unity, strategic resistance, and ingenious survival tactics, they mounted one of the most effective local defenses against Babatu’s slave wars.
Babatu, operating at the height of his power between 1885 and 1897, commanded mounted warriors armed with firearms and backed by expansive slave networks. His forces raided villages across present-day Upper East Ghana, capturing men, women, and children for sale at slave markets such as Doninga and Yagaba. Like many Gurunsi communities, the Bulsa initially relied on strategic withdrawal rather than direct confrontation when faced with these heavily armed invaders.
What distinguished the Bulsa experience, however, was the development of a highly organized system of resistance and refuge. Entire populations disappeared into carefully concealed caverns, bushland, and hills at the first sign of approaching raiders. These caverns, natural rock shelters accessible only through narrow shafts and tunnels, became life-saving sanctuaries during Babatu’s incursions. Archaeological and oral evidence shows that such refuges were widespread across Bulsa territory, allowing communities to evade capture while preserving their social structures.
As Babatu intensified his campaigns, particularly during raids launched from Seti and later from Kanjaga, Bulsa resistance shifted from flight to confrontation. Oral traditions and colonial-era accounts converge on a defining moment: the Battle of Sandema. In this encounter, Bulsa warriors from Sandema, Wiaga, Fumbisi, Kunkwa, and even Navrongo formed a rare united front. Exploiting Babatu’s reliance on firearms that required reloading, the Bulsa forces attacked decisively and inflicted a major defeat on the Zabarima army.
Historical records describe Buluk as the only Bulsa settlement to deal Babatu a serious military blow. Following the defeat, Babatu was forced to retreat across the Sissili River to regroup. Though he later returned, his aura of invincibility had been broken. Subsequent defeats, including the decisive battle at Kanjaga in 1897, marked the collapse of his dominance in the region.
Beyond military resistance, Bulsa survival strategies were deeply interwoven with culture and spirituality. Many of the refuge caverns later became sacred earth shrines, reinforcing their role not only as places of protection but also as symbols of ancestral resilience. These sites continue to feature prominently in Bulsa historical memory, standing as enduring testimony to a people who refused to be erased by slave raids.
Today, the story of Bulsa resistance challenges older colonial narratives that portrayed northern communities solely as helpless victims of the slave trade. Instead, it highlights African agency, collective action, and tactical ingenuity in the face of one of the darkest chapters in West African history.
Reference:
Kröger, F. (2008). Raids and refuge: The Bulsa in Babatu’s slave wars. Research Review (Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana), 24(2), 25–38.
