GHANA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

It took me a lot of time to figure out how to start this post on Ghana. I had only a vague knowledge on the country – somewhere in Western Africa… remnants of stories about someone knowing someone who visited or lived there… Why is this so vague in my mind? Why don’t I know more about this country than I should? Why am I drawing such a blank? And when I read up on the country, it was like I never knew the country before. It was an epiphany, you might say.

The word Ghana is derived from a title that was given to kings of the Ghana Empire, meaning  “Warrior King.” (Even though this empire was actually located north of what is now Ghana.) The country of Guinea also derived its name from the same source. (I’ll get to Guinea in a couple of months.)

Ghana is located in West Africa, surrounded by Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.  Ghana lies only a few degrees north of the equator, and the Prime Meridian runs through the city of Tema, an important port city.  In fact, the country is only about 382 miles from the 0º, 0º center coordinates, which is actually out in the Gulf. Ghana’s landscape varies between grasslands, low hills, waterfalls, rivers, and islands. Their tropical climate is generally divided into two seasons: dry and rainy.

Denkyira sword demonstration

Five kingdoms (Ashanti, Akwamu, Bonoman, Denkyira, and Mankessim) were collectively known as the Akan Kingdom, and they were among the original peoples to inhabit what is now known as Ghana. In the 15^th century, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive and renamed the area Portuguese Gold Coast because of the amount of gold that was there. By the end of the 1500s, the Dutch arrived and settled their own aptly-named Dutch Gold Coast. The Swedish and Danish followed and guess what they called their fortresses? Go on, guess. Yep, Swedish Gold Coast and Danish Gold Coast. (See a pattern? Not very original here.) In the 1600s, the Germans, not wanting to be left out, set up the –you guessed it– German Gold Coast (sometimes referred to as the Brandenburger Gold Coast). The British arrived, because why not at this point? They established control over parts of these areas during the late 1800s and named it something completely different. Just kidding: they called it British Gold Coast. The Akan peoples fought against the British for many years, and the British people finally granted the Ghanaians their independence in 1957. Their first president, Kwame Nkrumah, expanded pan-Africanism and incorporated the teachings and lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Marcus Garvey, and W.E.B. du Bois into their policies. There have been some shaky times in Ghana’s political history, but it’s been fairly stable in recent years.

Accra, whose name is derived from the word for “ants,” is Ghana’s largest city and center of government. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Accra is the 13^th largest metropolitan area in Africa.  Accra was once the capital of the British Gold Coast, and after they gained independence, the capital remained where it was. Modern skyscrapers intermingle with classical European architecture; the city enjoys many modern amenities, such as shopping malls, universities, theatres, sports arenas, museums, libraries and is a center of many local and federal government offices, international businesses, and the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Pure gold. I'll take that, please.

Ghana has one of the quickest up-and-coming economies in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.  They are using their gold reserves along with partnering itself to the Chinese Yuan Renminbi to strengthen their economy.  Since the 1960s Ghana has invested money in hydroelectric power by the use of dams in the Lake Volta region, and they’re also looking into building Africa’s second nuclear power plant. Although not necessarily the largest producer of cocoa, Ghana has made a name for itself as a producer of some of the finest grades of cocoa in the world. They also have a significant economic impact from manufacturing (especially in information and computer technology), mining (Ghana has the 9^th largest diamond reserves and the 10^th largest gold reserves), real estate, trade, and science and technology. Ghana has contributed a considerable amount of money towards space exploration and research to partner with South Africa’s National Space Agency. (Someone needs to since the US Congress sadly decided NASA isn’t important enough to fund anymore.)

Cocoa beans

The vast majority of Ghanaians are Christian, and of those, the majority is Pentecostal. A smaller, yet significant portion of the population, practice Islam (of those, Sunni is the largest denomination).

Ashanti Twi: top one means "welcome," bottom one means "how are you?"

Because the British controlled the area for so long, English has become the official language of the government, business, and everyday life. However, there are several indigenous languages that are still spoken in the home. Akan languages include Twi (also recognized for literacy), Mfantse, and Nzema; Mole-Dagbani languages that are often used are Dagaare and Dagbanli. Other languages that are commonly spoken in Ghana include Ewe, Dangme, Ga, Gonja, and Kasem (not to be confused with Casey Kasem). 

Frema Agyeman as Martha Jones in Dr. Who -- I LOVE her jacket! 

One of the most famous Ghanaians is Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997-2006). Frema Agyeman, who plays Martha Jones in the new Dr. Who episodes (I LOVE Dr. Who!), is half Ghanaian on her father’s side. Idris Elba, an actor in several big-name movies (American Gangster, Prometheus, Pacific Rim, Thor: The Dark World) is half-Ghanaian on his mother’s side. Peter Mensah is another actor people will recognize from Hidalgo, 300, the Spartacus series, and True Blood. Author W.E.B. du Bois, famous for his pan-Africanism and African-American rights issues in the US, became a Ghanaian citizen after the US refused to renew his passport. 

Ghana is home to the largest man-made lake in the world, Lake Volta.  (However, it is only the largest man-made lake by surface area.  The largest by volume is Lake Kariba, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.)  The lake provides a thriving fishing industry as well as a logging industry in submerged forests and other tropical woods. But this tropical location also yields amazing tropical food.  I’ve got my recipes picked out, and I’m looking forward to eating. 

Up next: art and literature

BENIN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

Tucked away in Western Africa, Benin [pronounced beh-NEEN] is a small country that touches the Atlantic Ocean. Originally called the Kingdom of Dahomey and later called the Republic of Dahomey after their independence (*adding to my list of favorite names), it was later changed to Benin, named after the body of water that lies near it: the Bight of Benin. [A bight – a new term for me – is a geographic term in this sense meaning a large, slightly receding bay.]

Benin is a narrow strip of land that touches the Bight of Benin (Atlantic Ocean) and is bordered by Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo. The country is hot and dry, with definite rainy seasons and dry seasons. The land is actually somewhat diverse: the coastal areas have many low-lying, sandy plains, forest-covered plateaus to rocky hills and mountains. There are a couple of nature reserves in the northern part of the country, providing great places to be able to see the flora and fauna in the natural habitats.

The Kingdom of Dahomey was known for its military and soldiers – both men’s and women’s corps. For about 300 years, the kingdom was right in the middle of what was known as the “Slave Coast.” And for a while, the Dahomey warriors avoided being part of it, but it did eventually catch up to them as well until it was banned in 1885. By the end of the 1800s, the kingdom had declined, and the French took over the area and controlled it for nearly 60 years until Benin’s independence from France. There was a period in its history where there were several changes in its name as well as its political stance.  In October 1972, Lt. Col. Mathieu Kérékou took over and officially declared Benin as a Marxist country. Scores of teachers and other professionals eventually left the country to escape the regime’s overextended power. In 1989, Kérékou conceded to allow the elections that eventually voted him out, and the name was changed to the Republic of Benin the following year.

Much of Benin’s economy is based on subsistence farming, cotton production and trade. However, there are problems with lower wages for women, child labor, and forced labor. Health care is at a dangerous low. The vast majority of people don’t have access to health care, and there aren’t enough doctors and/or hospitals. Basic sanitation and access to clean drinking water aren’t available in many places, especially true in the rural areas. Risk to infectious diseases are very high: diseases such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, meningococcal meningitis, and rabies. Benin is also plagued by high infant and maternal mortality rates with an overall life expectancy of around 60 years old. Benin also has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, and it’s lower if you’re a female.

Many people in Benin utilize Akan naming traditions, that is, naming children based on the day of the week they were born, birth order, or any special circumstances to which the child was born. One famous example of this would be former Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan. (He’s actually from nearby Ghana.) His first name corresponds to Friday, and his middle name of Atta corresponds to him being a twin.

Benin is one of those few countries that has two capitals. The official one is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in nearby Cotonou. Because of the French occupation, the French language is the official language, however most people also speak Fon or Yoruba as well as other local and regional African languages. The Fon do make up the majority of ethnic groups in Benin. There are slightly more Christians of various denominations in Benin, followed by those who practice Islam and Vodun (spelled a variety of ways, an animalistic religion that is related to Voodoo in Louisiana and Santería in Cuba).

Benin’s roots as a strong people, the cultural melding of its history, and its geography excites me to delve into its cultural arts, especially its music and cuisine. A country I had only a little pre-knowledge about, my preliminary research has piqued my interest in a country most Americans don’t know where it is, if they’ve even heard of it.  It happens to be a treat for me, since I am cooking and baking on my birthday.

Up next: Holidays and Celebrations