Ghana and History

In 1471, the first Europeans, the Portuguese, arrived in the gold producing regions of West Africa. They obtained so much gold in the areas between the rivers Ankobra and Volta that they named it ‘La Mina”, the Mine. The British later called it the Gold Coast. In 1482, the built the Castle Sao Jorge da Mina at Elmina as a trading post. At the beginning of the 19th century, the British and the Dutch were actively operating on the Gold Coast with the British controlling about half of the trade. The area became a Crown Colony of the Queen of England in 1874. By 1902, the British had annexed the whole of the Gold Coast.

The first half of the twentieth century saw an increase in the demand for change in the administration of the Gold Coast. After the Second World War, the attack in the colonial system was stepped up and its objective changed to a complete overthrow of the system that is, independence at all cost. The leaders took a firm stand against the continued economic injustice and the social discrimination to which our people were subjected under the colonial system.

Within a decade after the war, the colonial system crumbled. This was primarily the work of two political parties that emerged in the post second world war period in the Gold Coast - The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in August 1947 and June 1949 respectively.

Finally, on the 6th March, 1957, the Gold Coast became independent under the new name Ghana.

Ghana was the name of an ancient Sudanese Empire, which flourished between the 4th and the 11th centuries, controlling the gold trade between the mining areas of the South and the Saharan trade routes to the north and from where the Gold Coast majority tribes are believed to have migrated. On the 1st July, 1960, Ghana became a Republic with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the first President.
After independence, Ghana has had several changes in government. Regimes have been alternating between the military and the civilian population. So far there has been three constitutional governments and five military regimes. Presently, we are in the fourth Republic which was inaugurated on the 7th January, 1993 with Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings as President. He stayed in office till 1996 and was hn Agyekum Kufuor won the elections and he was sworn in as the President on the 7th January, 2001. His party, the New Patriotic Party won the Parliamentary elections as well. President John Agyekum Kufuor was re-elected for the second term in 2004 and he will serve as President till 2008 where there will be fresh elections again.

Flag of Ghana - what it means
The flag of Ghana consists of the colours Red, Gold, and Green in horizontal stripes with a five-pointed Black Star in the centre of the gold stripe. Red represents the blood of those who died in the country’s struggle for independence. Gold represents the mineral wealth of the country.Green symbolizes the country’s rich forest and natural resources.The Black Star stands for the lode star of African freedom.
Click to view Ghana flag

Culture
One’s own culture provides the "len” through which we view the world ;the "logic” by which we order it,the "grammer” by which it makes sense. Culture is central to what we see,how we ake sensem of what we see, and how we express ourselves.
SOME CULTURAL PRACTICES OF GHANAAKWAABA - WELCOME This is the word you will hear at every turn of your stay in Ghana. It is genuinely and honestly meant. You are very welcome to Ghana and you will notice how true this is after a short stay Ghanaians are among the world’s friendliest people, and they value politeness and friendship very highly.

Greetings
Greetings are very important in Ghana. When a person fails to greet, Ghanaians say he/she is not friendly or polite. Handshaking is the traditional way of either saying hello or greeting friends, relatives or strangers. A handshake is always preferred with the right hand.

The use of the lift hand
We do not use the left hand to do any thing. Anyone to do anything especially before an older person. When we use the left hand people think we do not respect them. Our elders believe that the left hand is not clean. For example, it is not good to use the left hand to point something out to people, make a sign to call people. If we have to use the left hand because the right hand is busy, we have to say I’m sorry to use the left hand.

Language
In Ghana, we have about 46 languages. Nine have been written and are Studied in schools. These are studied on the radio and television. The nine are Dagbani, Dagaare/Wale, Kasem, Gonja, Akan (Akuapem, Asante and Fante), Ga- Adangme and Nzema. The official language however is ENGLISH

Religion
Generally, the Ghanaian believes there is God, but different Ghanaians have different ways in which they understand that there is God. There are three main forms of religion : Traditional, Christian and Islamic. Ghanaians are very religious and take active part in their religious programmes. Regular worship attendance particularly on Sundays is the normal pattern for most ICYE host families.

The Extended Family
In every home, a father, mother and their children form a family. In Ghana, other relatives are also members of the family eg. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grand parents and grandchildren are included. We call this the extended family and exchangees are likely to see this in some host families.

Basic Cross Cultural Principles
You will be embarking on a typical cross-cultural experience in which you will be exposed to different ways of thinking, speaking and interacting. There are certain principles that will help you to enjoy a positive experience and avoid some of the possible misunderstandings that can occur in cross-cultural settings. Ask, listen, observe and learn. Do not assume that what is normal to you will be the normal way of doing things or looking at things. You are a visitor, therefore the responsibility is on you to accept the role of being a learner and showing the greatest respect for the local way of thinking and approaching whatever situation you are in with an open mind will be helpful to you. Patience, tolerance and understanding cross-cultural situations are often filled with stress.
This stress comes from being in a setting, different from what you are used to. The climate, the languages, the living styles and standards, and just about everything you experience will be different. Your obligation is to be patient, tolerating the differences. Ghanaians will go great lengths to make you comfortable and take care of your needs; however, the responsibility is still yours to adapt to and accept situations in which you find yourself.

Geography of Ghana
Ghana has an area of about 238,537 sq. km (92,099 sq miles). It is bordered on the east by Togo, on the west by La Cote d’Ivoire, on the north by Burkina Faso, and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean. There are a few mountains but several hills which rise to a maximum height of just under 1,000 m. the highest mountain is the Afadzato, which is 1500 m (5000 ft) above sea level. Ghana lies in the tropical region with temperature ranging between 20 degrees and 32 degrees in the south along the coast and 24 degrees and 32 degrees in the north. The main rainy season occurs between April and July and the dry season spans October to February.

The Volta River, which has been damned at Akosombo and Kpong for the generation of electricity, is one of several rivers criss-crossing the country. The Volta Lake created as a result of the dam at Akosombo, is also the world’s largest man-made lake. It is navigable over a distance of about 400km (250 miles) with motor vessels plying its waters, carrying goods and passengers from the South to the North and back.

Ghana’s population is about twenty million. The country is divided into ten administrative regions. They are Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Western, Central, Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra Region where the capital is situated.