Culture of Ghana

The culture in Ghana is not a homogeneous structure. The more than one hundred people of Ghana have their own languages ​​and their own cultural roots. There are also religious differences as carriers of different cultural contexts. Nevertheless, can be shared across the country fundamentals of social life determine how the respect for the elderly or the importance of family.

Ghanaians often and like to celebrate festivals. Religious festivals of various kinds, name ceremonies, weddings, funerals and initiation rites are celebrated on a large scale. Relatively unknown, however, is a celebration to mark the anniversary, but the actual birth is celebrated in the form of name ceremony, which is similar to a baptism.

In the Ghanaian culture have made the Chiefs, so the tribal chiefs, to this day plays a major role. In particular in local communities in rural areas, but also in the cities at the local level are the Chiefs support of local law, administrative, traditional religion and culture.

Cultural groups

Based on the language and the culture and history of five major cultural groups are distinguished in Ghana in general: These are Akan, Dagbane - Dagomba, Ewe, Ga and Gurma.

Ashanti

Stools - Ancestry stool

The so-called ancestral stools are in the culture of the Akan of considerable importance. The stool mentioned by the Akan stools are made ​​of one piece and consist primarily of a single piece of sese or red cedar wood. The chair consists of three parts: the foot, which is often richly decorated, the central middle part, where the symbolic meaning and the social status of the owner can be identified, as well as the seat made ​​with top sides. Each stool has a special meaning and a unique name.

Some Stools are only for high-ranking personalities such as the tribal chiefs, and may also be used by them. Other Stools are used on special occasions, such as at a wedding, or when meeting especially the Ashanti. Often the typical Adinkra symbols are shown in the middle part of the stool.

The most famous Stool is a golden chair Ashanti named Sikadwa Kofi, which is translated in part with the chair was on a Friday. The Sikadwa Kofi is so sacred that no one is allowed to sit on it. It symbolizes not only the ancestors of the Ashanti, but is also a symbol of the entire Ashanti nation. The golden stool is guarded with great security expense and presented only on rare occasions very high. He must never touch the ground according to the beliefs of the traditional Ashanti. Therefore, it is usually placed on a precious animal skin ( elephant skin or leopard skin ). Before the sun it is protected by a screen.

In 1896, the Ashanti were defeated by the British in a fight and faced with the choice of their King, Prempeh I, or issue the Golden Chair. According to tradition, the people should have opted for the chair. According to some sources the history of the war is to be carried out in 1900 between the Ashanti and the British for the Ashanti only to protect their golden Stools, as the incumbent Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, wanted to use it for his claim to power.

Ashanti gold weights

Of particular artistic importance are the Ashanti gold weights ( Ashanti: Abrammoo ). These come in various forms and have great symbolic character. These sculptures are made ​​of brass and were used as weights for weighing gold. They were already at the time of the first Europeans of the Akan in use. A major exhibition of these weights can be found in the National Museum in Accra.

Originally belonged beads, iron rods, brass and " cowries " (actually: snails) to cash in Ghana. But these were replaced after the 17th century by the more valuable gold dust as currency. It has developed a special cradle system to not to waste anything as precious by the prestigious gold dust. Due to the rich gold deposits in the Ashanti region, this was also the trade center for gold and the gold weights were named Ashanti gold weights. The objects for weighing gold were worn by the merchants in small bags made of leather with them. The preparation was carried out according to the weights of the lost wax. In 1899, the use of gold dust as currency by the British was banned because of abuse. After this art was almost forgotten, isolated traditional gold filigree figures are produced again today. However, they now only have artistic character and serve as jewelry or decoration.

Name

Main article: Akan name

The Akan have seven dominant name for each gender pronounced, which depend on the weekdays. Other ethnic groups have adopted this approach. Thus, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for example born on a Friday, as " Kofi " is awarded for one born on a Friday son. Another example is Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, who was born on a Saturday. The name of renowned Ghanaian writer Ama Ata Aidoo also points to a birth on a Saturday to go ( Ama ). A first-born son can be seen also on the first name " Piesie ". If several children born in a family on the same day of the week, so you simply appends the numbering with the name. Kwame is to Kwame Manu ( the Second Kwame ), Kwame Mensa ( the third party Kwame ), Kwame Anane ( the Fourth Kwame ).

Regularly Ghanaians also have more than a first name.

Dagbone - Dagomba

Dagbone - Dagomba is an ethnic group to which you assign a same language group. The speakers of this group make up about 16 % of the population.

Ewe

The Ewe live mainly in the Volta Region of Ghana in the southeast but also in the eastern neighboring countries of Togo and Benin. Approximately 13 % of the Ghanaian population are attributable to the root of the Ewe.

Ga

The Ga today live mainly in the Greater Accra Region and in the capital Accra. About 8 % of the total population belongs to this tribe.

Gurma

The people of the Gurma is probably from the Mossi region of modern Burkina Faso around the year 1000 AD. immigrated. This strain accounts for about 3 % of the total population and has essentially the black Volta, Afram settled the mountains and the Akwapim Mountains. Today, they can also be found in the coastal plain.

Kente

The traditional Kente fabrics, mostly held in the Pan-African colors, have gained international recognition. Kente is a woven fabric and is composed of individual scarves with different patterns. This creates colorful hand-woven unique pieces that can be composed of eight to ten items. Each of these individual scarves has a width of about eight to ten centimeters, the length depends on the intended use of the substance, ie usually after the dress size when the Kente cloth is used to manufacture clothing. Kente is completed on a so-called carpet loom in such a fine weave that only a closer look, the left is different from the right side of the fabric. Probably the Kente art has been introduced from the north of the country in the Ashanti Region.

Kente is considered as a means to promote national cohesion, and certainly has political significance. Ghanaian traditionally minded men wear Kente clothes on a piece like a Roman toga wrapped. Women usually wear Kente Wraps around the hips and to a tailor-made uppers for fashionable aspects. The sections of this are usually close-fitting and varies from year to year. A third part carries a Ghanaian woman if she dresses up traditionally either as an accessory to the shoulder or in a wider variant sometimes even as a sling for the traditional transport of the babies on their backs.

Originally, kente fabrics of cotton and colored with vegetable dyes. Later, around the 17th century, silk was also introduced in Africa, and used for the Kente precious. Pure silk as raw material was never introduced, so solved the Weber finished imported silks, and used this resolved silk threads in their Kentestoffen again. Today Kente is made of cotton, silk or viscose. Silk and viscose are only imported today.

Known Kente patterns are Sika Futuru (translated: mixed gold) and Adwiniasa. In the latter, all known Kente patterns are put together to form a fabric.

Adinkra

Adinkra clothing has similar significance, especially in the Akan people. Adinkra are symbolic characters for the language of the Ashanti. They are found on many arts and crafts items. Here, from the clothes already the social and political status clearly. Adinkra clothing is traditionally the mourning clothes and generally less colorful than Kente. Adinkra is a printing technique where the black color to blue, yellow, white, red or purple -colored fabrics is printed. About 50 Adinkra patterns are used regularly. Rarely do you find only one Adinkra symbol on a substance, as it was earlier at the chiefs of the case. Today Adinkrakleidung is worn by traditionally-minded Ghanaians.

Originally Adinkra was the clothing of kings. This contributed a certain symbol to clearly convey a message. The most famous design is probably Gye Nyame (God ), which was a king, if he wanted to share with others, he fears God alone. Due to the pattern that was a king, he was able to demonstrate in certain political affairs in public its position without the need to express this. Even today not speak tradition-conscious tribal chiefs directly with guests or visitors, but speak despite the presence of the visitors only their spokesman, who then proclaims loudly the word of the tribal chief. Adinkra had such a great symbolic power.

The origin of Adinkra is controversial, but is often associated with the war between the Ashanti and the Gyamen.

Akuaba

The Akuaba figure ( or even Akwaba ) is a traditional figure from the Akan culture. A very old mythology Akan worshiped as a fertility figure, the creator mother Akuaba. The shape of the Akuaba has something naive and occurs mainly with a triangular or cylindrical body which is decorated with a large moon disc that represents the oversized head. The arms of the figure are widely spread out. Childless women have to get past this icon to enlisting the help of the creator mother to use. Scientifically proven this is not a cult, but still figures are carved and sold this form.

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