Navrongo
Navrongo is a city in Ghana at the border with Burkina Faso and the capital of Nankana Kassena District in the Upper East Region.
Navrongo is in a regional area a very important trading place where a large market is held. Navrongo is located at the Tono lake. In 2005, the city had a population of 25 470. Navrongo is located in a flat area in the savanna, a dry grass landscape that is typical of the north of Ghana.
Population
The people of Navrongo consists essentially of Frafra speakers and Kassena with the language Kasem together. Also Dagbani is spoken in Navrongo. The population is composed of approximately equal parts of Frafra and Kassena.
About a third of the population is attributable to Christianity, although Ghana's north is usually dominated by Islam. In Navrongo only about 5 percent of the population are attributed to Islam. Still form the followers of traditional religion, the majority of the population.
History
Originally ruled by the Gurunsi in Navrongo. According to oral traditions, the Gurunsi should come from the western Sudan and have crossed the Sahel. Only from around 1500, dip the Gurunsi on stories in the Mossi, who entered at this time in the north of modern Ghana to expand the Mossi kingdoms, and to set up. The Gurunsi are said to have fought with the Mossi for supremacy and the area colonized by Zecco in Burkina Faso.
Navrongo is related to the travel of three brothers after the founding history. Butto ( the eldest ), Zakato and Sule ( the youngest ) from the people of Frafra are searched by Zecco coming new and better hunting grounds. After a few days they came to a small village named Telania in the northeast of present-day Navrongo located. In Telania people should have (20 miles north of the village ) belongs to the people of the Kassena from Tielebe in Burkina Faso, which could explain the distribution of the two languages in Navrongo to this day.
The brothers are said to have made friends with the local people and have stayed for a while in the place to learn from each other. The brothers taught their architecture techniques, the villagers showed the brothers their agricultural knowledge. One day said to have been Butto for hunting in the area when he found soft ground. When he came to the village he told his brothers about his discovery. He named the place name Voro ( Naga ( foot ) and Voro ( soft) ). Na - Voro is still the common place name in the city. Navrongo is known only as an English translation, and thus become part of everyday language use.
Butto is returned to the place he had found that about a quarter mile to be located from the Notre Dame Secondary School of the place itself. To date, a building can be seen, which is to be identical with this foundation building. The Zakato brothers and Sule initially remained in the village Telania. Butto is on another hunt have found a grove of trees and stones, which reminded him of his traditional shrine in Zecco. This reminder of his religious roots are Butto have moved again to change his location and move to the proximity of the place reminded him of his old holy place. This point should be located where today the tribal chiefs of Navrongo are based.
The founding of the city to go back to the year 1740.
In the following time slave hunters roamed the land. One of them was Babatu Zato (1850 -? ) Of the left handed high taxes on cattle and horses from villages to spare the inhabitants. In 1896, French troops arrived under the command of Lieutenant and Lieutenant Voulet Chanoine at the instigation of a leader of the Gurunsi, Hamaria that area. As a result of the slave-hunters fled to the south in the area of Wa
In 1901 a British expedition encamped about 10 miles south of Navrogno near the village Vanania. The local people mistook the troops with the minions of the slave hunter Babatu, is said to have also had a fair skin. Due to his fair skin, the population Fela called him which means in the language Kasem White. The then chief in Navrongo, Kwara, let the drums beat to warn the surrounding area from Fela, who on a hill near Vanania named Tinu had his camp. A small group of warriors attacked the camping it, but had to give up after a short time the attack because of the superior armament of the actual British troops.
The protection force of the British expedition arrived in the vicinity of Kwara 's house in Navrongo and offered the chief protection against the slavers at what the chief is said to have accepted. This action is the story according to the position of chief strengthened in the village and have pushed back the influence of the previously important roles of Tegetu, the spiritual leader, who still today is an authority in the area. The British remained a force in Navrongo.
Another version tells of the establishment of a British military base in Navrongo with the note, the city was " by force of arms " civilized to an ethnic conflict to resolve. A chief who served the interests of the British, was used by them and free labor, so the unpaid labor of the inhabitants of the place was used by the British to build roads and administrative buildings. Some residents Navrongos to have been sent by the British and the construction of the railway line or in the mines in the south of the country.
Navrongo was early to soak as a trading post on the trade routes through the Sahel region into an important stopover for the camels of the caravans. Even today, not rare for camels in the city to drink.
On April 23, 1906, the Catholic priest arrived ( Canadian / French) Morin and Chollet, and the monk brother Eugene in the British military base in Navrongo to found a Catholic mission.
This group of missionaries to have come from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and have brought the walk way behind. Already in June 1906, a small hut was built, which was later replaced by a house with a fixed roof, windows and doors. In 1920 a chapel was built, which is referred to as a cathedral since 1934. The Navrongo Cathedral is the main church of the communities in Northern Ghana. The British are said to have condoned the use of the French missionaries under the condition that was taught in the mission school English. The mission school has earned a good reputation after initial difficulties.
In 1957 with the independence of Ghana Navrongo became the district capital of the Kassena Nankana District.
Economy
Economically hanging in Navrongo almost all the inhabitants on agriculture. The agriculture is slightly dependent on machines, but is done mainly by hand. The entire area of Navrongo is very rural. Mainly millet, peanuts and corn are grown. The Farming of cattle, sheep and goats is an important economic factor in the lives of the residents of Navrongo.
The market in Navrongo plays as a source of income a major role and has regional significance.
In Sirigu in the northeast of Navrongo an organization to promote the production of pottery has formed about 150 women who Sirigu Women Organization of Pottery and Art ( SWOPA ). Besides the task to preserve the traditional arts and in these trainees, the women of the organization in the field of tourism have created a source of income through the sale of your pottery. The members were also involved in the new decoration of Navrongo Cathedral.
Architecture
The architecture in Navrongo is particularly worth seeing. In shape, size and use is to see a wide variation. Often, the exterior walls are traditionally painted or provided with a relief. In most cases, the door frames are designed to be particularly artful. The traditional colors are natural colors of materials from the environment and consist mainly of black, red and white.
Navrongo Cathedral
The Navrongo Cathedral was first built as a simple hut on the British military base in Navrongo and until 1934 the cathedral, after it had been expanded in 1920 as a permanent building. The cathedral was called by the founders of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. The walls are made of clay, which is why it is also called Mud Cathedral. The roof is a wooden structure. The interior of the cathedral is richly decorated with images of animals and scenes from everyday life. Likewise, Christian themes found in the images, so flank for example, the Bethlehem scene and the Last Supper the entrance area. The building has at the front of a church tower and inside a large nave with columns. The walls were cured from a mixture of clay, cow dung, and the fruit of the frequently occurring regionally Dawa - Dawa tree and received by a waterproof plaster.
Education
Navrongo is home to the campus of the University for Development Studies at the Faculty of Applied Science