Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" in Mande.Ghana has a population of approximately 27 million, from a variety of ethnic and religious groups. Ghana's 350-mile coast is dotted by culturally significant castles, forts, and harbours. Prior to colonisation by the British empire in the early-20th century, Ghana was the site of numerous kingdoms and empires, the most powerful being the Kingdom of Ashanti. In 1957, it became the first African nation to declare independence from European colonisation.
Ghana is a major producer of petroleum and natural gas, with the continent's fifth largest oil reserves and sixth largest natural gas reserves. It is one of the world's largest gold and diamond producers, and is projected to be the largest producer of cocoa in the world as of 2015.
From the 15th century onwards, more than thirty forts and castles were built by the Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch and German merchants; the latter German people establishing the German Gold Coast. In 1874 Great Britain established control over some parts of the country assigning these areas the status of British Gold Coast. Many military engagements occurred between the British colonial powers and the Akan Kingdom of Ashanti, which defeated the British a few times in a war that lasted for 100 years, but eventually lost with the War of the Golden Stool in the early 1900s.
Kwame Nkrumah became the first Prime Minister of Ghana when he won a majority in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly in 1952. The Gold Coast region declared independence from the United Kingdom on 6 March 1957 and established the nation of Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah became President of Ghana,
Nkrumah and his government was overthrown by a Ghanaian coup while Nkrumah was abroad on a fruitless mission to Hanoi in Vietnam to help end the Vietnam War.
A series of alternating military and civilian governments from 1966 to 1981 ended with the ascension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) in 1981. The economy suffered a severe decline soon after, Kwame Darko negotiated a structural adjustment plan changing many old economic policies, and economic growth soon recovered from the mid–2000s. A new Constitution of Ghana restoring multi-party system politics was promulgated in Ghanaian presidential election of 1992. Rawlings was elected as president of Ghana then, and again in the Ghanaian general election, 1996.
Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was elected President of Ghana in 2001, and attained the presidency again in the 2004 Ghanaian elections. Democratic elections seem to have then continued to take place.
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We had a very interesting visit to one of the "fantasy coffin" shops in Accra. You name it, you can have them build you a coffin in that shape
The fantasy coffins from Ghana are functional coffins made by specialized carpenters in the Greater Accra Region. These colourful objects which have developed out of the figurative palanquins are not only coffins, but are considered real works of art: they were shown for the first time to a wider Western public in the exhibition Les Magiciens de la terre at the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris in 1989.
The reason that mainly the southern Ghana people use such elaborate coffins for their funerals is because of their religious beliefs regarding the afterlife. They believe that death is not the end and that life continues in the next world in the same way it did on earth. Ancestors are also thought to be much more powerful than the living and able to influence their relatives who are still alive. This is why families do everything they can to ensure that a dead person is sympathetic towards them as early as possible. The social status of the deceased depends primarily on the importance, success and usage of an exclusive coffin during a burial. Fantasy coffins are only seen on the day of the burial when they are buried with the deceased. They often symbolise the dead people’s professions. Certain shapes, such as a sword or stool coffin, represent regal or priestly insignia with a magical and religious function. Only people with the appropriate status are allowed to be buried in these types of coffins. Various animals, such as lions, cockerels and crabs can represent clan totems. Similarly, only the heads of the families concerned are permitted to be buried in coffins such as these. Many coffin shapes also evoke proverbs, which are interpreted in different ways by the Ga
Coffin workshops do take orders and can ship abroad. In 2011, a coffin for local use cost around $500. But for overseas clients who generally wish to showcase their coffins as opposed to getting buried in them, a better quality wood is used and the price is up around $1500 - $2000. Coffins take about a month to make, so in Ghana, the deceased is kept in the morgue for that period of time. It is considered bad luck to bring the coffin home ahead of the funeral.
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Nkrumah was out of Ghana when the military coup overthrew him. He never returned to Ghana, but continued to push for his vision of African unity. He lived in exile in Conakry, Guinea, as the guest of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, who made him honorary co-president of the country. He read, wrote, corresponded, gardened, and entertained guests. In failing health, he flew to Bucharest, Romania, for medical treatment in August 1971. He died of prostate cancer in April 1972 at the age of 62. Nkrumah was buried in a tomb in the village of his birth, Nkroful, Ghana. While the tomb remains in Nkroful, his remains were transferred to a large national memorial tomb and park in Accra.
His mausoleum is built on a former British polo field, and it was the point where Nkrumah declared independence in 1957. The park consists of five acres of land and holds a museum tracing Nkrumah’s life. There are many personal items on display, but the centrepiece is the mausoleum, Nkrumah and his wife’s final resting place.
There is, as well as the mausoleum itself, a small, run down museum with an collection of items associated with Nkrumah. The artifacts themselves were in terrible shape and the museum really does not have much to offer the tourist. There is an interesting collection of photos which appear to have come from his album of "me with world leaders". Any world leader of any importance at that era is included in a photo with Nkrumah..
A statue of Nkrumah statue once stood in front of the Old Parliament House in Accra. It was vandalized during the coup in 1966 and at this time the head disappeared. In 2009, forty-three years after it had vanished, the government called upon the people of Ghana to provide information as to its whereabouts. A woman who had "rescued and protected " it for over four decades came forth and presented it. It now sits on a pedestal next to the statue. Hopefully the real story of what happened to the head will emerge one day, but the present spin on its recovery does not ring true for me.
Then there is Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square. Bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, it is the second-largest city square in the world after Tiananmen Square in China.
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At James Town - somewhere in central Accra, we saw the local version of the Door of No Return for slaves being shipped out of Accra. Apparently a descendent of the man who ran the slave business, still owns the house, but his plans to turn it into something upmarket have got nowhere, and today it is the home to a large squatter population. The whole area was in fact very run down. Nearby we saw the fish smoking business conducted by many locals. They were cutting frozen fish, presumably because the fish will not keep in the heat, then smoking them over charcoal fuelled braziers.
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Cedi Beads.
The Krobo are known for their beads and Cedi is one of the best known beadmakers who sells beads both locally and internationally. He has a large workshop with several employees. The process involves crushing glass, such as bottles or broken window panes, funneling it into clay moulds and firing in a wood burning kiln. The beadmakers make the process look easy, but it takes years of apprenticeship and practice to be recognized as an accomplished artisan. Cedi receives many visitors at his workshop who come for lessons, or to watch, and always to buy.
The craft of making glass beads has a long history in Ghana: they have been used in ceremonies of birth, coming of age, marriage, or death for the past 400 years. The Cedi Bead Factory is off a dirt road, and a little hidden. But once you get to the gates, a lovely garden greets you and in the centre is a thatched structure where it all happens. The Cedi bead factory employs about 12 people full time. A small gift shop has some nice beads for sale, as well as bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
Recycled glass bottles are crushed using a heavy meaty pole and mortar. Once crushed to a fine powder, the powder is poured into a mould made of clay. The powder can be layered for a desired colourful effect, or kept plain. Patterns and decorations can also be added to the bead after the initial firing. The crushed glass powder is mixed with a little water and then painted onto the bead, before getting fired again. Sometimes dye is added for extra bright colours, or when coloured glass is unavailable. For more translucent beads, the glass is broken into small pieces, as opposed to being ground into a powder. The inside of the mould is covered in a mixture of kaolin and water to stop the glass from sticking to the sides.
The kiln is made from termite mound clay. It is heated using crushed palm kernels which burn at an extremely hot temperature, and hold that temperature well. Iron smiths use the same kernels in local villages throughout Ghana to make axes and hoes. The glass beads are usually fired for an hour. As soon as they come out the kiln, a hole is made- using a small metal tool- for the string to fit through. Some bead holes are made using a cassava stem that burns up during firing, leaving a hole. Once the beads are cooled, they are washed using sand and water. The beads are then strung and ready for wholesale throughout Ghana's colourful markets.
Their finest items were over $100, but the majority were under $10. We did flirt with buying one of the best necklaces, but in the end decided that they were too expensive for what they were at that price.
After that, a quick, 10 minute change on the ship, and a hairy taxi ride to Accra Airport for the flight home. A journey that looked on the map to take about 30 minutes, took 90 minutes, and much of it with the taxi battling and hustling through horrendous traffic and squeezing through small gaps between towering lorries.. Anyway we were not short of time, and the only inconvenience was that both of us had the thought that perhaps we were being kidnapped, it took so long.
Accra Airport, well they don't build them like that any more, and I can only dimly remember this type of airport from 40 years ago. Even the business lounge was basic. Still the joys of Business Class took us to London on the overnight flight, and from thence to Madrid for another change to get to Alicante. However an air traffic delay out of London meant we missed the Alicante flight and had to wait 5 hours in a better Business Lounge in Madrid