Where is Ghana?
Ghana is in West Africa
In ancient times, Ghana was the seat of a powerful empire whose wealth before the 12th century AD came from gold and trade. Around that time, something changed, a change explained in the myth of Bida, the serpent. In the story, Bida ensured continuing prosperity in exchange for an annual sacrifice. One year, feeling cheated, Bida took his revenge, causing a terrible drought. The story tells of destroyed livestock, and suggests that even the gold mines produced less from that day forward.
Today’s Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval Ghana Empire of West Africa which existed in some form from the 4th to the 13th centuries. That empire was actually named Wagadugu, and “Ghana” was the title of the kings who ruled it. Around 1240 AD it became part of the larger Mali Empire. Geographically, the old Ghana is some 500 miles north of present day Ghana between rivers Senegal and Niger.
The coming of Europeans to Ghana, Portuguese, Dutch, and British, among others, left a lasting mark on the region, as in the whole of Africa.
Modern Ghana dates from independence in 1957.
The performers that are part of Akwaaba are young, but their music hearkens back to an ancient time, the “highlife”. This type of traditional African music is called “Highlife Music.”
|Traditional Ghanain Cuisine with Theo Martey and Evelyn Martey
Recipe: How to prepare the Kontomie Folor – Spinach Stew
About the traditional coal pot in Ghanain cuisine
|Read more about Ghana:
Ancient and Medieval Ghana at Ghanaweb.com
Modern and Political History of Ghana at Ghanaweb.com
History, Fashion, and Symbols of Ghana at Ghana.co.uk
Introduction to African Highlife Music by Alisdair Macrae Birch