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Don’t reach or point with your left hand. It’s rude.In Ghana, I had a whole new set of social rules to learn. Oh, and don’t forget centuries of history and culture to pick up on. I felt like a child trying to relearn how to walk and talk.
Ghana is a coastal country located in the center of West Africa between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. The capital, Accra, lies on the Atlantic coast. It is less than 30km west of the Greenwich Meridian, which gives Ghana six hours of day and six hours of night everyday, regardless of the time of year. Accra is the largest city in Ghana. The second largest is the former Ashanti Empire’s capital, Kumasi.
Colonialism began in Ghana with the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The country passed through many European hands including the Dutch, British and Spanish. The big draw for the Portuguese was the extensive amount of gold from the Ashanti Empire. However, the trade moved from gold, ivory and other goods to human cargo, creating the dark history of the city of Cape Coast with it’s looming castles previously used to house enslaved blacks before they were shipped to Europe and the Americas.
The country gained it’s independence from its British colonizer in 1957. Ghana was the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power. In 1992, a multi-party system was introduced marking a new period of democracy. BBC cites that Ghana is looked to as a model for political and economic reform in Africa. In his 2009 visit to Africa, Obama visited Ghana first to commend the country’s history of free elections and peaceful transfer of power between political parties.
The people of Ghana love Obama. If you come across someone who can only speak a bit of English or no English, you can probably say “Obama” and that will put a smile on their face. There are paintings of him all over. Near the University of Ghana, Legon there is a hotel called “Hotel Obama.” It’s blue florescent sign shines his name night and day.
Ghana’s official language is English. Therefore, the majority of the educated people can speak it. Though, most Ghanians learn their ethnic group’s language first. One important thing not to forget, however, is to always greet everyone you meet. In Ghana it is a sign of respect to greet your fellow human being. If you walk into a workplace and immediately start talking to the secretary behind the desk without saying “Hello” or “How are you?” the person may not help you because they will perceive you as being snobbish. It’s OK to use English for the greeting or if the person doesn’t speak English you can just smile broadly and nod your head. Greeting someone and being friendly can get you by in almost any situation.
Language is very important in Ghana. Each region is defined by a different ethnic group which has a different local language. Almost half of Ghanians belong to the Akan tribe and speak varieties of Twi (pronounced “Chwee”). Other groups include the Ga and Ewe. The majority of people self-identify by their ethnic group before identifying as Ghanian. The majority of Ghanians seem very tolerant. There are many intermarriages between ethnic groups and religions.
As far as the weather goes, it is hot. The south is more humid, whereas the north gets hotter and drier. Temperatures can reach up to 91 degrees in the daytime. There are two rainy seasons in the south of the country April-June and October- November. As I was there in June, it rained about every three days I was in Ghana.
I bought a Bradt guidebook on Ghana a few months before my departure, written by Philip Briggs, a British-born travel writer. In his introduction he called Ghana “Africa for beginners” because of the friendliness of its people, its affordability and hassle-freeness. I found him to be quite right.
