Culture
Ghana is a country of 22 million people comprising over 60 ethnic groups. Fifty two major languages and hundreds of dialects are spoken in Ghana, and English, the official language of Ghana, is spoken by many. Like most other African nations Ghana has rich traditional cultures that differ from one ethnic group or tribe to the other.
Tribal Culture
On the basis of language and culture, historical geographers and cultural anthropologists classify the indigenous people of Ghana into five major groups. These are the Akan (including the Fanti tribe), the Ewe, MoleDagbane, the Guan, and the Ga-Adangbe.
1. Ashanti Tribe
The Ashanti people of the Akan, from which nearly half of the Ghanaian population is descended, comprise the largest tribe in Ghana and one of the few matrilineal societies in West Africa. The matriclan system of the Akan continues to be economically and politically important. Each lineage controlled the land farmed by its members, functioned as a religious unit in the veneration of its ancestors, supervised marriages, and settled internal disputes among its members.
Ashanti kings, once renowned for their splendour and wealth, retained dignitary status after colonisation. Celebration of the Ashanti kings lives on in the tradition of the Golden Stool (see above). The Ashaniti are noted for their expertise in several forms of craft work, particularly their weaving, wood carving, ceramics, fertility dolls, metallurgy and kente cloth. Pottery-making is the only craft that is primarily a female activity; however, only men are allowed to fashion pots or pipes depicting anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures.
The Akan tribes speak various dialects of Twi, a language rich in proverbs, and the use of proverbs is considered to be a sign of wisdom. Euphemisms are also very common, especially concerning events connected with death. The Ashanti village is the primary social and financial unit, and the entire village typically participates in major ceremonies.
Fanti Tribe
The coastal Akan (Fanti) were the first to have relations with Europeans during the "Scramble for Africa". As a result of long association, these groups absorbed aspects of British culture and language. For example, it became customary among these peoples to accept British surnames.
2. Ewé Tribe
The Ewe people occupy southeastern Ghana and parts of neighbouring Togo and Benin. The Ewe are essentially a patrilineal people, the founder of a community became the chief and was usually succeeded by his paternal relatives. Ewe religion is organised around a creator deity, Mawu, and over 600 other deities. Many village celebrations and ceremonies take place in honour of one or more deities.
Coastal Ewe tribes depend on the fishing trade, while inland Ewe are usually farmers and keep livestock. The local variations in economic activities have led to craft specialisation. The Ewe also weave kente cloth, often comprised of geometrical patterns, and symbolic designs that have been handed down through the ages.
3. MoleDagbane Tribe
MoleDagbane is spoken by about 15% of the nation's population. Its speakers are culturally the most varied. For centuries, the area inhabited by MoleDagbane tribes has been the scene of movements of people engaged in conquest, expansion, and north-south and east-west trade. For these reasons, a considerable degree of heterogeneity, particularly of political structure, developed here.
4. Gaun Tribe
The Guan are believed to have migrated from the Mossi region of modern Burkina around A. D. 1000. Moving gradually south, through the Volta valley, they created settlements along the Black Volta, the Afram Plains, in the Volta Gorge, and in the Akwapim Hills before moving onto the coastal plains.
5. Ga-Adangbe Tribe
The Ga-Adangbe people (named for the common proto-Ga-Adangbe ancestral language) inhabit the Accra Plains. The Adangbe inhabit the eastern plain, whilst the Ga groups, occupy the western portions of the Accra coastlands. Although both languages are derived from a common root language, modern Ga and Adangbe languages are no longer similar.
Despite the archaeological evidence that proto-Ga-Adangbe-speakers relied on millet and yam cultivation, the modern Ga reside in what used to be fishing communities, and more than 75% of the Ga live in urban centres. The presence of major industrial, commercial, and governmental institutions in the city, as well as increasing migration of other people into the area, has not prevented the Ga people from maintaining aspects of their traditional culture.
Kente Cloth
Perhaps the most visible (and most marketable) cultural contribution from modern Ghana is Kente cloth, which is widely recognised and valued for its colours and symbolism. Kente cloth is made by skilled Ghanaian weavers, and the major weaving centres in and around Kumasi (Bonwire is known as the home of Kente, though areas of Volta Region also lay claim to the title) are full of weavers throwing their shuttles back and forth as they make long strips of Kente. These strips can then be sewn together to form the larger wraps which are worn by some Ghanaians (chiefs especially) and are purchased by tourists in Accra and Kumasi. The colours and patterns of the Kente are carefully chosen by the weaver and the wearer. Each symbol woven into the cloth has a special meaning within Ghanaian culture.
Kente is one of the symbols of the Ghanaian chieftaincy, which remains strong throughout the south and central regions of the country, particularly in the areas populated by members of the culturally and politically dominant Ashanti tribe. The Ashantis' paramount chief, known as the Asantehene, is perhaps the most revered individual in the central part of the country. Like other Ghanaian chiefs, he wears bright Kente, gold bracelets, rings and amulets, and is always accompanied by numerous ornate umbrellas (which are also a symbol of the chieftaincy itself).
The Golden Stool
The most sacred symbol of the Ashanti people is the Golden Stool, a small golden throne in which the spirit of the people is said to reside. It is kept in safekeeping in Kumasi, the cultural capital of the Ashanti people and the seat of the Asantehene's palace. Though the chieftaincy across Ghana has been weakened by allegations of corruption and cooperation with colonial oppression, it remains a very vital institution in Ghana.
Music
After Independence, the Ghanaian music scene flourished, particularly the up-tempo, danceable style known as highlife, which is still played consistently at the local clubs and bars, often called spots. Many Ghanaians are adept drummers, and it is not unusual to hear traditional drum ensembles play at social events or performances.
Hiplife, another genre of music in Ghana, is now in stiff competition with the more established highlife for airplay on local radio stations and nightclubs. A movement that started in the mid 90s, hiplife is effectively a Ghanaian version of hip-hop rap music, with raps basically in the local dialects, Twi being the most prevalent. Hiplife in present day Ghana arguably represents youth culture in general.
Ghanaian music incorporates several distinct types of musical instruments including:
- Axatse - a type of rattle or idiophone. It is constructed by hollowing out a gourd or calabash. Beads are attached with string which is woven in a fishnet design.
- Gankogui - a double bell or gong constructed from iron and used to keep time in Ewe music.
- Kaganu - a narrow drum or membranophone about two feet tall, its head is about three inches in diameter and it is open at the bottom.
- Kidi - a drum about two feet tall, its head is about nine inches in diameter and has a closed bottom. The Kidi responds to calls from the lead drummer.
- Atsimevu - the lead drum. It is a narrow drum approximately four feet tall and its head is about eleven inches in diameter.
- Sogo - used either as the largest of the supporting drums or as a lead drum. It is about two and a half feet tall, its head is about ten inches in diameter and it is closed at the bottom.
- Kpalogo Drum - carved from a single piece of wood, and covered in skin to create the drum head.