By Stella Zhang

During our trip to Kumasi, we visited the Manhyia palace museum, I learned a lot about the history and culture of the Ashanti region and the kings of the region. We also went to the Kejetia market. In the market, I saw a lot of daily necessities imported from China. The kind of import-and-export trade, which is closely related to people’s lives, sometimes better reflects the ubiquity of globalization.

We also visited the NKYINKYIM sculpture museum. The sculptures in this museum are different from what I imagined. The sculptures here may not be modernized, but the layout and furnishings are more in line with nature, from which we can better understand the local cultural history of Ghana. For example, you will feel very sad when you see sculptures reflecting colonial history and the slave trade. The sculptures here represent a dark period of the past and also reflect people’s hope for the future.

This week, I also met some scholars who came to Ghana for exchange and visiting studies. The research focuses are different such as conflict resolution study on local communities and sociological study on the pharmaceutical trade. I’ve also met some businessmen here. Their running businesses involve various fields such as agriculture technology and energy infrastructure. Through communicating with them, I learned more about Ghana’s economic development and social development.