From the wide-open glory of its skies… Ghana is a place where the past, present and future rub shoulders everyday making it one of the most distinctive countries in Africa.
The strength of the female street vendors’ necks and their tenacity captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the West African nation that borders the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and Ivory Coast in the west.
The Gold Coast is a place of unrivaled riches and beauty, which attracted traders and prospectors from far and wide, including the Portuguese who built their first trading post, popularly referred to as Elmina, in 1471. To this day, Elmina and its sister castles, Cape Coast Castle, established in 1555 and Fort Christiansborg, serves as a stark reminder of some of the most tragic and most brutal periods in the world’s history.
In their song Cape Coast to Ja, Reggae Legend Joseph Hill and his group Culture, best captures the history of brutality and torture that captive African slaves endured in these Cape Coast dungeons, the dark passage to the ‘door of no return’ and their voyage to the new world.
Culture sings,
“Blackman blood turn up thick down in this dungeon. I can see the sign of torture down in this dungeon. I smell blood. You can smell the smell of stale blood down in the dungeon…But if you saw what went on down in Cape Coast dungeon…”
Welcome to Ghana! It is where dreamers from all over the world come to get education at renowned institutions such as the University of Ghana which enable them to reach to the sky while achieving their Ghanaian dream.
In this Cocoa, cassava and plantain state, hard work and ingenuity have fed a growing nation for more than centuries.
Get a plate of the local dishes like Banku, Jollof Rice, waakye, Fufu, Tilapia and kelewele and it’ll make you feel like you’ve discovered paradise.
An ancient state with its own struggles, going by the #fixthecountry demos I witnessed in less than 24 hours after my arrival in the country and organized by well-meaning citizens to put the government to task to deliver on its promises.
Nevertheless, the land of myriad tales and raging battles like the Ashanti-Fante wars in 1806-1807, and home to tens of other tribes including the Mole-Dagbon, Ewe Tribe, Ga-Adangbe Tribe, Guan Tribe, remains a beacon of hope for peace, unity, democracy and Pan Africanism, with a glittering hope for the future.
A future so bright for boxing rising stars such as Ghanaian boxer Samuel Takyi who recently secured a boxing bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to seal Ghana’s first podium finish in 29 years. Takyi follows in the footsteps of other legendary boxing greats including former world featherweight Champion DK Poison, Former WBC featherweight and super-featherweight Champion Azumah Nelson and former IBF welterweight Champion Joshua Clottey who were second to none at their prime. Soccer is a favorite pastime activity and any mention of the Ghana Black Stars national football team will definitely touch hearts. The Black Stars have achieved tremendous success dating back to the 50’s and the team remains one of the most successful in Africa to grace the World Cup footballing events.
Experience the explosion of night life in the streets of Accra. Most revelers donning a mix of Western and patterned, brightly colored fabric with pomp and panache while drowning their sorrows and dancing the night away to live band music genres such as Hip Life, Azonto, Dancehall and Highlife in various joints including my personal best, Chez Afrique.
Ghana was the first country to achieve independence in Sub Saharan Africa, and harbors the remains of one of Africa’s most iconic leaders, including its founding father Kwame Nkrumah, former UN Secretary General Dr. Kofi Annan, and the first African American man to earn a PhD Degree at Harvard University, the late sociologist, Pan Africanist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois…
I have been fascinated by the gracious akwaaba (welcome), most charming smiles, confidence and vibrancy. Medaase Pa (Thank you very much) for being so kind to me so far.