Features
Ghana today: a reporter’s impressions of a nation in transition
Adebayo Obajemu
The first impression an outsider would have of Ghana is the deep, cultural imprint that is part of Ghanaian DNA.
Call it nationalism or anything, the truth is that in anything Ghanaians do, the imprimatur of their culture is a constant presence, and this can be seen in their tourism, hospitality industry from their cuisine to the very sir they breathe.
Even in their corporate dressing, the linings, collar or even the pocket is always in colourful “Kente” , not to talk of cap for men and headgears for women.
When you talk of national character of Ghanaians the most powerful expression of it is the constant presence of Kente as a major symbol of a renaissance, a weaning into maturity away from colonial mentality of addiction to foreign affectations.
Unlike Nigeria, where people are hooked to western ways , the Ghanaians believe in cultural syncretism with a bias heavily in favour of their culture as manifested in the heavy dose of highlife and hip hop reggae music screaming from nightclubs and joints.
Unlike Friday Jump that has come to herald the arrival of weekend sybaritism in Nigeria, Ghanaians love to enjoy life to the fullest, and night life is such a sweet moment thanks to security at the optimum and good street lights in working conditions.
Their taxi drivers are polite and helpful in making new arrivals in Accra get acclimatised.
With a sizzling admiture of modern Ghanaian highlife and hip hop reggae that have produced some of the raves of the moment in Ghana’s burgeoning hip hop tradition, music lovers are assured of good times at the various night clubs that dot Accra such as Republic Bar & Grill, Twist Lounge, Krazy Bar & Lounge, Obra Spot and The Castle Lounge. Ghana’s night life reflects Lagos, Abuja and other big cities in Nigeria.
Accra is very neat, much neater than parts of Lagos, but Abuja is more beautiful and developed than Accra. Sure, both cities have areas that will make you go wow, and parts that will make you cringe, but as for the aesthetics, Abuja trumps Accra.
Mind you, one is tempted to prefer the presidential palace in Accra (The Flagstaff House) to Nigeria’s (Aso Villa).
Accra is a city of hospitality, and the list of hotels is endless, but worthy of mention are Zamani Kempinskild Coast City
along Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue, Ridge – Accra Accra, Accra Marriott Hotel, located at
Liberation Road, Accra,
Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel , along Independence Avenue, Ridge Accra,
Labadi Beach Hotel
N 1 La Bypass, Greater Accra Region Accra,
Oxford Street Hotel and Suites located at
1 Oxford Street Accra,
Villa Monticello Boutique Hotel along Mankata Avenue, Airport Residential Area Accra
Kwarleyz Residence, Accra located at
Aviation Road Airport Residential Area Accra and Tang Palace Hotel
Borstal Avenue, Near Jack and Jill School, Roman Ridge Accra among others.
One interesting thing is the Southern stock is much more educated than the Northern stock, region, as the region is still struggling to pick itself up from decades of widespread poverty, many of its students fail to make it beyond secondary school for financial rather than academic reasons. In the past it used to enjoy free education.
The country’s social structure is that of typical African society.There are also differences between the urban and rural populations in dress and eating habits, with the urban dwellers being distinctly more westernized and sophisticated. Ghana possesses a rich indigenous cuisine reflecting the country’s agricultural wealth and varied historical connections, it includes fufu (starchy foods—such as cassava, yams, or plantains—that are boiled, pounded, and rolled into balls), kenke(fermented cornmeal wrapped in plantain leaves or corn husks), groundnut (peanut) soup, palm nut soup, fish, and snails.
Sociologically speaking much as the bonds of the extended family are an important factor in the social norms of Ghanaians as a whole, they tend to be much less pronounced among the urban population, where the trend is toward the nuclear family, especially among the professional classes and scattered immigrant groups.
Nevertheless, many urban inhabitants return regularly to their rural villages for funerals and renewal of family ties.
Traditional social values, such as respect for elders and the veneration of dead ancestors, are generally more evident among the rural than the urban population.
Ghana’s arts include dance and music, plastic art (especially pottery and wood carving), gold- and silverwork, and textiles, most notably the richly coloured, handwoven kente cloth of the Akan and Ewe. Local and regional festivals celebrated throughout Ghana provide opportunities for the display of ornamental art, clothing, and chiefly and ceremonial regalia.
Indigenous art is of high importance in Ghana. Culture is a strong factor in Ghanaian life, thus
specialized craft villages are every where in Ghana and they active and continue to engage in traditional ceremonies and to create fine traditional products for wealthy professional Ghanaians and tourists.
Some of the most famous craft villages are located near Kumasi: Bonwire, known for kente cloth; Ntonso, for Adinkra cloth; Kurofuforum, for brass figures; and Ahwiaa, for wood carving.
Ghanaian writers—such as Francis Selormey, Ama Ata Aidoo, Ayi Kwei Armah, Kofi Awoonor, Frank Kobina Parkes, and Efua Sutherland—have produced a number of literary and dramatic works written mostly in English.
General election is fast approaching in Ghana. Political stability may have been achieved in the country, as succession contestation tends to be less fractious and divisive, unlike her giant neighbour- Nigeria.
General election is scheduled to be held in Ghana on 7 December 2020.
The coming presidential election is a straight contest between Nana Akufo-Addo, the current president, who is of New Patriotic Party, NPP and John Mahama, who was former president and of Nation Democratic Congress,NDC .
Eligible voters must be Ghanaian citizens who are at least 18 years old, although those declared insane are disenfranchised. Parliamentary candidates must be Ghanaian citizens at least 21 years old, and either be resident in their constituency or have lived there for at least five of the ten years prior to the election.
Recall that in December, incumbent president Nana Akufo-Addo announced that he intended to run for re-election as the New Patriotic Party candidate(NPP).
In June 2020, the party chose Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate with Mahamudu Bawumia as its vice-presidential candidate.
Mahama and Akufo-Addo previously ran against each other in both 2012 (with Mahama winning) and 2016(with Akufo-Addo winning).
So, the December election will test the political strength and popularity of the two candidates
