Ghana Society And Culture

Every aspect of the lives of the people of Ghana is dominated by music, dance and drama that are their media of emotional expression. In happiness or sorrow, Ghanaians burst into music, dance and drama. Music is of three main types – the ethnic or traditional, choral and pop. Traditional music is normally played at festivals and funerals. Choral music is relatively a new form of African music that is oriented to the church, concert halls and educational institutions. The pop music is a blend of traditional and imported music and is commonly called "highlife" music performed by guitar bands during day-to-day recreational activities. Ghana is a land of festivals and each of the multitudes of tribes have plenty to celebrate all year long.

The people of Ghana are known for their craftwork, fertility dolls and colourful "kente" clothing. The Ashanti tribe are particularly known for their kente cloth. The rich history of the Ghanians is woven into the kente clothing and is only worn on special and joyous occasions. The "fetish doll" is a highly prized possession in every household in Ghana and is believed to scare away evil spirits and enemies. Ghana is an antique collector’s haven for terracotta work, traditional gold jewellery, Krobo beads, leather and straw handicrafts and woodcarvings. Herbariums all over the country preserve the rich tradition of ancient herbal and alternative medicine.

The people of Ghana are made of a mosaic of ethnic groups, particularly the Ashanti, the Ewe, the Ga-Adangbe, the Mole-Dagbani, the Guan and the Gurma. The Ashanti are the richest tribe in Ghana.

Southern Ghana is the economic centre of the country with gold and timber as its major resources; a growing industrial base and cocoa plantations that are major export earners. Accra, the capital, is in the south, and so is much of the political power.

Northern Ghana is the poorest part of the country and people here suffer from malnutrition, infant mortality and childbirth deaths. Drought, soil erosion and expansion of the desert make life very difficult.