James Baquet

The actual Ghanian tourism slogan is “Ghana: culture, warmth and much more...” I have chosen instead to use for my subtitle a word encountered on virtually every webpage I found about the country. “Akwaaba!” means “welcome!” in the Akan language, which is spoken by nearly 60 percent of the population of the country (as well as about 30 percent of those in the neighboring Ivory Coast).

“Akan” also denotes a “meta-ethnicity” that includes numerous groups whose cultures stretch back nearly a millennium. Many Akans were taken to the Americas in the slave trade; thus, many blacks in the New World have Akan ancestry. The best-known Akan empire was the Empire of Ashanti which flourished from 1700 to 1900, and was the most dominant of the Akan states.

Anyway, both “akwaaba” and the mention of “warmth” in the official slogan point towards a well-known aspect of Ghana’s culture: its hospitality. Forbes magazine declared it the 11th friendliest country in the world in 2011, based on a 2010 survey of actual travelers. It ranked as the friendliest of all African nations.

In addition to the Ivory Coast on the west, Ghana is surrounded by Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) to the northwest and north; Togo to the east; and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. In historical terms, it is wedged between the “Pepper (or Grain) Coast” (now modern Liberia) and the afore-mentioned Ivory Coast on the west, and the Togo-Benin-Nigeria area which sadly was once known as the “Slave Coast” of West Africa. Ghana, like its neighbors, was named after a primary export, and was called the “Gold Coast.”

After years of conflict between European powers, the country became a colony of Britain from the late 19th century until it gained its independence in 1957. During that period it was called the “British Gold Coast.” English is still the state language, as a widely-used lingua franca. Another legacy of the British is the high percentage of Christians in the country, approximately 71 percent of the population. Muslims add another nearly 18 percent, and traditional religions account for 5 percent more.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. kindness to guests and strangers

2. family line(s)

3. a prefix meaning something at a higher level

4. something left to descendants

5. kindness, friendliness

6. something sent out to other countries

7. feature, trait

8. indicates

9. in times before

10. prospered, was active