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18 | The Lion King
Country Focus
T
he
Republic of Ghana
is
located in West Africa and
shares borders with Côte
d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the
west, Burkina Faso to the north,
Togo to the east and the Gulf of
Guinea to the south. The word
Ghana means “Warrior King” and
derives from the Ghana Empire.
Ghana was adopted as the
legal name for the Gold Coast
upon independence on March
6, 1957; however, it was not until
July 1, 1960 that Ghana asserted
its complete autonomy from
Britain and became known as
the Republic of Ghana. The Gold
Coast achieved independence
from the United Kingdom in 1957,
becoming the first sub-Saharan
African nation to do so.
The name Ghana was chosen
for the new nation to reflect the
ancient Empire of Ghana, which
once extended throughout much
of West Africa.
Ghana is the second largest
producer of cocoa in the world
and the second largest producer
of gold in Africa. Ghana is also
home to Lake Volta, the largest
artificial lake in the world.
Early European contact by the
Portuguese, who came to Ghana
in the 15th century, focused on
the extensive availability of gold.
The Portuguese first landed at
a coastal city inhabited by the
Fante nation-state and they
named the place Elmina, which
means “the mine” in Portuguese.
Elmina Castle, the most famous
of Ghana’s slaving castles, sits
astride a rocky promontory at
one end of a palm-fringed bay
on the coast of Ghana. It was
built by the Portuguese before
Columbus discovered America.
This great pile of whitewashed
walls and battlements, dating
from 1482, is the oldest European
building in tropical Africa. It is
one of about thirty surviving
castles, forts and trading posts
that still bear witness to four
centuries of the presence of
Europeans trading in gold, ivory -
and slaves.
Even under colonial rule
the chiefs and people often
resisted the policies of the
British; however, moves toward
de-colonization intensified
after World War II. In 1947 the
newly formed United Gold
Coast Convention (UGCC)
called for “self-government
within the shortest possible
time.” After rioting increased
in 1948, the members of the
United Gold Coast Conven-
tion were arrested, including
future Prime Minister and Presi-
dent, Kwame Nkrumah. Later
Nkrumah formed his own party,
the Convention People’s Party
(CPP) with the motto ‘self govern-
ment now.” He began a ‘Positive
Action’ campaign and gained
the support of rural and working
class people.
After winning a majority of seats
in the Legislative Assembly in
1952; Kwame Nkrumah was
released and appointed Leader
of Government Business. After
further negotiations with Britain
finally on March 6, 1957 at 12
a.m. Kwame Nkrumah declared
Ghana “free forever”.
The flag which consists of the
colours red, gold, green and the
black star became the new flag
in 1957. Designed by Theodosia
Salome Okoh, the red repre-
sents the blood that was shed
towards independence, the gold
represents the mineral wealth
of Ghana, the green symbol-
ises the rich agriculture and the
black star is the symbol of African
emancipation.
Adome Bridge - leaving Volta region heading to Accra. photo by Nora Morgan. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Volta_06.jpg