A Slice of History: The Gold Coast
Before traveling to Ghana, I read Yaa Gyasi’s novel, “Homegoing,” as a recommendation from my mother. Gyasi herself is Ghanian, and she writes to tell the world about her country’s traditions and its history that shape the life of every African and African American today.
I have always been a sort of bookworm, so when I was gifted “Homegoing” as a Christmas present from my mother, I had no excuse not to read it. I ended up finishing it in three days. Not only did Gyasi’s writing evoke feelings within me that I did not know were there, she also informed me of a culture and a history that was completely foreign to me.
Her novel gave me the chance to be a step ahead of the rest of the Dialogue because I knew of things such as the Cape Coast Slave Castle and how African Traditional Religion (ATR) began. Since being in Ghana, I have had the privilege to visit historical sites such as W.E. Dubois’ house in Accra, and see the belongings of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Although we have spent hours of each day in lecture learning about Ghana’s education system, it has grown more apparent to me that I need to know Ghanian history before I move forward. I want to know why Ghana is the way it is, and I want to take you all along with me.
Before The Republic of Ghana was even Ghana, it was referred to by British colonizers as the Gold Coast. It was only after the colony gained independence—being the first British one to do so—by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. J. B. Danquah that it was proudly named The Republic of Ghana.
Around the same time British colonizers coined the Gold Cost, Ghana’s neighbor, Cote d’lvoire—commonly known as The Ivory Coast—was being colonized by the French. Although this piece of information is not vital, it is interesting to think about the stark differences between two countries so close together, but colonized by differing countries.
Ghanians have always been proud of their nation, but it is more apparent now than ever. It is seen in their school systems, where students go to school not to better their individual lives, but to grow their country. It is seen in their daily conversations, as they refer to their land as the “heart of the world,” because it is in the middle of the globe. Ever since Ghanians gained independence in 1957, the residents have shown their love and pride in more ways than one.
Ghana’s capital, Accra, is where our Dialogue has resided this past week. We traveled to The School for the Blind, Accra High School, and the University of Ghana. We have interviewed university students, danced and played with high school students, and had an open forum with The School for the Blind students. Each school possessed its own goals for their students, but it was clear that every student was enrolled not to just make their mothers and fathers proud, but to make every Ghanian proud to call Ghana their home.
This pride is also seen in terms of the numbers of students abroad returning to their home. In the past, it has been noted that Ghanians would study abroad in places such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, and the U.S., and fail to return home after their time at university. These “lost ones” would grow another nation’s economy and better another nation’s market, instead of returning home and growing their own nation. As more and more young Ghanians return home, it leaves a certain hope for Ghanian people that their country is heading in the right direction.
Ghana, like all other African countries, has a history in slave trade. In “Homegoing,” Gyasi writes about Cape Coast and the Cape Coast Castle in which slaves resided. The Cape Coast Castle is one of the forty “slave castles” built on the coast of Ghana; it is also one of the most famous. During this time of slavery, two small states emerged: the Asantes and the Fantes. Both these states are still found now, with the Asantes largely the majority found in Ghana. This sliver of history shapes Ghanian culture today.
In a lecture given by a University of Ghana professor, we learned that Ghana consists mostly of Christians and Muslims, with both practicing African Traditional Religion (ATR). ATR was adopted during this time of slavery, and practiced as far back as the Asantes and Fantes. Although it is not a religion that prays to a larger being any longer, the religion’s traditions are seen in the naming of Ghanian children. Depending on the day of the week a child is born, each is given a different name. In modern times, it is not as common to met a few students all with the same middle name, all because they wear born on a Tuesday.
Ghanians speak English, so talking to students and residents has not been difficult. They enjoy telling stories of their country and their lives, because a part of Ghanian culture is deeply rooted in family and community. Years ago—like most developing countries—Ghanians typically had larger families either in hopes of having a boy, or needing more hands to help in the house. Nowadays, it is less typical to see these families of eight or nine children, and all the students I’ve spoken to have about two or three siblings. But regardless of the family number, it is clear that their the word “family” means more to them than anything. Not only that, but Ghanians will go out of their way to help a friend or a neighbor in need.
As I was interviewing one of the students, he spoke of how he knows every single person in his residence hall. At the beginning of the school year, students went around introducing themselves to each other (not too different from what happens at any university), but unlike a school such as Northeastern or any other larger university, University of Ghana students take the time to stop and have a real conversation with every person they run in to. They are a people of happiness, resilience, strength and aptitude.
It only took me two minutes after stepping off of the airplane in Accra to experience a positive encounter with a Ghanian. A woman stopped to help me with my suitcase, later to ask my name and have a real conversation with me as we made our way to Customs. It took me a full week to even begin wrap my head around being in an African nation, and the next three weeks will be even more eye-opening. But with that in mind, I need to make it clear to myself and others that I am not another white person preaching their huge discovery of the racism that exists. I’m not going to pretend to understand a life of someone I can’t physically relate to. I am never going to be in the position to do so. But as a privileged white woman, what I can do is learn and understand the history of someone’s origin. I can learn to understand symbols and words that contain meaning. My hope is that by the end of my time in Ghana I can grasp just a little bit more, and my hope is that with every blog post, you all will too.
