If all of the world´s cultural heritage (sports,

music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting,

etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what

would you include to demonstrate the legacy of

your country?

IE IMBA APPLICATION

The Portuguese were the first to come to Gold

Coast(Ghana) in 1471. They built their first castle in 1482

( Elmina Castle). Gold Coast (Ghana) was at the heart of

slavery in West Africa in the 18th Century and the Elmina

castle became a hub for trading slaves. Slave trade was

abolished in all British empires in 1807.

ELMINA CASTLE

The Independence Square houses structures which represent

Ghana's struggle for independence. They remind Ghanaians

of the toils of our forefathers for liberation and freedom.

They comprise of the Independence Arch and the Black Star

Gate The Independence Square is the second largest City

Square in the world after the Tiananmen Square in Beijing,

China.

BLACK STAR GATE INDEPENDENCE ARCH

Kwame Nkrumah, (21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972)

led Ghana to independence from British colonisation in 1957

and become the first president of Ghana from 1957 to 1966.

Ghana then became the first African colony to achieve

independence from the British. He was also a founding

member of the Organisation of African Unity, now known as

African Union.

STATUE AND PORTTRAIT OF DR KWAME NKRUMAH

Cocoa and Gold are two major foreign exchange earners

for Ghana.

Ghana has been producing cocoa since 1876 when the first

seed was brought into the country. Today, Ghana is the

second largest producer of cocoa in the world. Ghana ranks

among the top 10 gold producing countries in the world

COCOA GOLD

The Volta Lake which is the largest man-made lake by

surface area was created after the River Volta was

dammed at the Akosombo gorge. The lake was created

to store up water primarily to generate hydroelectric

powerVOLTA LAKE AND THE AKOSOMBO DAM

OTUMFUO OSEI TUT II, KING OF THE ASHANTI The Ashanti kingdom was

founded by the great King

Osei Tutu in the 18th century.

His fetish priest Okomfo

Anokye unified the Asante

states through allegiance to

the Golden Stool, which was

believed to have been

miraculously conjured from

heavenAshanti state became powerful and revered. They extended their

territorial dominance towards the coast to the south, and also into

the savannah lands to the north. Today the Ashanti monarchy

continues as a constitutionally protected traditional state within

Ghana. The current king of the ashantis is Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

KENTE CLOTH

Kente cloth, known as nwentoma in Akan, is a silk and

cotton fabric made of interwoven cloth strips. Kente Cloth,

a symbol of pride is the traditional garment worn by Akans

and the Kingdom of Ashanti royalty.

popularly known as the ‘village on water’ is a located in the

western region of Ghana with a population of around 500

people. In this village, the architecture is made purely of

natural materials like rafia, bamboo etc .The houses are

about 5 foot above the water level, the buildings within the

village are connected by walkways. The village welcomes

visitors every day except Thursday, which is considered a

sacred day. There are only two of such settlements in West

Africa.

NZULEZU STILT VILLAGE

FUFU, A GHANAIAN STAPLE

Fufu is a staple dish in Ghana. Pieces of boiled cassava are

pounded together in a wooden mortar using a wooden pestle.

In between blows from the pestle, the mixture is turned by

hand till it becomes slurry and sticky. The mixture is rolled

into a ball or a rounded slab and served with soup of choice.

With the invention of the fufu machine, preparation has

become much less labour intensive. But fufu experts say, the

original mode of preparation offers the best tasting fufu.

Ghanaian cultural folk

music, dirges and the

music genre known as

palm-wine music all

feature unique sounds

from these strings,

beads, gourd, metal,

wood and leather

musical instruments.

GHANAIAN ‘PALM WINE’ MUSIC

Ghanaians are passionate about sports especially

football. In 2009 history was made when Ghana beat

Brazil 4-3 on penalties to win the 2009 U-20 FIFA World

Cup staged in Egypt

FOOTBALL

references :

WikipediaGhanaweb