Welcome to Ghana!!
Ghana is the land of sunshine, a country with the reputation as the friendliest in Africa.AKWAABA which means welcome is the word you will find or hear many natives of Ghana will be telling you as you tour Ghana.
A little HISTORY a bout Ghana
The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval ( find another name for this word instead )Ghana Empire of the west Africa. The actual name of the Empire was Wagadugu .Ghana was the tittle of the Kings who ruled the kingdom. It was controlled by the Sundiata in the 1240 AD, and absorbed into the larger Mali Empire.
Before March 1957 Ghana was called the Gold Coast .The the Portuguese who came to Ghana in the 15th Century found so much gold between the rivers Ankobra and the Volta that they named the place Mina meaning mine. The Gold Coast was later adopted by the English colonizers. Same way, the French equally impressed by the trinkets worn by the coastal people , named the Ivory Coast ,Cote d’lvoire.
In 1482, the Portuguese built a castle in the Elmina .The aim was to trade in gold, ivory and slaves .In1481 King John ll of Portugal sent Diego d’Azambujato build this castle
In 1598 the Dutch joined them, and built forts at Komeda and Kormantsil.In 1637 they captured the castle from the Portuguese and that of Axim in 1637 (Fort St Anthony).Other Europeans traders joined in by the mid 18thcentury.These were the English, Danes and Swedes. The coastline were dotted by the forts built by the Dutch, British and Dane merchants. By the latter part of the 19th century the Dutch and the British were the only traders.
The educated Ghanaians had always been in the fore-front of constructive movements. These men were Dr. Aggrey, George Ferguson, and John Mensah Sarbah. Others like king Ghartey IV of Winneba, Otumfuo osei Agyeman Prempeh I raised the political consciousness of their subjects. However, movements towards political freedom started soon after World War II.
This happened because people realized that colonization was a form oppression.
This and some other oppression made Dr. J.B.Danquah to form the United Gold Coast Conversion (UGCC) in 1947.Nkrumah was invited to be the General Secretary to join this party. Other officers were George Grant, Akuffo Addo , William Ofori Atta , Obetsebi Lamptey, Ako Gyei, and J Tsiboe. Their aim was independence for Ghana.
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