Ghana

History First African country to

gain its independence from Great Britain on March 6,1957

Home of former UN

secretary General Kofi Annan

DressLadies Gents’Kaba & slit FuguSkirt & blouses Shorts Dresses Traditional

Pant suits pant suits

Food Waakye

Banku

Jollof rice

Kenkey with fish

Omotuo (rice balls)

EthnicityAround 24 million people

with 60 ethnic groups52 major languages and 100

different dialects Rich culture differs from

ethnic groups

Arts and Crafts

Symbol of tradition and chieftaincy

The golden stoolThe Kente

MusicEthnic or traditional music,

normally played during festivals and at funerals

Highlife music, which is a blend of traditional and ‘imported’ music

Choral music, which is performed in concert halls

BeliefsGod is supreme being, the

creator of the universe and the sustainer of our lives…

We are one nation, one people, with a common destiny

Education is the key to success

Education4 years of Pre-school9 years of basic education

6years of primary3years junior high

4 years of high school

3 year College of education and health services

4 year university

Religion30 percent Muslim38 percent traditionalist24 percent Christian8 percent other(about)

25 percent were Protestant (non-Pentecostal)

13 percent, Roman Catholic2 percent

Protestant(Pentecostal)1 percent Independent

African Churches

Architecture

Tichitt Walata is the oldest surviving archaeological settlements in West Africa

DiseasesCholera

Typhoidpulmonary tuberculosisanthraxchicken poxyellow fevermeasles infectious hepatitismalaria

Social Conflict

The relationship between the various ethnic groups in the

Northern Region has not been continuously stable. In

particular, conflicts have been smoldering for a long time between the Dagomba and

Nanumba on the one hand and

the Konkomba on the other. In the eyes of many among the

dominating Dagomba, the Konkomba are landless

migrants, who came into the areas ruled by Dagomba only in the colonial ages. However, this view of the origins and history of the Konkomba in this region

of Ghana is not shared by themselves, and it is not

supported by the scientific

research on this area, especially not by any academic writing on

the Konkomba or Dagomba published before the 1994

conflict, (Konkombas, Chambas, Kusasis, Sisalas and other

ethnic groups are the original settlers of the area before the arrival of the Mole-Dagbani). 1994 experienced the worst

ethnic conflicts ever in Ghana. The conflict spread to other

groups, and ended up with several thousand dead. In 1996 this armed conflict was formally ended by a peace treaty signed in Kumasi by a large number of official representatives, leaders and opinion leaders from each of the major war parties (van

der Linde/Naylor 1999; Bogner 2009). However, smaller armed

conflicts between varying opponents have continued to

flare up now and then in various places of the Northern

Region (as well as in the area of the town Bawku in the

neighbouring Upper East Region). The perhaps most momentous of the these

conflicts was the dispute over the succession to the throne ('skin') of the highest chief

among the Dagomba. In March 2002 this long-standing intra-

ethnic dispute between two factions among the Dagomba

led to three days of armed fighting in the royal town of

Yendi and, in the course of the fighting, to the murder of their dynastic leader, the Ya-Na (see e.g. Anamzoya 2009; Awedoba

et al., 2009). Partly due to these or similar recurrent

conflicts (usually of a smaller scale) many people have

migrated out of the Northern Region. From the population of 1,820,806 in the region shown in the 2000 census, it has now

decreased by about 30%