Culture & Heritage
Ghanaian Culture & Heritage
Ghanaian Culture & Heritage
Ghanaian culture is a diverse mixture of the practices and beliefs of many differentGhanaian ethnic groups. The 2010 census reported that the largest ethnic groups are the Akan (47.3 percent), the Mole-Dagbani (16.6 percent), the Ewe (13.9 percent), the Ga-Dangme (7.4 percent), the Gurma (5.7) and the Guan (3.7 percent). The Akan make up a majority of the population in the Central (81.7 percent), Western (78.2 percent), Ashanti (74.2 percent), Brong Ahafo (58.9 percent) and Eastern (51.1 percent) regions.
Ghanaian cuisine and gastronomy is diverse, and includes an assortment of soups and stewswith varied seafoods and most Ghanaian soups are prepared with vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Fish is important in the Ghanaian diet and tilapia, roasted and fried whitebait, smoked fish and crayfish all being common components of Ghanaian dishes Banku (akple) is a common Ghanaian starchy food made from ground corn (maize), and cornmeal-based staples, kɔmi (kenkey) and banku (akple) are usually accompanied by some form of fried fish (chinam) or grilled tilapia and a very spicy condiment made from raw red and green chilies, onions and tomatoes (pepper sauce). Banku and tilapia is a combo served in most Ghanaian restaurants.  Fufu is the most common exported Ghanaian dish, in that it is a delicacy across the African diaspora. Rice is also an established staple meal of Ghanaians across the country, with various rice based dishes serving as breakfast, lunch and dinner, the main variants are Waakye, Plain Rice and Stew (eight Kontomire or Tomato Gravy ), Fried Rice and Ghana Jollof which is famous for the Ghana-Nigeria Jollof Battles.
Along with the Adinkra cloth Ghanaians use many different cloth fabrics for their traditional attire. The different ethnic groups have their own individual cloth. The most well known is theKente  cloth. Kente is a very important Ghanaian national costume  and clothing and these cloths are used to make traditional and modern Ghanaian Kente attire.
Ghanaian cuisine and gastronomy is diverse, and includes an assortment of soups and stewswith varied seafoods and most Ghanaian soups are prepared with vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Fish is important in the Ghanaian diet and tilapia, roasted and fried whitebait, smoked fish and crayfish all being common components of Ghanaian dishes Banku (akple) is a common Ghanaian starchy food made from ground corn (maize), and cornmeal-based staples, kɔmi (kenkey) and banku (akple) are usually accompanied by some form of fried fish (chinam) or grilled tilapia and a very spicy condiment made from raw red and green chilies, onions and tomatoes (pepper sauce). Banku and tilapia is a combo served in most Ghanaian restaurants.  Fufu is the most common exported Ghanaian dish, in that it is a delicacy across the African diaspora. Rice is also an established staple meal of Ghanaians across the country, with various rice based dishes serving as breakfast, lunch and dinner, the main variants are Waakye, Plain Rice and Stew (eight Kontomire or Tomato Gravy ), Fried Rice and Ghana Jollof which is famous for the Ghana-Nigeria Jollof Battles.
Along with the Adinkra cloth Ghanaians use many different cloth fabrics for their traditional attire. The different ethnic groups have their own individual cloth. The most well known is theKente  cloth. Kente is a very important Ghanaian national costume  and clothing and these cloths are used to make traditional and modern Ghanaian Kente attire.
Different symbols and different colours mean different things. Kente is the most famous of all the Ghanaian cloths. Kente is a ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom and strips measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloths. Cloths come in various colours, sizes and designs and are worn during very important social and religious occasions.
In a cultural context, kente is more important than just a cloth and it is a visual representation of history and also a form of written language through weaving. The term kente has its roots in the Akan word kÉ›ntÉ›n which means a basket and the first kente weavers used raffia fibres to weave cloths that looked like kenten (a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma; meaning basket cloth. The original Akan name of the cloth was nsaduaso or nwontoma, meaning “a cloth hand-woven on a loom”; however, “kente” is the most frequently used term today
