The Foundation Of Modern Ghana

The Ghana empire held power approximately between 830 and 1230 ( ). The empire arouse beside the Niger river, situated between gold and salt mines. Located in what we know now as the southeastern Mauritania,

Different cultures, countries, religions, and community with various behaviors and rituals that guides their belief and action when a loved one pass away. Religious and spiritual belief, type of life after death, superstitious beliefs after death and beliefs towards the meaning of life are all based on tradition and death ritual.

“African Perspectives on Colonialism” is a book written by A. Adu Boahen. This book classifies the African responses to European colonialism in the 19th century. Boahen begins with the status of Africa in the last quarter of the 19th century and follows through the first years of African independence. This book deals with a twenty year time period between 1880 and 1900. Boahen talks about when Africa was seized and occupied by the Imperial Powers of Europe. Eurocentric points of view dominated the study of this era but Boahen gives us the African perspective. There are always two sides of the story and Boehen tells us the side less talked about informing us of what he knows.

The Ashanti tribe, is located on the gold coast of West Africa in the center of Ghana it is known to be one of the largest tribe of the entire region. According to David Luca the author of the article The Ashanti Legal System says that the Ashanti tribe was under British control from the year 1873 until 1951, but had little or no effect on the way their society was developed since they were free to develop their own laws, religious, and etc. (Luca 2005). British domination had no effect on their way the society was able to be built is because Ashanti tribe had the freedom to make the society the way they wanted it since British people did not intervene on the way it was being built. According to Buzz Ghana the Ashanti tribe dominated most of the modern province of Ghana from 1670-1902 (BuzzGhana 2016). The Ashanti tribe was known to dominate most of Ghana since it was one of the largest and most powerful tribe in the region since it was one of the most indigenous groups of the Akans (Ashanti and Fanti) of Ghana. They were also dominant because they were very rich in gold so they were able to start their own state without any financial issues, but then came the time of the 19th century, when trade of the slaves was completely abolished, and this was the major reason for the Ashanti Kingdom’s downfall (BuzzGhana 2016). The Ashanti had a major downfall when the slaves were abolished because they relied on the slaves in order to get things done around the kingdom and they used

Culture is one of the most relevant elements that can define not only a society but also a country’s cumulative beliefs and system. Often noted as the origins of a country, culture is definitive in the sense that it harbors all the elements that can provide justification on the traditions and norms set by the society for its members. More often than not, the society members follow norms in order to create a harmonious community, and the beliefs and the traditions serve as the poles or grounding rules for each member to follow. Culture is very dynamic in the way that it can change over a variety of foreign influences but what is permanent about it is that original elements about it often lingers with the influences, therefore making it multi-faceted and broad. More importantly, culture serves as an individual and unique trait each society has, and therefore sets it apart from other countries and other societies.

Even before Europeans came to Africa, the kingdoms in Africa were quite wealthy. As previously mentioned, Ghana was a very strong kingdom in which its people were also incredibly wealthy. Their government appeared to be wealthy as well, which assisted Ghana in being able to control the gold and salt trade. An Arab scholar, Al-Bakri, wrote about the king’s court and how basically everything that the court had was gold (Document 2). The point of view of this document was also positive, and that is because scholars are usually upper class, just like the king’s court. Al-Bakri thought very highly of the court, and explains in detail how every person has some gold on them and how their surroundings also possessed gold. Ghana had a strong army and an intelligent political counsel, which made other countries fear them. Nations around Ghana did not want to start problems and usually just maintained peace with Ghana (Document 3). Ghana was not the only successful kingdom, one of the leaders of Mali, Mansa Musa,

The people of Ghana would go on to become priests, doctors, and more. People in Ghana always wanted to learn and would take pride in what they were learning. The people would go to great lengths for a good education and would work hard to make books for the people. In Document 4 it talks about how the people of Ghana would live good lives with good jobs they got with their high level education. In Document 7 it shows the way people valued the books they read and made them with love. As Document 4 states, “Here are many doctors, judges, priests, and other learned men that are well maintained at the king's costs” (Document 4). In Document 7 it says, “...there are in Timbuktu numerous judges, teachers and priests, all properly appointed by the king. He greatly honors learning. Many hand-written books imported from Barbary are also sold” (Document 7). Clearly all these citizens have such important roles in the town because they are well educated, and are trustworthy. People would not trust these people if they had little to no education; this is why the people of Ghana valued education. Also, the king loved books and wanted his people to be educated so they could get great jobs. This would boost the economy of Ghana and cause the empire to improve. Everyone in Ghana highly valued education and thought it was quite important everyone was well educated which helped make Ghana what people know

Mali was once called Ghana. The colossal Ghana Realm (c.800-1230) was situated in western Mali. "Ghana" signifies "warrior ruler" in the dialect of the Soninke (the indigenous individuals of the Senegal waterway valley). At the time, it was the world 's wealthiest nation. The Ghana Realm controlled the entry of extravagance merchandise and slaves over the Sahara. Ibrāhīm al-Fazārī, a Persian court cosmologist in the eighth century, called it "the place where there is gold". The present day condition of Ghana was named to pay tribute to the domain, yet shares no regular land.

City of Ghana consists of two towns lying on a plain, inhabited by Muslims, a mosque for Friday prayer, each having a prayer leaders.

The Mali Empire began when a small Malinke kingdom within the Ghana Empire grew ever more powerful.

In the texts, the Kingdom of Ghana during the 6th and 12th centuries was a very vast Texas sized area north of the Senegal and Niger rivers. The kingdom had a very large population of 200,000 and depended on a diverse economy based on gold, farming, and international trade. In the texts, there were observations that were collected by a Muslim Spaniard named Al-Bakir, who traveled through the kingdom of Ghana in the 11thcentury. Al- Bakir discusses Ghana and how it is divided into two towns. The city itself was very fortified and had a huge fence like wall. The people of the towns wore wrappers of cotton, silk or brocade according to their means. Most men shaved their beards and women their heads. The kingdom was inhabited by Muslims and contained

During the mid-1000s, the Empire of Ghana was wealthy and powerful through its control of trade routes. The empire lasted for many centuries until it collapsed in the 1200s. Three major factors contributed to its end. These factors include invasion of other armies, overgrazing of animals, and internal rebellions within the empire.

Another one of the stereotypes European historians had claimed was that Africa had no progress; nevertheless, Africa had been progressing so much over the centuries that passed. Indeed, a passage from Through African Eyes declares, “Ghana had superior technology… excellent organization” (Leon E. Clark). That is, Ghana had developed so many things, such as the art of iron work, in which it had came to a point where spears could be made as it gave Ghana an advantage in the field. Ghana had also an advanced and organized social structure where the subordinate kings and governors, who ruled throughout the empire, received protection and the right to rule their local areas as long as they paid their final allegiance and money to the king. So too,

The histories of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai are not well documented. Much of what we know is a mixture of legend, stories and secondhand accounts. North Africa has small coastal areas, some savanna areas, but it is mostly made up of the sahara desert. It is a very dry and hot region. West Africa has some desert areas, wet and dry grasslands, small rainforest, and long rivers, like the Niger River. It has some vegetation areas, but it also has some dry and hot areas. According to legend, Ghana started when a foreigner named Dhinga had to kill a goblin, and marry the goblins pretty daughters. Their offspring became ancestors of the ruling Soninke clans. After he died, his son Dyabe defeated his brother and founded the empire of Ghana somewhere

On the eve of Ghana’s independent the charismatic, young and enthusiastic Kwame Nkrumah gave his famous speech