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HISTORICALLY
SPEAKING GHANA PATCH PROGRAM 1. Ghana was a colony of Great Britain until 1957. It is known as the Gold Coast. Locate Ghana on a map. What continent is it on? What is the capital city? What is the monetary unit they use for buying items? Why is it called the Gold Coast? Identify Ghana's flag. 2. The official language of Ghana is English. Other major languages spoken in Ghana are Twi, Fante, Ga, Hausa, Dagbani, Ewe and Nzema. Try writing or saying a word using a language that is not familiar to you or research where the languages derived from. 3. The people that live in Ghana are derived from six main ethnic groups: the Akan (Ashanti and Fanti), the Ewe, the Ga-Adangbe, the Mole-Dagbani, the Guan, and the Gurma. Find out more about their culture or region that they reside in. 4. Many residents of Ghana are known for their skill in a variety of specialized crafts. Choose a native craft to learn more about. Complete a craft depicting the Ghanese culture. Some examples are kente cloth, Adinkra symbols, ceramics, weaving, woodcarvings, African dolls, stamped cloth, and pottery. 5. Ghana is often known as a land music and traditional dances. They use their music to teach values and to share knowledge. They use a wide variety of materials to create their unique musical instruments. Some of these instruments have interesting names and structure. Learn more about one of these instruments, listen to a song, create an instrument or make up a dance. Examples are: Gankogui, gong; Axatse, rattle; or kaganu, drum. 6. Ghana is known for their colorful festivals that are held throughout the year. Some examples are: Bakatue, fish harvesting; Fetu Afahye, harvest; Homowo, Thanksgiving; and Edina Buronya. Visit a cultural celebration or re-creation representing Ghana OR learn more about the celebration of a holiday or festival. For extra fun, you can create a drawing, or art project. 7. The Ashanti in Ghana are well known for their gold jewelry and brightly colored fabrics called kente cloth, a cloth woven from cotton and silk threads. Learn more about the design of Ghana clothing. Draw a picture of the clothing, create a piece of jewelry or design your own kente cloth. Examples of clothing are located in the manual. ( Kente cloth and pottery are located on the patch) 8. Ghana has many traditional toys and games. Many of their games assist them in team work, counting or strategy. One of the sports played in Ghana is football. Some other traditional games are Ampe, Mankala, Achi, or Pilolo. Play a game or with a toy from the Ghanese culture. 9. Myths and legends are true stories that explain the creation of the country or ethic groups . Ghanese folk tales promote courage, teamwork, friendship and intelligence. Read a traditional myth, legend or folklore from the Ghanese culture. You may also create your own folktale that has a moral at the end. http://www.africawithin.com/tour/ghana/ghtales.htm 10. Ghana is a large producer of the cocoa bean. Find out other foods they make or enjoy. Try a traditional food from Ghana or create something made from the cocoa bean, like chocolate. Some examples are: Fufu, plantains, or chocolate dipped fruit. 11. Take a walk on a canopy bridge located in the treetops of the rain forest in Ghana. There are more than 300 birds and 550 butterflies to explore. Choose 2 animals to learn more about or research more about the levels of a rain forest. (Canopy bridge, butterflies and bird are located on the patch.) http://gorp.away.com/gorp/publishers/consintl/gha_kak.htm 12. The forts and castles along the coast of Ghana date back to the 15th Century. Today some of these castles have been restored and are open to the public. Research a landmark of Ghana, national park, or city.
This patch program will help its participants learn more about the history and sites in this country. If you have the privilege of visiting this country, you can complete some of these requirements there. It would be helpful to learn more about the country prior to your visit. Use the library and the internet to research more. |