Kumasi is home to the largest traditional market in West Africa, Kejetia: an unbelievable sprawl of tin-roofed stands that basically comprises its own city-within-a-city. Over a million people visit Kejetia daily, whether to shop, sell or just mingle. We spent a delirious afternoon getting lost within its highly-organized but baffling maze of alleyways.
The day after having visited the site where the foundation of the Ashanti Empire has been immortalized by a sword stuck into the ground, our education continued at the nearby Jubilee Prempeh II Museum. Located within the confines of the Center for National Culture, this museum offers up an excellent overview of the ceremonies, history, and lifestyle of the Ashanti people.
Located in the middle of Kumasi’s sprawling hospital grounds, a sword buried into the ground marks the birthplace of the Ashanti Kingdom. In this exact spot, many centuries ago, the various Akan tribes from the area banded together for the common cause of war. The historic occasion was marked with this sword, which has been wedged immovably in the earth, ever since.
It’s a question we’d never considered before coming to Ghana, but why is it that we all choose to be buried in boring, expensive wooden boxes? This is your death! If there’s any time to go overboard, it’s now. In Ghana, it’s common to be buried in a colorful coffin that celebrates your life. After all, if you’ve spent your life farming bananas, would you rather be laid to rest in an ugly brown box… or in a bright yellow banana?
If we were to concentrate on just the history of the Republic of Ghana, this post would be concise indeed, because it’s only existed as an independent country since 1957. But the region and the people obviously have a history which stretches much further back. Ready for a crash course? Good! Let’s cover in five minutes what would properly require an entire college semester.
Heralded as one of Africa’s friendliest and most stable countries, Ghana is going to be our home for the next three months. This will be our first time in Africa, and we couldn’t be more excited. We plan on diving right in, and immersing ourselves in the country’s culture, cuisine, and history. We’ll hopefully get to meet some of the locals … and we’ll definitely be eating loads of fufu. The next 91 days are going to be a wild ride.
