Ghana is one of the richest countries in West Africa and has a lot to show for it.
Beside Gold, Timber, Diamonds and oil, we also have a rich culture and a lot of monuments that are good for tourist attractions.
We had many people walk into the country and don’t even know where to go to learn about the rich culture of the people and always end up mingling with the wrong people. The next time you visit the country, don’t just go visiting the night clubs and the plush hotels, try and see this few wonderful places too to learn more about the rich culture of the people, come with us.
1. Nzulezu Stilt Settlement
The spectacular scenery of the 400-year old stilt propped water settlement of Nzulezu, built on Lake Tadane in the Western Region, stands out as a magnificent interplay between man and his environment.
Nzulezu is an Nzema word meaning ‘surface of water’. The inhabitants of the village are said to have migrated from Walata, a city in the ancient Ghana Empire, the earliest of the Western Sudanese States. According to tradition, ancestors of the village were brought to their present place by a snail.
The serene ambiance of the surrounding landscape, coupled with the general activities of life on stilts points to a dynamic relationship between man and nature. Traditional village life is adapted to the unique environmental conditions, and all activities such as the pounding of fufu (a traditional meal), schooling, worship, baptisms and burials are carried out on the lake. It is said that the lake averts possible disasters such as fire outbreaks.
The people of Nzulezu still adhere to traditional norms and taboos. For instance, Thursday is a sacred day on the lake, and on this day, the villagers do not engage in any strenuous activity.
Visitors are not allowed after 3.00 pm
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Image: GhanaRising
2. Tongo-Tengzug Cultural Landscape and Sacred Shrines
This cultural landscape consists of outstanding balancing rock formations and many sacred Talensi ancestral shrines, all lying at and near the base of a horseshoe-shaped chain of hills. The Ba’ar Tonna’ab Ya’nee shrine is the most recognized among the shrines. This is a popular destination for Asante traditionalists, who call it Nana Tongo.
The harmattan wind that is experienced between December and February is known to cause an interesting whistling sound as it blows through the rocks. Also of special interest in the area are the Hiding Caves, where the local chief took refuge and commanded his forces against the British during their attempts to colonize the area around the year 1911; and the Hyena Caves, where the chief and other leaders met during their battle with the British.
It is believed that the Talensi people of the Tongo-Tengzuk hills have lived in the area for centuries. The people of the area are mainly agriculturists. In late October of every year, they perform the Boar Dam festival, to celebrate the harvest. The festival is also centred on the Ba’ar Tonna’ab Ya’nee shrine and other Talensi ancestral shrines. Also of interest is the sacred Bat Tree at Baare, 3 km from Tengzuk.
This landscape is located in the small town of Tengzuk, also known as Tongo, in the Talensi-Nabdam District, about 15 km southeast of Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
For a tour of the Tongo-Tengzuk Cultural Landscape, non-Ghanaians are charged Gh¢ 10.00, while Ghanaian visitors enjoy a little discount. The tour includes visits to a model home, hills, caves, the Chief’s house, and the shrine. Both genders are permitted to enter the shrine but they must do so without any clothes on their upper body.
This is the shrine that the NPP executives once visited and it sparked a speculation of rituals that was spread on the internet.
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BusinessDayGhana
3. Old Navrongo Catholic Cathedral Building
As the name suggests, this is a large Catholic Cathedral. Built entirely of mud bricks, and plastered with mud mortar, it is a thrilling mixture of European architecture and local construction techniques, and it is the last of its kind in Ghana. The building is 60m long and 14m wide, with a 13m high bell tower. There is a central bell tower over the entrance porch, with two smaller towers on each side. The floor is made of a mixture of compacted gravel, cowdung and dawa-dawa (yam bean). There are two rows of columns in the cathedral’s huge interior.
The roof is made of pitched corrugated iron sheets, and on the walls are an interesting mixture of Nankani-Kassena imagery and Catholic symbolism created by women in the Navrongo community, beginning in 1973.
The Cathedral is located in Navrongo, in the Upper East Region of Ghana. History has it that in April 1906, three missionaries, Father Chollet, Father Morin and Brother Eugene, arrived at the English military garrison of Navarro to evangelise. In 1907, a first small chapel was built, followed by a larger community chapel in 1910. The cathedral itself was completed in 1920 and worshippers were able to use the building for the first time.
The Navrongo parish grew in standing, becoming the Mother Parish in Northern Ghana, and attaining the status of a cathedral in 1934. The building, which has undergone many structural changes, is still used for worship.
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StephInGhana
4. Gwollu Defence Wall
This wall was built in the 19th century by Gwollu Koro Limann, as a defence against slave traders for the local residents of the town of Gwollu of that time. Gwollu is 70 km north of Wa, in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
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WildRumpHius
5. Nalerigu Defence Wall
The Nalerigu Defence Wall is the remains of the Naa Jaringa Walls, which lie under a grove of trees. The wall is located in the village of Nalerigu in the East Mamprusi District, about 120 km south-east of Bolgatanga, about 156 km from Tamale and 8 km past Gambaga, in the Northern Region of Ghana.
This wall was built in the 16th century by Naa Jaringa (named after the African viper), a powerful chief of the Mamprusi ethnic group. The Defence Wall initially surrounded the entire village, but now only a few ruins remain.
The slave route, between Ouagadogou in Burkina Faso and Djenne in Mali, passed close by. The wall was erected for two reasons: firstly, to protect inhabitants from slave raiders, and secondly, to ensure that Naa Jaringa’s name would always be remembered.
According to local tradition, the wall was built with stones, mud, honey and milk.
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Atlas-Rent-A-Car
6. Larabanga Mosque
The Larabanga Mosque is thought to be the oldest mosque in Ghana and West Africa. It is popularly referred to as the ‘Mecca of West Africa’, because of its rich historical and architectural values. The dimensions of the mosque are approximately 8m by 8m. The Larabanga Mosque made it to the World Monuments Fund’s List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. There is some controversy over when exactly the mosque was built, and who built it. The mosque is thought to date back to 1421. It is believed that an Islamic trader called Ayuba, who was travelling through the area, built the mosque. According to one story, Ayuba slept in the area and had a dream in which he was instructed to build a mosque. When he woke up the next morning, the foundation of the mosque had mysteriously appeared, so he continued with the construction until the mosque was complete. The mosque is made of mud and stick, in Sudanese style. Right next to the entrance is a large baobab tree, under which Ayuba’s remains are buried. The mosque has four entrances: one each for the village chief, men, women, and the muezzin who leads the call to prayer. The mosque houses a very old Koran which is thought to have been delivered from heaven to an Imam called Bramah, around 1650, after he had prayed hard for a Koran. The mosque is located in a small predominantly Muslim town, called Larabanga, near Damongo in the Western Gonja District in the Northern Region. The official viewing fee for the mosque is GH¢ 1.00. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque.
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TheOutlook
7. Kumasi Fort and Military Museum
The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum is one of few military museums in Africa. It is located in the Uaddara Barracks in Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The Prempeh Museum, Kumasi Cultural Centre, Kumasi Zoo and Kumasi Central market are all within walking distance of the fort.
The Kumasi Fort was built in 1820 by the Asantehene (the King of the Asante Kingdom), Osei Tutu Kwamina, to resemble the coastal forts which were built by European merchants. Kumasi Fort had to be rebuilt in 1897, after it was destroyed by British forces in 1874. The fort was built from granite and brown soil that was brought from Cape Coast to Kumasi by porters.
In March 1900, during the Asante Rebellion, the fort was encircled, and 29 Britons were trapped inside for several weeks. The leader of this rebellion was the Queen Mother of Ejisu, Ohemaa Yaa Asantewaa. After a brief period of imprisonment in the fort, she was forced into exile in the Seychelles, where she died.
From 1952 to 1953, after the Second World War, the Armed Forces of the British Colonial Government took over the fort and converted it into a museum.
Exhibits include: military equipment, artefacts and other objects used in the British-Asante war of 1890 and during the Second World War. The collection includes weapons of war, colours, medals, armoured cars, anti-aircraft guns, photographs and portraits. This serves as a valuable historical institution for tracing the evolution and development of the Gold Coast Regiment of the colonial era, to the present-day Ghana Armed Forces.
There is a British Military Cemetery just about 200m northwest of the Kumasi Fort and Military Museum, which contains graves of British casualties of the Yaa Asantewaa War.
The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm, except on Sundays and public holidays.
A guided tour of the fort costs GH¢ 5.00.
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Panoramio
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