Ga people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ga are an ethnic group in the West African nation of Ghana. Having a language very similar to that of the Dangme, another Ghanaian ethnic group, the Ga are grouped as part of the Ga-Dangme ethnolinguistic group.
There are about 600,000 Ga speakers, making up about 3% of Ghana's population. Most Ga live in the southeastern coastal region of the country, around the capital of Accra, which the Ga founded in the 1500s as a trading port. The traditional Ga kingdom of Nkran gives Accra its name. Nkran state has been ruled by a succession of kings known as Ga Mantse since its founding in 1510.
[edit] Culture
The primary Ga festival is called Homowo, which literally means "hooting at hunger." This festival originated several centuries ago after a great famine in Ga land. The passing of this terrible period was marked by celebrating this festival. It takes place every year and is celebrated by all the Ga clans, but in stages by the various groups and "quarters," beginning with the Ga Mashie and ending with the La.
The Ga are no different from the other ethnic groups in Ghana in their love for music, drumming and dancing. One of their best known traditional music and dance styles (albeit a fairly modern one) is kpanlogo, a modernized traditional dance and music form developed around 1960. Obo Addy (b. 1936) and Mustapha Tettey Addy (b. 1942) are Ga drummers who have achieved international fame.
