Ga people

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Ga people

Marcel Desailly
Total population
600,000 Ga speakers 3% of Ghana's population
Regions with significant populations
Predominantly in Accra, Ghana
Languages
Ga language, Ga adangme
Religions
Christianity, Traditional

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.

1 Culture
- 1.1 Funerals and paying last respects
2 Possible origin
3 Notable Ga people
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[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.

[edit] Funerals and paying last respects

The Ga people are renowned worldwide for their funeral celebrations and processions. The Ga believe that when someone dies, they move to another life. Therefore, special coffins are often crafted by highly skilled carpenters. The coffins can be anything wanted by relatives of the deceased from a pencil to any animal such as an elephant. Coffins are usually crafted to reflect an essence of the deceased, in forms such as a character trait, an occupation, or a symbol of one's standing in the community. ^[1] For example, a taxi driver is most likely to be buried in a coffin shaped as a car. These coffins are usually very expensive, as their nature means that skilled carpenters take longer to produce them compared to conventional coffins.

Many families spend excessive amounts on coffins because families often feel that their have to pay their last respects to the deceased and being buried in a coffin of cultural, symbolic as well expensive taste is seen as fitting. Prices of coffins can vary depending on what is being ordered. It is not unusual for a single coffin to cost $600. This is expensive for local families considering that it is not unusual to meet people with an income of only $50 a month, meaning that such a coffin would be approximately a year's wages. This often means that funerals are often paid for by wealthier members of the family, if such a member exists in the family, paying relatively substantial amounts and smaller contributions from other working members of the family. This is needed as the coffin is only a portion of the total funeral cost that will be incurred.

People residing out of Ghana, such as westerners, are known to have been buried in Ga-styled coffins. ^[2]

[edit] Possible origin

According to the 19th century Ga Christian missionary of the Basel Mission and historian, the Gas came from Israel. This assertion is based on the fact that many Ga cultural traditions have similarities with Jewish customs.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notable Ga people

Mustapha Tettey Addy, traditional drummer (b. 1942)
Obo Addy, traditional drummer (b. 1936)
Nii Amugi II, Ga Chief (b. 1940)
Joseph Arthur Ankrah, 2nd Head of State Ghana (b. 1915)
Ayi Kwei Armah, noted Ghanaian writer (b. 1939)
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, athlete (b. 1988)
Dr. Samuel Attoh, Dean of the Graduate School at Loyola University Chicago (b. )
George Ayittey, president of the Free Africa Foundation
Marcel Desailly, footballer (b. 1968)
Robert Kotei, Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, 5 July, 1978 – 1979 (b. 1935)
E. T. Mensah, musician (b. 1919)
Azumah "The Professor" Nelson, Boxer (b. 1958)
Napoleon Alexander Odartey-Wellington, Army Commander (b. )
Lawrence A. Okai, Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, 1976 (b. )
Nii Amaa Ollennu, former Interim President of Ghana (b. 1906)
Nii Parkes, sociocultural commentator (b. 1974)
Clement Quartey, boxer (b. 1938)
Ike "Bazooka" Quartey, boxer (b. 1969)
Paul Sackey, rugby union footballer (b. 1979)
Ben Tackie, boxer (b. 1973)