local conditions and customs
Ghana
The Kingdom of ancient Ghana was founded in the 3rd to 4th centuries AD, with its territory in the present-day Mali and Burkina Faso, reaching its peak in the 10th to 11th centuries. Since 1471, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British colonizers have successively invaded the coastal areas of present-day Ghana, plundering gold and selling black slaves. This area is known as the "Gold Coast". In 1897, the entire area of the Gold Coast became a British colony. On March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast became independent and renamed Ghana, with the former British trusteeship of "West Togo" incorporated into Ghana. On July 1, 1960, the Republic of Ghana was established and remained within the Commonwealth. The first President was Nkruma.
religion:
69% of the residents of Ghana believe in Protestantism and Catholicism, mainly distributed in the southern region. Another 8.5% and 15.6% of the residents respectively believe in traditional religions and Islam, mainly distributed in rural areas in northern Ghana. [8]
custom:
The general characteristics of Ghanaian social customs can be summarized as follows: Ghanaian guests and friends are friendly, simple, kind, and emotionally sincere; Being helpful has a tradition and places special emphasis on emotions; The stool is called a mascot and is revered and respected by people; Avoid using personality as a joke, and consider reputation as a "heavy weight"; The left hand is considered impolite and should not be used to treat others.
Ghanaians have sincere emotions and are relatively hospitable. As long as the guests are polite, they will definitely receive enthusiastic help from the locals. When a local person arrives at the host's house, the guest should first greet the host. The customary etiquette when meeting or saying goodbye is to shake hands and greet each other. When shaking hands with team members, regardless of age or status, it is generally customary to shake hands one by one from right to left. Local people also attach great importance to the etiquette of gifts and generally hope that the recipient can give them appreciation.
Local people have a weak sense of time and rarely arrive on time for appointments, sometimes even temporarily cancelled. Ghanaians attach great importance to reputation and particularly avoid joking or ridiculing others' reputation. Local people regard their left hand as "dirty" and "impolite". It is considered impolite to point with the left hand, make gestures, or pass things and food to others. People who believe in Islam in Ghana prohibit the consumption of pork and the use of pig products, and also oppose discussions about pigs.
Ghana is rich in cassava, plantain, corn, and produces a small amount of rice. Local people often use the aforementioned raw materials to process different staple food varieties. Ghanaians tend to prefer spicy flavors in their dietary preferences. The lifestyle and diet of upper class people generally tend to be in English and French, but they also appreciate Chinese food. Generally, when dining, they are accustomed to using Western style tableware and love to use knives and forks. Ordinary people are accustomed to grabbing food with their right hand. Ghana is famous worldwide for its abundant cocoa production, and people prefer to drink cocoa beverages.
