On April 27, ENMU Student James Kwaku Kwarteng did a presentation about his country of origin, Ghana.
The event was presented by Eastern New Mexico University’s Department of Multicultural Affairs, as part their international education series that took place throughout the month of April. Kwarteng, a graduate student at ENMU, focused his presentation about Ghana’s history, educational system, economy, religions, sports, culture and traditions. In the presentation, Kwarteng also discussed the politics and political systems that Ghana has, as well as the nation’s relationship with other nations in Africa and beyond.
Ghana is located in the western portion of the African continent. The country is surrounded by other African nations to the North, East and West; to the South of Ghana is the Gulf of Guinea. The three countries that surround Ghana are primarily French speaking countries, while Ghana’s official language is English.
Ghana was formerly part of the British Empire and was then known as Gold Coast when it was a colony. Ghana remained part of the British Empire until the nation was granted its independence in 1957. Ghana became the first country in West Africa to gain its independence from the British.
Although Ghana is fairly small, geographically, it has a population of around 31 million people. Ghana’s population has boomed, in part, because of the country’s vast natural resources, including gold, diamonds, oil, cocoa and timber.
The national flag of Ghana has red, gold and green stripes, behind a black five-point star. The red stripe represents the blood of those who died working for the nation’s independence. The gold stripe represents Ghana’s wealth in minerals and other natural resources and the green stripe is a representation its’ vast forests. The star represents Africa’s liberation, and the shared unity of African nations against colonization.
Ghana’s educational system is also unique; there are five different levels in it: pre-school, primary school, junior high school, senior high school and the university level. The presentation also noted that there are about eight public universities and 15 private universities. Kwarteng also added that public university tuition is paid for by the government.
Religiously, a 2010 census concluded that about 71 percent of the population were Christians. The same census showed that about 18 percent were Muslim, and around five percent practiced different traditional faiths.
Kwarteng emphasized the importance of sports in Ghana. Ghana won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2009, which was held in Egypt. He also said that Ghana’s loss at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they lost to Paraguay, was very upsetting for all soccer fans in the country.
Kwarteng also showed pictures and videos about the traditions, including clothing and food, in Ghana. He said that the education system in Ghana brings many people from other countries to the universities there. He mentioned that Ghana also had good relations with many other African nations.
This event was one of the final presentations in the Department of Multicultural Affairs International Education series that took place throughout the month of April.