(by 2 people)
Travel to Ghana
If you're thinking of exploring Africa but are not sure where to start or about nervous about safety, come to Ghana.
Why Ghana?
Ghana is one of the most welcoming English speaking countries in Africa and has a long history of peace. Crime is low, the people love foreigners and the facilities and infrastructure is more advanced than many other African countries. You can experience traditional village life or urban city life with techno clubs, pizza and beautiful beaches.
What to see in Ghana
- Ghana Tourism Homepage
- A golden experience at the center of the world. Ghana is a bird watcher's paradise, an eco-tourist's haven, a cultural delight, a heritage lover's passion, and an adventurer's dream.
- The HoHoe District
- The Hohoe district is in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This website is well designed with lots of useful information. It promotes community based ecotourism.
Planning Your Trip
- General Information
- Essential information you'll need to know when planning your trip.
- Ghana travel guide - Wikitravel
- Open source travel guide to Ghana, featuring up-to-date information on attractions, hotels, restaurants, nightlife, travel tips and more. Free and reliable advice written by Wikitravellers from around the globe.
Highlife music
It's a blend of African and foreign styles: the coastal military-fort brass bands, the port music of seamen and fishermen, and the local dance orchestras of the Christian elite of coastal towns such as Accra, Cape Coast and Winneba. The Military brass bands were formed to play Western military marches and dance music. In the 1870s the British brought West Indian soldiers to help them in their fight against the Ashantis. The Ghanaian soldiers learnt the syncopated calypsos and mentos from these soldiers and set up their own brass bands that combined these foreign styles with local rhythms. This became known as 'Adaha'.
The Liberian Kru sailors worked on European sailing ships from Napoleon's times and developed a 2-finger plucking guitar style. This spread across the West African coast and was played at low-class dockside bars and local palmwine bars. The combination of local instruments with those of visiting seamen we now call Palmwine music.
From 1914 a number of large dance orchestras were established by educated Ghanaians that played European and Latin-American ballroom music and ragtime's for the local black elite audience. During the 1920's orchestrated renditions of local melodies and street songs were added to their repertoires. It was those who stood outside the elite venues but were too poor to enter who called this orchestrated local music 'highlife', i.e. high-class life. This term subsequently become an umbrella one for all the early varieties of Ghanaian popular music, whether played by brass bands, palm wine guitar bands or dance orchestras and bands.
During the second world war, the British utilised local popular music in the war effort. These foreign soldiers in Ghana loved swing and jazz and together with Ghanaian dance orchestra musicians who could read music they set up the Black and White Spots and the Tempos swing bands to entertain the troops. After the war the Tempos continued as an all Ghanaian band and started performing local highlife with a strong jazz and swing touch.
Palm-wine music became influenced by the post-war dance-bands so that by the fifties they had expanded to include double bass, bongos and other imported percussion. They became known as 'guitar bands' and in the 60s they went electric.
GHANA Electric Highlife: Sessions from the Bokoor Studios
Price: $0.00
GHANA Electric Highlife: Sessions from the Bokoor Studios
Various Artists - Classic Highlife
Price: $14.99
Track Listing: Obeye Amawo - A.B. Crentsil Malaika - Osibisa Masem Ni - George Darko Mfa Me Ho - Jewel Ackah Kwaa-Kwaa - Highlife Stars Matutu M... more »
Highlife Safari
Price: $0.00
Ghanaian pop music has always been on the softer end of the spectrum - the harmonies are sweet, the horns fat, and the synth, I'm sorry to say, saccharine. However, this 1979 recording is a real gap-filler of a CD. Agyeman began to inject Zairian influences into his guitar playing with these songs, though without the attack of soukous and its cousins. Still, it's about time we get to hear classics from this era .
Traditional Music
Master Drummers Of Dagbon, Vol. 2 - Drumming from Northern Ghana
Price: $0.00
Master Drummers Of Dagbon, Vol. 2 - Drumming from Northern Ghana
Various Artists - Ghana: Ancient Ceremonies, Dance Music & Songs
Price: $11.98
Track Listing: Dogumbo Song Chohun And Gyamadudu Donno Drummers Dzil Duet Gonje Songs Donno Drummers Kassena-Nankani Festival Ahanta Chant I... more »
Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulai - Master Drummers of Dagbon Vol. 2 (Northern Ghana) *
Price: $16.98
Track Listing:GadoNaanigooZambarima-WaaKuinoliDambaGurinsi-WaaBan Nira YelguMadadaazieSikareSuberima KpeeruNayig-Naa Zen Bundan BiniWangarisi-WaaMumpr... more »
![EWE - DRUMMING FROM GHANA [IMPORT]](http://images.overstock.com/f/102/3117/8h/www.overstock.com/images/products/3/T10167301.jpg)
EWE - DRUMMING FROM GHANA [IMPORT]
Price: $27.42
AFAAKPOKAAGESHEKINKAAGOGBAGBAXOMESHIVI/ ADZOTSOTSO/ MIA WOEZODZIGBORDI DANCE DRUMMINGDZIGBORDI DANCE DRUMMINGDZIGBORDI DANCE DRUMMINGDZIGBORDI DANCE D... more »
Essential Travel Guides
Ghana, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Ghana. Understanding the People and their Culture
Amazon Price: $21.56 (as of 07/26/2008)
West Africa (Multi Country Guide)
Amazon Price: $21.11 (as of 07/26/2008)
Ghana Map (International Travel Maps)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Books relating to Ghana
Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route
Amazon Price: $18.25 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born (African Writers Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
The Door of No Return: The History of Cape Coast Castle and the Atlantic Slave Trade
Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 07/26/2008)
Kwame Nkrumah: Father Of African Nationalism
Amazon Price: $13.46 (as of 07/26/2008)
Kofi and His Magic
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Books that will change your view of Africa
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
Ishmael is a novel by Daniel Quinn. It presents an alternative view of human history and proposes a different program for human lifestyle change.
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Story of B
The Story of B a 1996 novel written by Daniel Quinn and published by Bantam Publishing. It chronicles the teachings of a colleague of Ishmael, whose story is told in the book Ishmael, published in 1992.
Amazon Price: $11.56 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beyond Civilization: Humanity's Next Great Adventure
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Way: An Ecological World-View
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/26/2008)
Accomodation
Hotels in Accra
Accra has some top quality hotels to offer. These are the main ones.
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel
Principal Airport:'Kotoka Int'l ACC 4 km
*Rates found for: Oct 5 to Nov 4
- Pool
- Pets allowed
- Room Service
- Restaurant
- Fitness Room
Golden Tulip Accra
Golden Tulip Accra is located just five minutes driving (2 Km) from the Kotoka International Airport and 10 minutes driving from the city centre, as well as from the other parts of Accra.
*Rates found for: Oct 5 to Nov 4
- Pool
- Pets allowed
- Room Service
- Restaurant
- Fitness Room
Novotel Accra City Centre
Hotel in the city centre with 180 air-conditioned rooms, close to the main shopping area, conference center and main banks, the Makola market, museums and theatres. Close to the beach. One bar, one restaurant,...
*Rates found for: Oct 5 to Nov 4
- Pool
- Pets allowed
- Room Service
- Restaurant
- Fitness Room
Labadi Beach Hotel
* Airport ACCRA - 6miles * ACCR City - 9miles
*Rates found for: Oct 5 to Nov 4
- Pool
- Pets allowed
- Room Service
- Restaurant
- Fitness Room
Budget Accomodation
- Savannah Seashore Inn
- A beautiful guesthouse built with traditional materials on the beach at Teshie. Vegetarian food.
- Big Millys Backyard
- Big Millys' Backyard, Budget Back Packers Hostel, Guest house, Hotel and Beach Resort in Kokrobite. A cool, laid-back place to chill out.
Car Rentals
Tel: +233 246 11307 or +233 277 318678
Flights to Accra
Links to other sites related to Ghana
- Learn to Speak the Twi Language from Ghana
- Twi is one of the main languages in Ghana and it's not that hard to learn. It's really worth learning it before you pay a visit. Ghanaians really appreciate hearing a foreigner speak their language and will laugh and applaud!
- Real Estate in Ghana
- Real estate in Ghana is incredibly cheap and is a great investment.
- Talk Africa
- Talk Africa is a publication from Ghana that wants to present a different view of Africa. Although its target is African youth, we believe it offers articles that will challenge readers from all parts of the world. It aims to rekindle a sense of pride in Africa and its values.
Reader Feedback
|
Ms_Appleseed
I met several people from West Africa, took African dance and have this fabulous book on the artists called, Still it makes me laugh. I do enjoy the arts! Thanks for sharing! Posted August 16, 2007 |
