" The only thing that is new is that which has been forgotten" Charles Finch

Ghana: The Kingdom of Ivory and Gold

The greatness of the empire of Ghana is well documented by the ancient historian, Al-Bakri, in a book describing his travels to Ghana in 1968 C.E. He marvels, as do modern scholars today, at Ghana's greatness, resulting from setting clear national priorities: organization, control of trade and commerce, and a strong military force.

Ghana's controlled inflation in its economy so that no one group should far exceed another in setting prices and becoming exceedingly wealthy. This gave the people a great sense of security and is a model for today. The ancient rulers were well aware that the economic situation of the people was one key to keeping them satisfied and peaceful.

Religion in Ghana was intensely personal, rather than dictated by a leader. There was no written religious book, but each family had one person whose duty it was to keep an oral history of the religion and their beliefs. This made Ghana a strongly united nation in terms of national traditions that were deeply felt and a strong sense of family.

Reflections:

In the empire of Ghana each family had someone who kept the oral traditions alive. How do we keep our oral traditions alive today and what part do you think this plays in uniting the family, community and nation?

Credit: Classical Africa - by Dr. Molefi Kete Asante