Culture on Display: #MightyAfrican #GhanaAt69 Museum Moments
When I got there, a tour was ongoing for a few people, including some African-Americans. During the tour, the guide there called Fugu “Northern Kente”. This is something I have been discussing with a number of people in recent times, especially 1 of the groups for the great people who have mentored at Barcamps in Ghana. I told her that she should not call it that, but should call it fugu. She explained that fugu is the strip while batakari is when it is woven. Fugu as a word itself originates from the Moshie language, meaning "cloth". Smock is the common English name used nationally for the attire. Batakari is the word used to describe the garment, as woven as the attire. She also talked about the Ewe Kete, where they don’t normally use bright colors or Adinkra symbols. Across the board, these 3 styles all use the same cotton and silk. From what I learnt at the museum, fugu is used in producing batakari, pantaloons, caps and dresses.
We need more domestic tourism. This is something we have been pushing through Barcamps & GhanaThink since 2012, especially in 2024, when one of our theme words was “Culture”. The guide asked about the word toma and whether we the Ghanaian tourists knew what it meant. I confess. I grew up in Kumasi but I did not recognize the word. She is an Ewe, unlike me as an Akan, I should know this word. The word toma means beads in Twi. As you might know, beads are a key thing that many Ghanaian women wear. Shoutout to Women’s Month which is also #GhanaMonth aka #HeritageMonth. She encouraged that we should know the meaning of the pattern we put on our skins.
There is an exhibit there about Ghanaian food. Unfortunately waakye did not make the cut. Jollof too didn’t make it. YÉ›nyinaa yÉ›aboo pÉ›pÉ›pɛɛ. Featured foods were: ampesi (which I have been eating a lot in recent years), banku, Ga kenkey (my least favorite Ghanaian food), tuo zaafi, and fufu. We also saw traditional gourds that are used to keep water cold. This is how traditionally or before technology, we were using refrigerators. There were also exhibits about food carriers, food palanquins, etc. In showcasing Ghanaian eatery and kitchens, etc, she talked about this popular local adage: “The family that eats together, stays together”.
She also shared about fertility dolls to get boys versus girls. If I knew more about this in 2017 eh? Hehehe. She also talked about rites of passage. I like how different cultures around Ghana were used to communicate this: birth - Anlo naming rites, puberty - Bragoro puberty rites, marriage - Dagaba marriage rites, funeral - Ga rites. The guide talked so well about the Ananse exhibit as the tour ended. I have been reading Ananse stories to my son, Ebo. “The Ananse spider story connects us together”. “No matter where you’re coming from, the spider web connects us”.
As this was a Friday, I had taken my fugu in the #vimride. Let us continue to #ThankYouZambia for #FuguFriday! I got it from the boot and then took a picture with a Northern chief wearing a Fugu on a horseback. Yes, you can take pictures at the National Museum of Ghana. The guide was kind enough to take the pictures of me. I proceeded to spend more time going through the exhibits.
Apparently, the museum was opened on 5th March 1957, just a day before our independence.
The first time I ever visited this museum was 2 November 2024. There was an exhibition about some Ghanaians who had contributed massively to the visual arts in Ghana, and my mum was featured. Esther Ulzen-Appiah was a long-time senior lecturer in Fashion & Textiles at KNUST. #CelebratingMummy. I went there with my sister, Stacey Asiamah-Takyi. From this visit, apparently, the bark cloth is the oldest type of Ghanaian fabric.
I paid the fee in the middle of my time there. Each Ghanaian only pays ¢20. I felt twenty was too low to be paid and yes, I had come there alone. Guess how much I paid instead? ¢69. Yiw. Why? Because it was Ghana’s 69th birthday. You don’t think that is the reason? Well, 23 & 3 are the numbers in the Ghana country code. 23*3=69. Have I turned your 6 into 9? Is that not a good thing?
There was information about festivals, including some like Dzawuwu & Notatemi which I was not familiar with. Edina Bakatue was not featured. I have never fully been to a festival in Ghana before. I was at Bakatue for about 60 minutes a couple of years ago. I have been to Edina Bronya several times with my family, Mummy and Daddy started taking me to that several years ago. They are my rocks so far as my patriotism, and cultural upbringing are all concerned, the trees I have stood on. There was an exhibition about trees, but I focused a bit more on the Ghana ones. The ones featured were: Funtunfunefu - Denkyemfunefu, Nkonsonkonson, Dwennimmen, Osram ne nsoromma, Gyidie, Asase ye duru, etc.
The museum also talks about Ashanti traditional buildings, with 10 left as World Heritage Sites, scattered in places around Ghana, including Kentinkrono in Kumasi. There was also information and showcasing of gold weights. There is also information about Asafo Flags and Weaponry, including “bullef-proof” war wear. Apparently, the batakari was also adapted by the Asante military in the 19th century as a "war dress," often adorned with leather pouches and talismans believed to provide spiritual protection. One thing that struck me was the story of the Sandema kingsman, Adamu in the Babatu War in the Northern region. There were Terracotas, Figurines also exhibited, etc. That might make you think about Black Panther and Wakanda Forever. I did the Wakanda Forever pose throughout this #GhanaDay.
Joyce was really nice and very helpful. I hope we can engage her in the future to talk about our history, culture, traditions and even our metamorphosis and growth as a nation through the years. More vim to all the tour guides all over, including Torch Light Tours which has frequently partnered around Barcamp Cape Coast. I recommend that you visit the National Museum of Ghana, or the 5 others in Ghana: Museum for Science and Technology, Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle, Volta Regional Museum, Upper East Regional Museum. We visited the latter after Barcamp Bolga 2025. Let us engage in a lot more domestic tourism.
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