For the past few weeks, every school we’ve visited in the course of our fieldwork has been half empty, because all the children are busy marching outside.
School children practising marching in West Mamprusi district
Yesterday, we saw some of the fruits of their efforts at the Ghana Independence Day celebrations in Police Park, Tamale. There were representations from pretty much every group that you can imagine – from immigration officers to hairdressers – all marching around the square to celebrate the events on 6 March 1957, when the Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom’s colonial rule and became Ghana.
Ghana Independence Day celebrations, Tamale
The flag of Ghana was adopted in the same year. The red stripe represents those who shed blood in the process of the country becoming independent, the gold represents the riches and minerals in Ghana, and the green the rich vegetation. The black star represents unity in the struggle to overcome emancipation and colonialism, and is the reason behind Ghana’s football team being nicknamed the ‘Black Stars.’
History lesson over.
