Summary

There are various ethnic groups in Ghana and each group is different from the other. Yet still, some practices are done the same way. Examples of these common cultural practices are funeral celebration, marriage procedure, and festival celebration and so on. In marriage procedure, most ethnic groups pay dowry to the family of the woman. Divorce procedures are the same in most ethnic groups in Ghana. First of all, the heads of families sit down to settle issues peacefully but when it is not successful, both families agree to the separation. The dowry is paid back to the men.

In naming or outdooring ceremony, a new baby is kept indoors till after the eighth day. The child is given a name on that day.

Selection and installation process of a chief is also the same in many ethnic groups in Ghana. The selection is made from the royal family by kingmakers. The selected chief is held indoors and cleansed; He is groomed and educated on the history and culture of the people. He is then outdoored on the eighth day in grand style.

For funeral rites, the dead body is dressed nicely and laid in public for people to show their last respects. The dead body is later taken to the cemetery and buried. The family sits down under a gathering and sympathizers express their condolences by giving them money. The family later shows their appreciation to sympathizers who came for the funeral celebration. In festivals, all ethnic groups have a story behind the celebration of their festivals. During festival celebrations, the entire community is cleansed and the people make a lot of merry.

Although ethnic groups may be different from each other, there are some things that they have in common. An example of such similarities is in their food, clothes, arts, family life, way of greeting, domestic activities etc. The Akans prepare “Banku” whiles the Dagombas prepare “Tuo zaafi” both from maize. “Fufu” is usually the food of the Akans, but some northern ethnic groups such as the “Gonjas” eat “Fufu”. In Ghana, the family line is in two types; there is the patrilineal and matrilineal system. Most southern ethnic groups belong to the matrilineal system in which one inherits from the mother’s family line whiles the Northern ethnic groups usually practice the patrilineal system in which one inherits from the father’s family line. Cultural differences tend to enrich the culture of the people as a whole and bring variety.