ASHANTI HISTORY

Creation Africa was born to construct a different awareness of a misperceived “dark continent”. Too often media attention is focused on the harsh realities of daily living and does not reflect on the beauty of the people and their way of life or the land that they inhibit. Many African people are not taught their history; their traditional cultures have been lost through slavery, colonialism and globalization. For many Africans in the Diasporas, hearing the stories of their ancestors is a spiritual experience. Creation Africa strives to shift the popular belief of Africa as a place of tribal warring and famine. We hope to facilitate a change in people’s idea of Africa so that they can appreciate the beauty of life within the continent.
As part of Creation Africa’s education mandate, Nii Addico is available for carving, batik, jewelry or drumming workshops and demonstrations for adults or children. Please contact Creation Africa for more information.

The below excerpt is taken from: http://www.geographia.com/ghana/

Ghana 's rich history centers on the once-great Ashanti empire, which rose to power during the late 17th century and continued to prosper as a center of the 18th century slave trade. The Ashanti capital, Kumasi, was during this period one of the finest and most advanced cities in Africa, and the Ashanti state even employed significant numbers of Europeans as advisors and administrators. The European presence in Ghana is also marked by the multitude of colonial forts that dot its coastline--strongholds that anchored the European trade in gold, ivory, and slaves. Although Ghana, then known as the Gold Coast, was largely considered a British territory by the latter half of the 19th century, it wasn't until 1900 that the British succeeded in defeating the Ashanti and the area's other strong kingdoms.

Ghana was late in coming under European control, it was also the first African nation to win back its independence, in 1957. However, corruption and internal military strife proved to be apparently intractable problems, and Ghana went through an extended period of instability in the 1960s and 1970s marked by military rule. The country has been since then been moving steadily toward political stability and economic prosperity, and seems today to possess one of the most promising futures of any of the West African nations. Most of Ghana's 17 million people practice either Christianity or Islam, which are prevalent depending on the region. Christianity prospers in the south, while Islam dominates the rural north. Local religions also endure in Ghana, and are often practiced syncreticaly with the mainstream religions.

The country's main holiday, Akwasidee, comes from the Ashanti religious calendar, and features an ornate ceremony involving the Ashanti king, known as the Asantehene.