You have probably been hearing a lot about Ghana lately. This West African country is often cited as a prime example of the ‘Africa Rising’ phenomenon. Even prior to Barack Obama’s visit in 2009, when Ghana was the only country the newly elected president chose to visit on the African Continent, it was forging a reputation as busily sewing the seeds for economic and social progress and cultural renaissance.
Ghana, as the history books will tell you, was the first African country to gain post war independence. This happened in 1957, when the famous Pan- Africanist Kwame Nkrumah announced that ‘the battle has ended’ and modern Ghana, Africa’s ‘Black Star’ was born. British influence is still felt in Ghana, with quaint legacies such as bakeries specialised in masterfully iced cakes, primly uniformed school children and the posh tones of the BBC world service blaring out from taxis and tro tros - the fleet of ratty mini-buses that bounce you from one end of the country the other. But Ghana is very much a forger of its own destiny – and what a ride it is