On Site

Ghana is located in West Africa on what used to be known as the "Gold Coast."

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Unfortunately, every country in Africa suffers from the same problems as Ghana-poverty, malnutrition, AIDS, illiteracy-but in many the prospects for constructive help from American youth is poor. Ghana's characteristics make it especially conducive to our program. Most important, it is one of only a handful of nations in Africa that have declared English the national language. In addition, unlike the other nations along the Gold Coast, Ghana is politically stable. Because of its sound economic policies and stable government, Bill Clinton declared Ghana the "Gateway to Africa" during his 1998 visit. The recent election of President J.A. Kufuor was one of the first peaceful democratic administrative transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa, and many notable Ghanaians from abroad have returned to participate in this administration's efforts.

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Culturally speaking, Ghana is a treasure-chest of music, cloth, artisans, village celebrations, and more. In addition to its lively festivals-with local chiefs borne aloft on flamboyant palanquins-and rich traditional legacy, it also represents a window to the past. In the colonial era, Ghana was the largest center of slave exportation in West Africa. Major slave castles were built all along the coast to incarcerate the captured villagers before loading them onto ships bound for the Americas. Today these castles offer tourists a profound exposure to the brutal reality of those four hundred years. Two-thirds of the millions who were imprisoned in the Cape Coast and El Mina castles died during their stay. A walk through any of the castles is enough to give any student an unforgettable insight into the effects of slavery, and many-African and American alike-are deeply moved by the experience.

Click on Komenda or Anomabu to learn more about the GEP's two target communities.

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KOMENDA

Komenda Town

Komenda is a small fishing town located 25km east of the Central Region capital, Cape Coast. Komenda has a population of about 5000 people and is the seat of an omanhene, or major chief. Nana Kodwo Kru II oversees an outlying population of approximately 25,000. Komenda's history is complex, beginning in the 15th century when the Dutch built a slave
trading outpost there. From then on, it was a contested piece of territory between the British and Dutch colonial powers. In World War II the British set up an air force base

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in Komenda, and the ruins of airplane hangars still stand, overgrown by weeds and inhabited by Komenda's thriving goat population. It is said that the Queen of England, under threat from Nazi Germany was brought to Komenda for protection.

 

Most recently, Komenda was the hub of the Dutch-owned Ghanaian sugar industry. The enormous sugar factory, which looms over Komenda, has been dormant since 1983, when poor management saw it run into the ground.

Today Komenda is a quiet and sleepy fishing and farming community with a small market and a few skilled craftsmen. Her white beaches stretch for miles in either direction, battered by the Atlantic, fringed with palms. Komenda is the birthplace and home of the Ghana Education Project and a source of much of the understandings which have molded our program.
With her complicated history and overpowering natural beauty, Komenda is a symbol for what Ghana is, was and can be.

ANOMABU

Anomabu Town

Anomabu is a medium sized fishing town located 25km west of Cape Coast. It first became home to GEP Summer Volunteers in the summer of 2001 when we officially expanded to Harvard University. Although Anomabu itself is similar in population size to Komenda, the omanhene of Anomabu occupies a significantly larger chieftaincy. Nana Amono XI controls an outlying population of approximately 60,000 and is understood to be a pivotal omanhene of the Central Region.

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Anomabu is also home to a slave fort ruin in which can now be found, poetically, the GEP-affiliated Anomabu Community Library. The town has been well known as a center for education in the last few centuries of Ghana's history. Many well known Ghanaians, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have strong ties to this community. Furthermore, many chiefs from Ghana and other West African nations pay homage to the omanhene of Anomabu at intervals throughout the year.
21st century Anomabu is a energetic and engaging village. The streets are lined with vendors selling home made pastries and smoked fish. Men sit along benches playing draughts and chatting about the day. Fishermen mend their nets while children play football under the women's feet.

Anomabu's hope for the future is matched only by the strength of its traditions.

For more information about Ghana, visit www.ghana.gov

For information about traveling to Ghana, visit www.travel.state.gov/ghana.html

For more information about travelling to Ghana, including visa information and visa application forms, go to:
www.ghana-embassy.org


For health advisories, visit the Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/travel/wafrica