Uncharted Ghana

Why did the Great Ghana Empire or Wagadou fall? 🐍

The Soninke people have explained the wealth of the Ghana Empire in the folktale of Bida, the black snake. The snake demanded an annual sacrifice, in return, for guaranteeing prosperity for the Kingdom of Ghana.

The Empire fell after the nobles chose Siya Yatabare as the annual sacrifice. She was the most beautiful virgin girl in that year, but she was also engaged to be married. Her fiancé, Maadi, was the son of Djamere Soukhounou whose unique quality was that she always did what she promised.

When Maadi was told that his fiancée would be given to Bida - he promised Siya that she would not die in the well of Wagadou. Siya told him that if he killed the snake, Wagadou would not have any more rain and the empire would be destroyed forever but Maadi didn’t believe her.

The snake had seven heads. When the snake took out his first head, Maadi cut it. He did the same to all the others. When the snake took out its last head, the snake said: “I swear by the lord of 7 head, during 7 years and 7 bad years, during 7 months and 7 bad months, and during 7 days and 7 bad days, Wagadu will not receive any rain and any piece of gold”. Maadi didn’t mind and cut the last head.
The snake died.

When the sun came up, the nobles saw Siya and the heads of the snake in the well. She gave them Maadi‘s shoes and other things. The nobles of the 99 villages called everybody to come and try to wear the articles of clothing. When Maadi wore the shoes, the bonnet and the ring, everything fit. People knew that he killed the snake.

They were going to take him when his mother said: “You are afraid of the prediction of the snake even before you die. During those 7 bad years and 7 bad months and 7 bad days, the needs of Wagadou would be in my charge as an exchange for my son’s life and his marriage with Siya Yatabare.”

With shame, the notables of Wagadu concluded the agreement. After Djamere Shoukhouna died, the nobles of Wagadu met and decided that she did what she promised. Soon Wagadu went from fertile to dry, as there was no more rain and the Great Ghana Empire fell.

Read more about the history of Ghana of Ghana on our page 📖

Who wrote the first book about the history of Ghana? 📚

Carl Christian Reindorf has made a huge contribution to Ghanaian history. His work, entitled “The History of the Gold Coast and Asante in the Ga language”, is considered culturally important and the author himself has been dubbed a pioneering historian. ✍🏿

Reindorf was born at Prampram, east of Accra, in 1834, to Anowah Cudjoe, a Ga woman from the Asare district of Accra, and Carl Hackenburg Reindorf, a half-Danish soldier who worked at the Osu garrison before he became a local agent for an English merchant.

He spent his childhood at a shrine called Digbla of Gbugla, but escaped from the fe**sh in 1840 and came to Accra. In Accra, he was sent to school at Christiansborg Castle in 1842 where he studied Christianity. Carl was baptized in 1844 and continued his studies at the Basel Mission School at Osu between 1847 and 1855.

Dissatisfied with the school curriculum, he left school halfway through his studies and worked for his uncle as a merchant. However, his parents had other plans for his future and he was sent back to the Basel Mission to complete his education.

Throughout his life, Reindorf was a missionary in many towns including Christiansborg and Odumase. He worked under the German missionary August Steinhauser in Abokobi and taught his pupils to read Ga books and interpreted the Bible for them. Later, Carl was appointed successor to Steinhauser at Abokobi, and during his service, he converted the fe**shist priest, Akoto Badu of Agbowo to Christianity.

In 1860 he was transferred to Akropong-Akuapem as an assistant teacher at the Theological Seminary. At the seminary students were taught English, biblical exegesis, theology, geography and classical languages. Years later he was appointed head teacher of the Osu Middle School.

Teaching wasn't his only talent. Travels around the Gold Coast enabled him to gain a good knowledge of medicinal herbs. Reindorf acted as the physician and surgeon to the wounded soldiers during local wars including the war between the Ga and Akwamu peoples. He also trained others to diagnose diseases, thus saving the lives of several European missionaries.

After the war, he returned to the mission, and on October 13, 1872, was ordained as a full minister of the church. He started a school at Mayera with 12 students from Accra and attracted boys in the town to the school by paying for their clothing, tuition fees, board, and lodging. He preached in the neighboring villages, and stirred up enthusiasm for Christianity, converting fe**sh priests and others.

When work on the translation of the Bible into the Ga language began, he decided to participate in it. In 1903, he was part of the committee at Abokobi that revised the Ga Bible, including Ludwig Richter, Jakob Wilhelm Werz, Christian Kölle and Daniel Sabah. The Ga version of the Bible was completed and published in 1912.

But his great work, completed in 1889 and published in Basel in 1895, was his classic of historical scholarship, “History of the Gold Coast and Asante”. This literary work was originally written in the Ga language, then translated into English. The book wouldn't have been possible without the linguistic work carried out on Twi oral traditions by Johann Gottlieb Christaller, a German philologist and missionary from Basel.

Reindorf was probably inspired by a grammatical treatise in the Ga and Fante languages written by Christian Jakob Protten, a Ga-Danish missionary, in the 18th century. Although written by a man whose level of formal education was not high, nevertheless Reindorf pioneered the history of Ghana, setting an example for others to follow, and preserved an oral tradition that would otherwise have disappeared.

What’s the difference between Ghana and Ghana Empire? 🇬🇭

In African history you can find two names:
the Ghana Empire and the Republic of Ghana. These two countries have the same name but they are not connected geographically.

The Ghana Empire, also known as “Wagadou”, existed in the 6th to 13th century AD and was located in Western Africa: in the area of present-day southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. The capital and the residence of the King was Koumbi Saleh. Historians claim that up to 20,000 people lived in and around the capital. The empire was formed when tribes of the Soninke peoples were united under their first King, Dinga Cisse.

The word “Ghana” the Soninke people used for their king, which meant “Warrior King”. Their empire they called “Wagadu” but people living outside used to call that region “Ghana”. Trade was facilitated by the abundance of iron, copper, gold, and ivory and easy access to the Niger and Senegal Rivers which were used as trade routes. The Ghana Empire fell in the 12th century AD and rose to the Sosso Kingdom (c. 12-13 AD) and then the Mali Empire (c. 13-17 AD). The folktale of Bida, the black snake, explains the wealth and the fall of the empire.

The Republic of Ghana also known as the Gold Coast is a country along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Since the 15th century Europeans have been establishing settlements on the coastline to trade in gold and slaves with the natives. In 1957 the Gold Coast became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain its independence from colonial rule. The British colonial name was changed to “Ghana” in honor of the powerful empire.

Archaeological finds confirm a link between the two states, but it is not known for certain whether the people of modern Ghana are descendants of the ancient empire. However, many historians adhere to this theory and believe that the Akan and Guan people have migrated to their current location from the Sahara desert and Sahel regions of Africa.

The first state in the territory of present-day Ghana, the Bono State, dates back to the 11th century. It was founded by Akan people who were not just looking for a habitable place to live, but also for gold, which was one of the main sources of income in West Africa at that time. Later, the discovered gold reserves made the area of present-day Ghana an important economic centre.

Akwaaba 🛖

As the rest of the world, we mourn the death of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the Royal Family.

Her Majesty's contributions and achievements on the world political stage will never be forgotten. We pay our respects to her incredible 70-year reign of female force. With Gold Coast being one of Great Britain's most prominent former colonies, the Queen visited Ghana twice in her lifetime: in 1961 and 1999 under Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry John Rawlings respectively. Elizabeth II is an integral part of the history of both the world and Ghana and will forever remain in our hearts.

Rest In Peace, Your Majesty 🕊