Everything about Kumasi totally explained
Kumasi is a
city in southern central
Ghana. It is located near the
Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about 250 km (by road) northwest of
Accra. Kumasi is approximately 300 miles north of the Equator and 100 miles north of the Gulf of Guinea. It is popularly known as "The Garden City" or "heart beat" of Ghana because of its many beautiful species of flowers and plants.
Demographics
With a population of 1,517,000, Kumasi is the second-largest city in the country. The largest ethnic group is the
Ashanti, but other ethnic groups are growing in size. Approximately 80% of the population is
Christian and 20%
Muslim, with a smaller number of adherents to traditional beliefs. It is an
Anglican diocesan and
Roman Catholic archdiocesan see.
History
There is evidence that the area around Kumasi has been kept cleared since the
Neolithic age.
The city rose to prominence in
1695 when it became capital of the
Ashanti Confederacy due to the activities of its ruler
Osei Tutu. The ruler of Kumasi, known as the
Kumasehene, also served as ruler of the Confederacy. With their 1701 victory over Denkyira the Asante confederacy became the primary state among the
Twi speaking
Akan peoples.
Parts of the city, including the Royal Palace, were destroyed by British troops in the
Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War of
1874. It remains a royal city, although since all of Ghana was declared independent in
1957, the role of king has been mainly symbolic. The city holds an important place in the history of the Ashanti people, as legend claims that it was here
Okomfo Anokye received the
Golden stool, an embodiment of the soul of the Asanti nation.
Current Economy
Due to large
gold deposits that have been mined in the area, Kumasi has been among the wealthier cities in Ghana. The city's major exports are
hardwood and
cocoa. Kumasi has 50% of the timber industry in Ghana, with more than 4,000 employed in the business.
Attractions
Features of the city include the large
Kumasi Central Market,
Tafo kumasi,
Fort Kumasi (built by the British in
1896 to replace an Asante fort and now a museum) and the
Kumasi Hat Museum. Royal Asante attractions include the
Kumasi National Cultural Centre (including the
Prempeh II Jubilee Museum with various Asante
regalia including a reproduction of the
golden stool), the
Okomfo Anokye Sword, the
Asantehene's Palace (built in
1972), and the
Manhiya Palace, dating from
1925, now a
museum.
Kumasi is also home to a
zoo, and to the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology of Ghana (formerly the
Kumasi College of Technology).
The Kumasi area has one public hospital (
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, 736 beds), five public clinics and 57 private clinics (1992 figures).
The city's most famous son is the former
Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Kofi Annan. The local
football (soccer) team, the
Kumasi Asante Kotoko has won several national and continental awards. Their
stadium was built in
1959, renovated in
1978, and again in
2007 with a seating capacity of 40,000
(External Link
) .
Festivals
Homowo is an annual festival which celebrated by the Gaspeaking people. It is said to be originated during a period of "great famine which was eventually followed by a bumper harvest of grain and fish" (Wiafe, New Internationalist). The word literally means "hooting at hunger".
Leading up to the festival, Kumasi faces several restrictionssuch as no loud music, no drumming, no whistling after dark, and no eating yam.
On Monday, the starting week of the festival, men from three royal families in the village swipes the path between the "ancestral burial grounds and the town" (travel journal.com)
On early Tuesday morning, the restrictions placed on Kumasi are lifted. In the Tuesday afternoon, the entire town line up in the streets and "cheers and screams" as male members of royal family return, who departed in earlier morning to a walk to the sacred burial site of tthe ancestors in order to inform and ask for permission for the festival to begin. (Traveljournals.net)
A Wednesday festival is set to be a remembrance day. It "belongs quaintly to an African past". (Appiah, Kwame, The Case for Contamination) This day people will "openly weep and others drink their heads out, remembering their lost departed ones". (Wiafe, New Internationalist). One of the issues,Kumasi faces, as Appiah claims, is that before king arrives, people are taking calls on cell phones, and discussing contemporary issues. Kumasi, with the effects of globalization, also have gained a lot of travelers around the world, coming to this festival.
Transportation
Kumasi is served by
Kumasi Airport and
railway lines to
Accra and
Takoradi. Because of the barrier mountain range just to the north, the rail system doesn't yet go further to the north.
Public transit in the city is provided by a mix of privately owned Mini-buses (known as Tro-Tros), taxis and buses. Tro-Tros are usually converted Mini-buses that run a regular, well-known route. They are cheap and frequent but often in poor repair and over-crowded. Some taxis also run regular routes, which cost more but provide for a more comfortable ride. Recently in 2002, the city introduced metro bus services, which were initially met with skepticism by commuters, but have increased in popularity.
As of 2007,
Boankra Inland Port is being built about 25km away.
Twin Cities
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kumasi'.
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