10 Amazing and Quirky Facts About Ghanaian Society

10 Amazing and Quirky Facts About Ghanaian Society

Ghana, the West African country long heralded as a beacon of stability and democracy, is a country of rich colors, venerable history, and fiery cultural passion. And yet, beneath its famous warm hospitality and lively cities lies a full social rich tapestry of quirky traditions, quirky beliefs, and everyday customs that can be teasingly strange to the visitor. Ghanaian society operates on a wavelength that blends the modern and the ancient, the logical and the mystical. To truly understand Ghana is to accept these bewitching paradoxes. Here are ten unexpected facts revealing the hidden personality of Ghanaian society.

**1. The "No Hurry in Life" Philosophy and "Ghana Man Time"**

In a world that's fanatically obsessed with being punctual, Ghana is in a parallel universe with regards to time. The adage "No hurry in life" is not merely an idiom; it's an entrenched philosophy that manifests itself in the accepted phenomenon of "Ghana Man Time" (GMT).

**A Fluid Concept of Time:** Rather than the Greenwich Mean Time, this GMT is fluid and relational. A 2:00 PM event can pragmatically occur at 3:30 PM or even later, and not automatically be considered late but more a common adjustment. This is not considered disrespect but more the recognition that the interactions in life and unforeseen delays (traffic, being held up by a neighbor in conversation) take precedence over rigid clock time.

**Social Priority:** The oddity for outsiders is not the lack of tension at this flexibility. Time is a sphere to be experienced, not an investment to be made. Achievement is not a function of the timely beginning and ending of a meeting, but of the strength of the bonding and the closure of the conversation. This can be an exasperating experience for expats and a virtuoso exercise in patience, demonstrating a society more interested in people than in abstract calendars.

**2. A Society Where Funerals are the Premier Social Event**

Whereas most people mourn in unobtrusive ways, the Ghanaians celebrate the dead with funerals that are expensive, big, colorful, and highly social. A Ghanaian funeral is frequently the social highlight of the year, and sometimes even overshadowed by weddings.

**The Celebration of Life:** Funerals are no somber, gloomy events. They are vibrant, week-long celebrations with entire towns and families. There are visitations, vigil nights, and a grand finale burial ritual. People all dress up in their best traditional gear, typically in special colors and fabric ordered for the deceased.

**The Social Spectacle:** The odd part is the size and the social function. Funerals are moments when distant relatives gather, when old friends meet, and the community gathers to honor its bonds. There is music, dance, and lavish feasting. It is a celebration of the deceased. There is intense pressure to have a "successful" funeral, with families going to the extent of spending savings worthy of a house deposit to secure a befitting and remembered farewell, bearing witness to the fact that in Ghana, how you exit this life is as vital as how you exited life.

**3. The Universal Language of "Sorry," "Please," and "Thank You"**

Ghanaian politeness is more than a affectation; it's a necessary social oil so deeply ingrained that its absence is jarring. "Sorry," "Please," and "Thank You" are used in contexts far wider than their customary Western uses.

**"Sorry" as Empathy:** When you sneeze, trip, or look even slightly ill, you'll be met by a multitude of "Sorry!" from passersby. It is not an apology; it is an expression of empathy and shared misery. It signifies "I perceive your minor bad fortune and feel with you."

**The "Please" Ritual:** As you hand an object, even a pen, to someone, you must employ the use of the word "Please." Not being handed it with a "Thank You" constitutes a grave etiquette violation. This ritualized giving and taking takes place dozens of times a day, creating a culture of respect and regard for each other. To the Ghanaians, this constant verbal thankfulness maintains public harmony and reaffirms everyone's dignity in a crowded and sometimes disorganized public space.

**4. The Spiritual Causality Belief: Juju and Modern Life**

Although a highly religious nation (with vibrant Christian and Muslim populations), ancient African belief in "juju" (magic or witchcraft) coexists with modern religion. This is no musty relic but a very real, strong power.

**A Worldview Integrated:** Sudden illness, a series of bad luck in business, or a car accident can be attributed not just by natural cause, but also by spiritual evil or broken taboo. It is not uncommon for an individual to consult both a medical doctor and a traditional priest or "fetish" priest to cover all bases.

**Social and Legal Impact:** This belief will have actual social impact. Witchcraft accusations, typically against elderly women, still occur, sending them to "witch camps" in other parts of the country. This generates a society that exists in two co-equal universes: the rational, modern universe of science and law, and the spiritual universe of ancestors, curses, and protections, with most Ghanaians seeing no inconsistency in believing entirely in both.

**5. The "Key Soap" and "My John" Phenomenon: Community Responsibility for Discipline**

The contrast between a neighbor's child and one's own is blurred in Ghana. "It takes a village to raise a child" is true on a day-to-day basis, enforced by an unwelcome and feared figure: the "Key Soap" or "My John."

**The Enforcers:** "Key Soap" is the term for the idea that a naughty child could have soap put in their mouth. "My John" is an ill-defined, menacing figure (a stern policeman, a bogeyman-type) whom parents and *everyone in authority* will call upon in order to scare a child into good behavior.

**Communal Corrective Power:** The peculiar feature is the authority vested in every grown-up. A stranger at the market can scold publicly a badly behaving child, and the child's parent will typically thank the stranger, not rush to defend the child. This communal discipline creates a strong social pressure for public virtue from a young age, affirming that good order of the community depends on all its children being reared right.

**6. The Love for "Bitter" and "Hot": A Gastronomic Palette of Contrasts**

National obsession with *banku* with *pepre* (okra soup) and *kontomire* stew with *gbegiri* (fermented cassava and maize dough with hot soup) confirms a gastronomic preference for hard tastes, i.e., bitterness and extremities of heat.

**The Acquired Taste of Bitterness:** Vegetables like *kontomire* (cocoyam leaves) and certain herbal soups possess a pungent, acquired bitterness that locals adore but might shock the untrained palate. This is a taste not to be disguised, but savored for its intensity and its assumed medicinal and purifying qualities of the blood.

**"Pepper, Please":** Pepper is never out of order. All Ghanaian foods come with a serving of *shito* (black pepper sauce that is hot) or raw, ground Scotch bonnet pepper. The ability to endure and even enjoy extreme spiciness is a badge of honor, a sign of true Ghanaian Americanness. The national taste, then, is not based on comfort food blandness but on a vibrant, demanding, and exciting sensory experience.

**7. The "Square" Hard Sachet Water and its Everywhere Presence**

As a tropical country, hydration is essential, and the Ghanaians have mastered an incredibly effective and strangely packaged solution: the 500ml "pure water" sachet.

**A Packaging Quirk:** Instead of bottles, the primary supply of drinking water for millions is extremely thin, square plastic sachet. You don't drink from it; you bite off a piece of the plastic in your mouth and pump the water into your mouth through pressure. The sight of discarded, empty sachets, known locally as "pure water rubbers," strewn about is a pathetic but common feature of the urban and rural landscape.

**A Micro-Economy in a Sachet:** The unusual feature is the sheer quantity and the micro-economy it supports. From behemoth factories to small, neighborhood packaging plants, the sachet water industry keeps thousands on the payroll. It is sold for a few cents by street vendors who battle through traffic jams, making clean, cheap drinking water available to all, anywhere, in one of the strangest and most utilitarian packaging arrangements possible.

**8. The Artistry of "Chopping" and "Small Small"**

Ghana's money and reciprocity system is controlled by two prevalent maxims: "I will chop small" and "Give me small small."

**"Chopping" Life:** "To chop" means to eat, but the phrase is used freely to denote relishing the fruits of another person, usually money. "I will chop small" is a tongue-in-cheek, but semi-serious, claim for a share of any monetary windfall a friend or relative should chance. It is a social attitude wherein one's own good fortune is to be shared with those around.

**The "Small Small" Economy:** "Give me small small" is a common bargaining gimmick in the market, not just for the price, but for the commodity as well. You can ask a seller to chop a little bit of onion, one tomato, or a bag of rice. This "small small" economy makes it possible for what is available to the poorest and highlights a culture of adaptability and resourcefulness, where there's nothing too big to be broken down and shared.

**9. The "December in Ghana" Phenomenon: A National Homecoming**

For diaspora Ghanaians, December is not just a holiday; it's mandatory. "December in Ghana" is a national social season unlike any other.

**The Mass Migration:** The figures in big cities like Accra and Kumasi swell as planes are filled with diasporans returning home. It creates an electric atmosphere of reunion, celebration, and hectic social activity.

**A Season of Performance:** December is a season of performance and show of status. It is the time when families showcase their prosperity in brand-new vehicles, designer apparel, and massive parties. Funerals, weddings, and reunions of classes are all strategically scheduled for this period. For a country that has a majority of its youth abroad, December becomes the propitious time to reassert cultural ties, pay respects to familial obligations, and recharge on African ground, making the entire nation one gigantic, month-long family reunion.

**10. Talking in Proverbs: The Indirect Art of Communication**

While Ghanaians are candid, there is a strong cultural appreciation for indirectness and wisdom conveyed through proverbs (*ebe* in Twi). A well-positioned proverb is the sign of an educated, respectful, and thoughtful person.

**Speech as Art:** In formal situations, like a chief's court or a family reunion, chiefs actually utter hardly anything except proverbs. An involved problem of betrayal would be explained not by faultfinding, but by the proverb: "The lizard who jumped from the tall iroko tree onto the earth boasted that if no one else would commend him, he would commend himself." It suggests that one will claim credit for oneself.

**Saving Face and Transmitting Wisdom:** This custom serves two anomalous functions. Firstly, it allows for criticism and the delivery of unpalatable truths without saving face and addressing them directly. Secondly, it takes modern dilemmas smoothly into ancient wisdom so that every generation learns from the previous without lecture, but poetic and metaphorical speech. In a modern-day boardroom, a CEO might use a proverb to frame a discussion, illustrating that the most indirect communication in Ghana is inevitably the most subtle.

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Lastly, Ghanaian culture is a lesson in juggling dualities. It is a society where time is flexible and yet precious, where mortality is a party, and where supernatural forces are as concrete as financial ones. The social conscience of "the village" raises children and shares wealth, and a rigorous diet and a specially packaged water system exhibit a practical and hardy people. From the December mass return to the wisdom in proverbs, these above-the-norm facts paint a picture of a highly integrated, richly symbolic, and constantly surprising culture. To understand Ghana is to see beyond its serene politics and find a society that lives, speaks, and celebrates to a rhythm all its own.