Gold Coast, the land of riches. A land that was endowed with gold, diamond, cocoa and many other treasures and cash crops. The land that served as a major trading country for others like Britain and Portugal. For a blessed land like this, its indigenes should have benefitted massively from it but due to colonialization they were denied of their bonafied privileges. The natives of gold coast had to survive mainly through a system known as the Barter Trade System where one exchanges what he/she has for the others.
They communicated through talking drums, a gong gong beater or by sending an ambassador /person to deliver a message to the rightful recipient. There was community engagement, likewise one could also post letters through post offices to reach loved ones far and wide. Not forgetting telegram which also created an avenue for communication.
Their means of transportation was by foot where the natives would have to walk miles before reaching their destination and same when returning. Imagine the stress and tiredness involved but yes, that was the norm in the GOLD COAST era. Their orientation to fashion was different. The common hairstyle for both sexes was afro to match their outfits sewn with cloth.
They consumed local foods that contained ingredients to boost their immune system and made them healthy and enjoy prolonged lifespan. It is true that our ancients people lived a very long life; our grandparents and great grandparents are living testament to this. They engaged in games like oware, ludo, ampe, and many others for fun. They crowned their day with storytelling where they gathered under a tree to listen to ancient stories which was either fiction or non-fiction packed with moral lessons. Indeed, happiness is important in life.
Our contemporary gold coast now Ghana after independence in March 6,1957 is witnessing a whole new way of living. Thanks to technology and technology advancement every aspect of our lives has changed. There are myriads means of transportation; either by car, motor, tricycle, bicycles and plane depending on your destination. Phones, laptops and tablets have made interactions and communication amongst us easier and faster. We engage in real time conversations, where you do not have to wait a week, month or a even year for response. Applications like WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and others have eased communication and also created some sort of entertainment.
For information consumption, all one needs is a good internet connectivity and data and the job is done or better still sit behind a radio or television set for that. Fashion has also seen massive improvement in Ghana. Ghanaians do not stick to outfits made with cloth only, but they have a whole wardrobe to match every function. Our daily delicacies are a mixture of Ghanaian foods and continental ones. For local dishes, foods like tuo zaafi, fufuo and soup, ampesi and stew, rice and stew or soup, waakye, kenkey and hot pepper, tatale, acheke, eto and a host of thers are still being enjoyed. The foreign fusion includes pizza, hot dogs, waffles, tacos, noodles and many more.
For vigorous entertainment, we can boast of street carnivals, concerts, movie night with celebrities, house parties, night clubs and so on. My Gold Coast then was a beautiful place to settle in but my Ghana now is more lovable, peaceful and developed.
BY SRC PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
CREDIT: TONTOH SANDRA
STUDENT WRITER
