GEEO Ghana Google Earth Presentation

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USA

Today, I’d like to share a great experience I had while traveling to Ghana through a non-profit organization called GEEO. GEEO helps educators travel abroad so that they can learn more about different cultures to share with their students. I was joined on my trip by educators and retired teachers from all around the United States.

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Africa

We traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Africa, the world’s second-largest continent—only Asia is larger. It’s home to 54 different countries and over 1.4 billion people! To give you an idea of just how enormous Africa is, it’s larger than the United States, China, India, Japan, and much of Europe combined. If you placed all of those regions inside the outline of Africa, they would all fit!

Africa is incredibly diverse, with thousands of different ethnic groups, languages, and cultures. The continent has every type of landscape you can imagine—from the vast Sahara Desert in the north to tropical rainforests in Central Africa, from snow-capped mountains on the equator to beautiful coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean.

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West Africa

Our journey took us to West Africa. If you look at a map, you’ll see that West Africa is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west, the Sahara Desert to the north, and Central Africa to the east.

West Africa has been incredibly important in world history. Long before Europeans arrived, powerful kingdoms and empires flourished here, like the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire, and the Songhai Empire. These empires were rich and powerful because they controlled major trade routes, trading things like gold and salt, which were extremely valuable at the time.

But West Africa’s history also includes a very painful and difficult chapter. Between the 1500s and the 1800s, millions of African people were forced from their homes, taken across the Atlantic Ocean in terrible conditions, and enslaved in the Americas. This was called the transatlantic slave trade, and it caused enormous harm to families, communities, and entire societies, and the effects are still felt today.

By learning about both the great achievements of West African civilizations and the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade, we get a fuller and more accurate understanding of West Africa’s history.

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Ghana

Ghana is a country in West Africa that is about the size of the state of Oregon. Ghana has a very diverse landscape. Along the coast are beaches, lagoons, and tropical forests. As you travel farther north, the land becomes drier, with wide savanna grasslands. In eastern Ghana, Lake Volta is one of the largest human-made lakes in the world. Can you find Lake Volta on the map?

Ghana has a tropical climate, meaning it’s generally warm all year long. There are two main seasons: a wet season, when there’s a lot of rain, and a dry season. The coastal areas tend to be hot and humid, while the northern parts of the country are often hot and dry.

There are many different ethnic groups in Ghana, each with its own traditions, culture, and language. Even though English is the official language—because Ghana was once a British colony—most people also speak their local language at home. It’s very common to hear people switching back and forth between English and their local language in everyday conversations.

During colonial times, the British called this area the Gold Coast because of the large amounts of gold found there. European traders had been coming to this coast since the 1400s, first to trade for gold, and later to trade in enslaved people. In 1957, the Gold Coast became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from European colonial rule. The new government changed the country’s name to Ghana, after an ancient West African empire.

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Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

We’re looking at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Today, it’s a quiet place with fountains and monuments, but this spot is extremely important in Ghana’s history. Before independence, this area was used by the British colonizers to play polo, a sport played mostly by wealthy British officials. It was right here that Kwame Nkrumah stood in 1957 and announced that Ghana was finally free from British rule.

Kwame Nkrumah is often called the father of Ghanaian independence. He was born in a small village, went to local schools, and became a teacher—before realizing that he wanted to change not just his own life and the lives of his students, but his entire country’s future. In 1935, he traveled to the United States to study at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. While he was there, he learned about civil rights, movements to end colonial rule, and Pan-Africanism—the idea that people of African descent should all work together for freedom and equality. These ideas shaped his vision for Ghana.

When he returned home, he helped start a political party called the Convention People’s Party with a simple message: “Self-Government Now!” His goal was independence for Ghana. Nkrumah and his supporters used nonviolent resistance—peaceful protests, strikes, and boycotts—inspired by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi in India. The British government responded by arresting Nkrumah and putting him in prison. But while he was in jail, elections were held, and his party won by a huge margin. The British had to release him, and in 1952, he became Prime Minister.

Finally, on March 6, 1957, Ghana became an independent country. At midnight, the British flag came down, and Ghana’s new flag went up—red, gold, and green, with a black star in the center. The black star became a symbol of African freedom and unity.

Standing here on the polo grounds, Nkrumah declared, “Ghana, your beloved country, is free forever!” Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from European colonial rule. Over the next ten years, more than 30 African countries gained independence.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended Ghana’s independence ceremony and later said that seeing Ghana gain freedom gave him hope for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

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Accra

As I mentioned earlier, Accra is Ghana’s capital city, and it’s also the country’s largest city, with around 5 million people living in the greater metropolitan area. (A metropolitan area is a major city plus its suburbs and nearby cities and towns that have significant economic and social ties. [Can you use your city or a nearby city as an example?])

Accra began as settlements of the Ga people, one of Ghana’s ethnic groups. In the 1600s, European traders built forts along the coast, and during British colonial rule, Accra grew into an important trading city. In 1877, the British made it the capital of the Gold Coast.

Today, Accra is a city full of modern skyscrapers sitting next to colonial-era buildings. It’s a city that reflects both Ghana’s history and its future.

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Jamestown

One of Accra’s oldest neighborhoods is called Jamestown, which was established during the colonial era and is named after James Fort, built by the British in the 1670s. Like other forts along Ghana’s coast, it was involved in the gold trade and later the slave trade. Today, parts of the fort are being preserved and restored as a historical site, though some sections are still in need of repair.

One of Jamestown’s most iconic landmarks is the lighthouse, built in 1871. It is about 100 feet tall and was used to guide ships into Accra’s port for over 100 years. Although it’s no longer being used in the same way, it offers great views from the top (if you’re willing to climb the stairs!).

Another unique feature of Jamestown is the Brazilian-style stone houses. They were built by formerly enslaved Africans who had been taken to Brazil but returned to Africa after slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888. They brought back architectural styles they’d learned in Brazil, creating homes quite different from traditional Ghanaian buildings.

Jamestown is still an active fishing community. The beach is lined with colorful wooden boats, and fishermen push their boats into the Atlantic each morning, returning with their catch in the afternoon.

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Makola Market

Accra’s main market, Makola Market, is one of West Africa’s largest open-air markets where thousands of vendors sell everything imaginable. Walking through Makola is overwhelming in the best way. You’re surrounded by colorful fabrics stacked high, pyramids of produce, vendors calling out prices, music playing, and smells of spices and grilled food.

In markets like Makola, bargaining is expected and is part of the social interaction. You ask the price, make a counter-offer (usually 40-60% of their asking price), then go back and forth until you meet in the middle. Vendors enjoy this exchange—if you agree to their first price immediately, you haven’t engaged in proper social interaction!

Makola Market provides livelihoods for thousands of vendors and their families. Shopping here means you’re directly supporting local people and participating in economic traditions that have existed in West Africa for centuries.

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Black Star Square

The ceremonial heart of Accra is Black Star Square, also called Independence Square. This huge plaza can hold 30,000 people and is used for national celebrations, especially on Independence Day (March 6).

The Black Star Gate, or Independence Arch, is a massive arch at the square’s entrance. I mentioned earlier that the black star appears on Ghana’s flag and represents African freedom. At the center of the arch is an eternal flame—a fire that is always burning. It is the Eternal Flame of African Liberation, and it was first lit by Kwame Nkrumah on March 6, 1961, to symbolize not just Ghana’s freedom, but the ongoing struggle for liberation across all of Africa.

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Cape Coast Castle

From Accra, we traveled west along the shoreline to Cape Coast, a city that was once the capital of the British Gold Coast colony. It is home to one of the most important and somber historical sites in all of Africa: Cape Coast Castle.

The castle is one of about 40 fortified trading posts, often called “slave castles” or “slave forts,” built by Europeans along Ghana’s coast to detain enslaved victims until they were loaded on ships and taken across the ocean as part of the transatlantic slave trade. Cape Coast Castle was the headquarters of the British slave trade on the Gold Coast.

The slaves were kept in large underground dungeons beneath the castle in dark, cramped rooms with almost no ventilation. Up to 1,000 people at a time could be packed into these spaces, chained together. There were no toilets, no beds, barely any light or fresh air. Enslaved people were kept in these dungeons for weeks or even months, waiting for slave ships to arrive. Many died from disease, starvation, or suffocation before ever reaching the ships. One survivor who was held here as a young teenager described hearing “nothing but rattling of chains, smacking of whips, and groans and cries” of his fellow captives.

Today, Cape Coast Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Do you know what a UNESCO World Heritage Site is? It is a landmark or area designated by the United Nations for having cultural or historical significance. The program is intended to conserve sites for future generations. Today, the castle has been restored and serves as a museum and memorial for visitors who want to learn about this painful period in history.

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Door of No Return

On the side of the castle facing the harbor, there is a small door called the “Door of No Return.” This is where enslaved Africans were forced through the doorway, down to boats waiting below, and then taken to larger slave ships anchored offshore. Once they passed through this door, they would never see their homeland again.

Think about that for a moment. They were leaving behind everything they knew—their families, their villages, their languages, their entire lives—and being forced into a terrifying journey across the ocean to a life of slavery in a completely foreign land.

The journey across the Atlantic Ocean was called the “Middle Passage,” and it was a nightmare. Enslaved Africans were packed tightly into the holds of ships in conditions that were almost unimaginable. The journey could take two to three months. Many people died during the voyage from disease, starvation, or suicide. Those who survived the Middle Passage arrived in the Americas—primarily in the Caribbean, Brazil, and what is now the United States—where they were sold and forced to work as slaves on plantations, in mines, and in homes.

Over the course of about 300 years, an estimated 12 to 15 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic as part of the slave trade. Millions more died during capture, during the march to the coast, while being held in dungeons like those at Cape Coast, or during the Middle Passage.

The effects of slavery continue to shape our world today. The wealth generated by enslaved labor helped build the economies of European countries and the United States. Meanwhile, Africa was drained of its population and resources. African countries and the descendants of enslaved Africans in the Americas still face the effects of this history, including ongoing racial inequality and injustice.

Many African Americans visit Cape Coast Castle as part of their journey to understand their heritage and to honor their ancestors who suffered here. The castle stands as a powerful reminder of the horrors of slavery and the importance of fighting against all forms of injustice and oppression.

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Global Mamas

Before we left Cape Coast we participated in a traditional batik-making workshop with an organization called Global Mamas. Batik is a traditional art form found in many parts of Africa and Asia. It’s a method of creating patterns on fabric using wax and dye.

Global Mamas helps women develop their artistic skills in batik-making, sewing, and other crafts, and then connects them to markets where they can sell their products for fair prices. Many of the women who work with Global Mamas are single mothers or women who have limited opportunities to earn income. Through this organization, they’re able to support their families, send their children to school, and become economically independent.

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Elmina

Just a few miles down the coast from Cape Coast is the town of Elmina, home to another famous castle with a similarly tragic history: St. George’s Castle. It is the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa, built by the Portuguese in 1482.

Elmina is a fishing community, and the beach is filled with traditional wooden fishing boats painted in bright colors. The fish market is a bustling place where vendors sell the day’s fresh seafood.

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Kakum National Park

One of the most exciting parts of our trip was visiting Kakum National Park, which protects 145 square miles of tropical rainforest in southern Ghana.

Tropical rainforests are incredibly important. Even though they cover only about 6% of Earth’s land, they’re home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species! They’re sometimes called “the lungs of the Earth” because trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

Kakum gained protected status in 1992 after local communities fought to protect the wildlife. The park is home to over 300 bird species and more than 40 mammal species, including forest elephants, leopards, and six different primate species (monkeys and other ape-like animals). Many of these animals are difficult to spot because they’re shy and well-camouflaged in the dense forest. But you can often hear them—especially the monkeys calling to each other!

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Canopy Walkway

The highlight is Kakum’s famous Canopy Walkway—seven suspension bridges stretching through the treetops, about 100 feet above the forest floor! Built in 1995, it’s one of only a few canopy walkways in Africa. Walking across these swaying bridges is thrilling and a little scary, but absolutely worth it. From up here, you get a completely different perspective. The rainforest canopy—the upper layer of branches and leaves—is where most of the forest’s biodiversity is found—many birds, insects, and mammals spend their entire lives up in the trees and rarely come down. As you walk across, you can see the incredible plant variety, spot colorful birds, and hear monkeys calling through the trees.

Rainforests around the world, including in Ghana, are threatened by deforestation—the cutting down of trees for timber, to clear land for farming, or for development. When rainforests are destroyed, we lose habitats for endangered species, as well as carbon storage—the trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere.

16. Stingless Bees Project

Near Kakum, we visited a stingless bees project. Have you ever heard of stingless bees? They are small bees that, as their name suggests, don’t have stingers. Nine species live in Ghana, and they’re important pollinators. Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred from one flower to another, allowing plants to produce fruits and seeds. We learned about their importance to the ecosystem, visited their hives, and tasted their unique honey, which is more liquid and tangy than regular honey. It is used as traditional medicine.

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Nzulezu Stilt Village

One of the most unique experiences was visiting Nzulezu, a village built entirely on stilts over Lake Tadane. We traveled there in traditional dugout canoes through beautiful marshy swamps filled with birds, lily pads, and aquatic plants.

According to local legend, the people who founded Nzulezu migrated from a part of the ancient Ghanaian Empire about 600 years ago. They were fleeing from conflict and danger in their homeland, and a snail led them to this remote lake where they’d be safe. They built their homes over the water for extra protection, and the snail became sacred—people here don’t eat snails, unlike in other parts of Ghana.

The entire village sits on wooden platforms above the water—houses, a school, a church, even a small bar. Boardwalks connect everything, and canoes are the main transportation. Surprisingly, most residents are farmers, not fishermen! They canoe to the mainland daily to tend their farms. About 500 people live here, maintaining traditional ways while adapting to modern life—they now have solar panels for electricity.

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Ankasa Conservation Area

Next, we traveled to Ankasa Conservation Area, which protects around 200 square miles of pristine rainforest. The area is home to endangered mammals like forest elephants, leopards, several primate species, and hundreds of bird species.

One beautiful natural site is the “Bamboo Cathedral,” where bamboo stalks have grown toward each other over a path, forming tall natural arches like cathedral ceilings.

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Ankasa

We also visited nearby Ankasa Village outside the conservation area, a community made up mostly of subsistence farmers—people who grow food primarily to feed their own families rather than to sell. They live in basic mud-brick houses and crops like cassava, plantains, cocoa, and yams, and they trade their produce at local markets to buy items they can’t produce themselves.

We spent time with farmers learning about their customs and even tried preparing traditional foods like gari and fufu. Making fufu requires strength and rhythm—two people take turns pounding boiled cassava and plantains with large wooden pestles. It’s hard work!

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Brenu Akyinim

After our time in the rainforest, we traveled back to the coast to Brenu Akyinim, a peaceful fishing village that sits between a beautiful beach and a lagoon filled with wildlife. We walked through the fishing community in the early morning, watching fishermen prepare their boats and nets.

The nearby Brenu Lagoon is home to many bird species, and some of us went kayaking there at sunrise. The lagoon and beach provide important habitat for coastal wildlife.

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Extension Lesson: Fantasy Coffins

The last thing I want to tell you about is Ghana’s unique tradition of making what are called fantasy coffins. In the local culture, death isn’t just sad—it’s also a celebration of someone’s life and their journey to the afterlife.

To celebrate the life of a person, they create custom-made coffins to reflect something important about that person—their job, passions, or personality. The designs are amazing! You might see:

• A fish for a fisherman
• An airplane for someone who loved to travel
• A car for a driver
• A beer bottle for a bar owner
• A cell phone for someone in telecommunications
• A Bible for a religious person

These elaborately painted coffins are works of art. We visited a workshop where master craftsmen create them. It’s a beautiful tradition to remember and celebrate loved ones.

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Overview

Our journey through Ghana was an incredible experience that taught us so much. A few takeaways:

• The Legacy of Slavery: Visiting Cape Coast Castle confronted us with one of history’s darkest chapters. The dungeons and the Door of No Return remind us to never forget what happened and to always stand against injustice.
• The Triumph of Independence: Learning about Nkrumah and Ghana’s independence movement showed how people can overcome oppression through determination and nonviolent resistance. Ghana’s independence inspired liberation movements across Africa and connected to civil rights struggles worldwide.
• Cultural Richness: From batik-making to fantasy coffins, we saw how Ghanaian culture maintains connections to wonderful traditional practices while adapting to modern life.
• Environmental Conservation: Kakum National Park and Ankasa showed us the importance of protecting rainforests.
• Community Resilience: When we met subsistence farmers and women empowered through Global Mamas, we saw communities supporting their members and building better futures.

Today, Ghana is considered one of Africa’s more stable democracies, and the economy is growing. But like many developing countries, Ghana faces challenges with education and healthcare, creating enough jobs for young people, managing resources sustainably, and reducing poverty. Despite these challenges, Ghanaians are optimistic about their country’s future.