play videoGhana was an adopted name from the Ancient Ghana Empire
Ghana today is a West African country located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Modern-day Ghana emerged from the then Gold Coast which was a colony under British Colonial rule.
But before its coming into being, there existed an empire which today lies about four hundred miles northwest of modern Ghana.
It is important to know
Read full articlehowever that both territories are geographically different.
Emphasizing this in this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV, Senior Museums and Monuments Officer, Samuel Amegah Jnr. told Wonder Ami Hagan that the Ancient Ghana Empire and modern-day Ghana are not one and the same.
“The Ancient Ghana Empire or Kingdom and modern-day Ghana – sometimes, people do confuse the Ancient Ghana Empire with the modern-day territory called Ghana; and these are two separate geographical areas.
“This was an Empire that existed between the 8th and 12th century but at around the 13th century, it was destroyed by a more sophisticated empire which is the Mali Empire. That territory has been absorbed but the name Ghana was actually declared on this nation when we gained independence from our colonial masters.
We take a look at the difference between the old Ghana Empire and modern-day Ghana:
What is now known as Wagadou, the Ghana Empire was located between Southern Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali.
Though the origination of the empire is not quite known, history has it that, a number of clans of the Soninke people, (in modern Senegal) came together under a leader with semi-divine status, called Dinga Cisse.
Formed around 300 to 1100, the Ghana Empire had its capital as Koumbi Saleh, sometimes called Kumbi Saleh.
The leadership was made up of local kings who paid tribute to the high king. Ghana according to history, was a word used by the Soninke people describe their king; a word which means – ‘Warrior King’.
The old Ghana Empire was known for its possession of rich minerals including iron, copper, gold and ivory.
The Ghana Empire is said to have derived power and wealth from gold and the mining of iron. Camels in the Sahara Desert boosted the number of goods that could be transported.
Around 1050 CE, the Empire of Ghana crumbled after facing attacks from Northern Africa over pressure to convert to Islam.
The Empire eventually became Mali Empire after its fall.
Modern-day Ghana:
On the other hand, modern-day Ghana is located in the West African sub-region. Ghana transitioned to multi-party democracy in 1992 after several coups under military rule.
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957, becoming the first black African colony to declare independence.
Modern-day Ghana gained its name from the old Ghana Empire. Until then, the country was called ‘Gold Coast.
Early settlers including the Portuguese began trading in gold, ivory, and timber on their arrival. In the 1500s, slavery took over gold as the main export in the region.
