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area handbook series Ghana a country study VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY 2839 BURNHAM AVENUE LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89109 OEMCO LfBRARV \f "HOOO Digitized by the Internet Archive 2009 in http://www.archive.org/details/ghanacountrystudOOberr Ghana a country study VALLEY HIGH SCROOC Federal Research Division 28'^9 BURNHAM AVE, Library ofCongress LAS VEGAS, NV 89100 „"'""'' *^^^ ' '* LaVerle Berry Research Completed November 1994 On the cover: Gold weight in the form of a portrait mask (Asante) Third Edition, First Printing, 1995. LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ghana a country study / Federal Research Division, Library : — ofCongress—; edited byLaVerle Berry. 3rd ed. p. cm. (Area handbook series, ISSN 1057-5294) (DAPam; 550-153) "Supersedes the 1971 edition of Ghana a country — : study, coauthored by Irving Kaplan etal." T.p. verso. "Research completed November 1994." Includes bibliographical references (pp. 319-349) and index. ISBN 0-8444-0835-2 (he alk. paper) : I.Ghana. I. Berry, LaVerle Bennette, 1942- . II. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division. III. Series. IV. Series: DAPam 550-153 ; DT510.G44 1995 95-18891 966.7—dc20 CIP Reprintedwithoutonrecycledacid-freepaper. Beman Lanham,Maryland December 1995 Foreword This volume is one in a continuing series ofbooks prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program spon- sored by the DepartmentoftheArmy. The last two pages ofthis book list the other published studies. Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. Each study iswritten by a multidisci- plinary team ofsocial scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extentoftheir involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order. The books represent the analysis ofthe authors and should not be construed as an expression ofan official United States government position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards ofscholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from read- erswill be welcomed for use in future editions. Louis R. Mortimer Chief Federal Research Division Library ofCongress Washington, DC 20540-5220 111 Acknowledgments The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the coauthors ofthe 1971 edition of Ghana: A Country Study. Their work provided general background for the presentvolume. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the numerous individuals in various government agencies and private institutions who gave oftheir time, research materials, and expertise in the production of this book. These individuals include Ralph K. Benesch, who oversees the Country Studies/Area Handbook program for the Department ofthe Army. The staff of the Federal Research Division who contributed directly to preparation ofthe manuscript also deserve recogni- tion. These people include SandraW. Meditz, who reviewed all drafts and served as liaison with the sponsoring agency; Mari- lyn L. Majeska, who managed editing and production; Andrea T. Merrill, who edited tables and figures; Ramon Miro and Tim L. Merrill, who provided research support; and Barbara Edger- ton and Izella Watson, who did word processing. Stephen C. Cranton, David R Cabitto, andJanie L. Gilchrist prepared the camera-ready copy. Also involved in preparing the textwere Peter Tietjen, who J. edited the text; Helen Chapin Metz, who helped with editing; and Carolyn Hinton, who performed the prepublication edito- rial review.Joan C. Cook compiled the index. David P. Cabitto prepared the graphics. Harriett R. Blood prepared the topography and drainage map; Thomas D. Hall drafted the remaining maps. David P. Cabitto and the firm of Greenhorne and O'Mara prepared the final maps. Special thanks go to Teresa Kamp, who prepared the illustrations on the title page ofeach chapter and the cover art. The editor and the authors acknowledge the generosity of the Embassy of Ghana, the White House,James Sanders, and Brook, Rose, and Cooper Le Van, who allowed their photo- graphs to be used in this study. Staff ofthe Embassy ofGhana in addition provided invaluable guidance in the drafdng ofthe rank and insignia charts. Finally, the editor wishes to acknowledge the support given by authors David Owusu-Ansah, Max- well Owusu, and Thomas P. Ofcansky to this volume. Their devotion clearly exceeded the normal call ofduty.