November 25

November 25 marked the 10^th anniversary of the UN-sponsored International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day launches 16 days of activism against gender-violence around the world. As you know the issue is the main point of my project in Rwanda so I thought I should at least remember this day. On 17 December 1999, the General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designated to raise public awareness of the problem on that day. The UN described domestic violence against women as one of the most pervasive human rights violation known today.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his campaign opposing violence against women:

"Our goal is clear: to end these inexcusable crimes -- whether it is the use of rape as a weapon of war, domestic violence, sex trafficking, so-called 'honor' crimes or female genital mutilation.” He said it was crucial to address the roots of violence against women and reminded people of the UN campaign, "UNite to End Violence Against Women.” The campaign calls for countries to put in place laws, action plans, prevention, and systematic measures to address sexual violence in conflict situations and other forms of gender-violence whether during conflict or not (in France, for example, one woman dies every two days as a result of domestic violence. It is not confined to a single culture or region or to particular groups of women within a society. You must know that up to 70% of women experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime. Shocking, right?). UN Resident Coordinator, Khin-Sandi Lwin, said, “The message is clear: We have a responsibility to end gender-based violence together as Women, girls, men, boys and individuals of all generations, religions, occupations and political beliefs, regardless of our socio-economic backgrounds.” The consequences of gender-based violence are devastating and have been mentioned before. Violence not only physically and emotionally hurts the victim but also impedes the ability of women to go to work and earn a living to support their families.

The UN also called for men to take action to eradicate violence done to women:

“Violence against women and girls will not be eradicated until all of us - men and boys - refuse to tolerate it,” said the UN secretary general.

To commemorate the day, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will launch his Network of Men Leaders, a major new initiative of his UNiTE to End Violence Against Women campaign. The Network of Men Leaders consists of politicians, activists, religious and community leaders who will work together to support the efforts of women around the world to embrace equality and inspire men to speak out against violence.

Visit these websites for more information on the issue:

http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/

http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au/

Ghana: "Freedom and Justice"

Official name: United Republic of Ghana

Motto: "Freedom and Justice"

Population: 23.8 million

Capital: Accra. Capital since 1877.

Other large cities: Kumasi, Tamale

Major Ethnic distribution: African 98.5% (major tribes: Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5%

Religions: Christian 69%, Traditionalists 8.5%, Muslim 15.6%, others 6.9%.

Languages: English (official), African (Akan, Mole-Dagomba, Ewe and Ga)

President: John Atta Mills (2009)

Monetary unit: Cedi

Agriculture: cocoa, rice, coffee, tapioca, peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas, timber.

Natural resources: fish, gold, timber, diamonds, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone…

Climate: tropical, warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast, hot and humid in southwest, hot and dry in north.

History
Much of the attraction of Ghana is based upon its legacy as the center of the gold, ivory, and slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries, when the mighty Ashanti Empire held sway here. Ghana has always stood out among African countries since it was the first African nation to gain independence from a colonial power (1957).

The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval Ghana Empire of West Africa. The actual name of the Empire was Wagadugu but Ghana was the title of the kings who ruled the kingdom. Before 1957, Ghana was called the Gold Coast. Kumasi, the Ashanti (ethnic group) capital, was one of most advanced cities in Africa and, at the time, it was far more developed than any European country. The Ghana Empire was in the Sahel and included most of present-day Senegal and some regions of Mali and Mauritania. It did not reach as far south as today.

In 1482, the Portuguese built a castle in Elmina, in the Central region along the coast. Their goal was to trade in gold, ivory and slaves. The slave trade grew in importance over the decades, although it already existed prior to colonialism. In 1598 the Dutch joined the Portuguese and other European traders joined in by the mid 18th century, including the English. Ghana became largely considered a British territory by the latter half of the 19th century. The remnants of the trade in Ghana are still visible today: numerous forts and castles were built by Europeans between 1482 and 1786. The large-scale organization of European slave trading, the development of industry in Europe and massive plantations the Americas largely dependent on slave labor gave rise to a trade in humans that was shocking in its scale. Many of the forts have been preserved and attract visitors as part of the Slave Route Project of UNESCO.

The colonial years were relatively untroubled but little was done to involve the African population in the political processes. Immediately after WWII things moved fast: the turning point was the return home in 1947 of Kwame Nkrumah after several years of study and radical politics abroad. He was invited back to the Gold Coast to become general secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention, an organization campaigning for self-government. He organized non-violent protests and strikes. But in the colony's first general election, in 1951, the CPP, founded by Nkrumah in 1949, won convincingly. In 1952, he became prime minister. A year before independence, the neighboring Togo voted to merge with the Gold Coast. Nkrumah gained leadership of the country in 1957 and the Gold Coast adopted the name of Ghana.

By regional standards, Ghana is often seen as a model for political and economic reform in Africa. Ghana became a republic in 1960 with Nkrumah as president for life and only one political party, the CPP. Ghana fell into corruption and economic decline. Nkrumah was brought down by a coup in 1966. After experiencing a series of coups, Lt. Jerry Rawlings took power in 1981, leading the country towards economic stability and democracy. After drafting and approving a new constitution, Rawlings won presidential elections in 1992 and 1998. John Kufuor succeeded him until 2009. The post of President is now held by John Atta Mills.

John Atta Mills

Culture

A common feature of all Ghanaian cultures is the love for festivals, dance and music. There is one almost every week. They cover the right of passage child-birth, puberty, marriage and death. There are 3 main types of music: traditional music; "highlife" music (mix of traditional and ‘imported’ music); choral music. Drumming is also highly popular.
While there is a small body of written literature in indigenous languages, Ghanaians maintain a rich oral tradition. Literature in English is also well developed.

Food

Ghana has diverse traditional dishes from each ethnic group. Soups are the primary component in Ghanaian cuisine and are eaten with fufu (either pounded plantain and yam), kokonte (cassava meal cooked into a paste), banku (fermented corn dough), boiled yam, rice, bread, plantain, or cassava. The most common soups are palm nut soup and groundnut (peanut) soup, Jolof rice, West African curry

Fishing Boats

Places to visit (I’m not gonna do it all since I’ll only have the weekends off, but obviously I’ll make sure to visit most of it)

Greater Accra: Makola Market, The DuBois Centre, University of Ghana, the National Museum, Old Accra, botanical garden, Bojo beach. Busua and Dixcove, two fishing villages not far away from Accra.
Ashanti and Central region Region: Kumasi, Lake Bosomtwi.
Brong Ahafo region: Kintanpo waterfalls, lakes, National Park, Tafi Atome
The Coast: castles along the coastline, Kakum National Park (rain forest), beaches and fishing villages, fishing fleets, market day in Elmina and Cape Coast. The coastline is Ghana’s premier attraction, full of palm-lined beaches and the remains of European coastal forts.
Northern region: Mole National Park (elephants, baboons, crocodile ponds,…)
Volta Region and East: Lake Volta, Wli waterfalls, Mount Afadjato, Tagbo Falls, Shai nature reserve



Bojo Beach










Marie'