LANGUAGE OF THE MONTH: YORUBA
Yoruba is a language spoken in West Africa, mainly in Nigeria. The number of speakers of Yoruba is approaching 65 million. It is a pluricentric language spoken principally in Benin and Nigeria, with communities in other parts of Africa, the Americas, and Europe. A variety of the language, Lucumi, is the liturgical language of the Santería religion of the Caribbean. Many Yoruba words are used in the African-Brazilian religion known as Candomblé. Yoruba is most closely related to the Itsekiri language (spoken in the Niger Delta) and to Igala (spoken in central Nigeria).
Did you know? Yoruba is classified within the Edekiri languages, which together with Itsekiri and the isolate Igala form the Yoruboid group of languages within the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family. The linguistic unity of the Niger-Congo family dates to deep prehistory, estimates ranging around 15 kya (the end of the Upper Paleolithic). In present-day Nigeria, it is estimated that there are over 40 million Yoruba primary and secondary language speakers and several other millions of speakers outside Nigeria making it the most widely spoken African language outside Africa.
Geography
Ghana, officially called the Republic of Ghana, is a sovereign unitary presidential constitutional democracy, located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the sub region of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2, Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King" in the Soninke language.
Ghana s national languages Akuapem Twi Asante Twi Dagaare Dagbani Dangme Ewe Ga Gonja Kasem Fante Nzema Wasa Talensi Frafra
Etymology The etymology of the word Ghana means "warrior king" and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval Ghana Empire in West Africa, although this empire was further north than the modern-day country of Ghana in Guinea region. The name "Ghana" was a possible source of the name "Guinea" (via French Guinoye) used to refer to the West African coast off Ghana (as in Gulf of Guinea).
Capital: Accra Currency: Ghanaian cedi Population: 25.9 million (2013) World Bank President: John Dramani Mahama GDP per capita: 1,858.24 USD (2013) World Bank Official language: English
Ghana Ghana, a nation on West Africa s Gulf of Guinea, is known for diverse wildlife, old forts and secluded beaches, such as at Busua. Coastal towns Elmina and Cape Coast contain posubans (native shrines), colonial buildings and castles-turned-museums that serve as testimonials to the slave trade. North of Cape Coast, vast Kakum National Park has a treetop-canopy walkway over the rainforest.
Population of Ghana The population of Ghana is divided into some 75 ethnic groups. The estimated population of Ghana in 2012 is 24,652,402 (females-51%, males 49), giving the country an overall population density of 78 persons per sq km (201 per sq mi). The most densely populated parts of the country are the coastal areas, the Ashanti region, and the two principal cities, Accra and Kumasi. About 70 percent of the total population lives in the southern half of the country. The most numerous peoples are the coastal Fanti, and the Ashanti, who live in central Ghana, both of whom belong to the Akan family. Most of the inhabitants in the northern region belong to the Moshi-Dagomba or to the Gonja group.
People of Ghana Ghanaians have a number of local festivals throughout the year. Some of these ask for a blessing or protection of an area, such as the Bakatue festival in July which marks the new fishing season. Festivals held in the spring may ask for good rains, such as the Homowo festival of the Greater Accra region. In the autumn, they may give thanks for the harvest, such as the Kobine in the Upper West region. Some festivals commemorate historical events or migrations, such as the famous Aboakyir deer-hunting festival in May. During this festival, two groups of hunters dressed in full traditional regalia compete to capture an antelope alive with their bare hands. During the Hogbetsotso or Exodus Festival in November, the Ewe people mark their escape from a tyrannical ruler. Traditionally-dressed chiefs lead lively processions of drummers and dancers through the streets.
Yoruba alphabet
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