Friday, February 5, 2010

Ghana: the African Gold Coast

as it was called in colonial days. When the British granted independence in 1957 the new country chose Ghana as it name.  I  haven't had much time for sightseeing here but did take a couple of hours to visit a few highlights including the memorial to the Pan African leader, Kwame Nkrumah, who became the first president of Ghana.  I also made a sobering visit to Elmina Castle where slaves were traded and put on ships for the United States. During his state visit to Ghana last July, Barak Obama and and his family visited Elmina Castle.   There are still many pictures of Obama throughout the city honoring that visit.  One of the more noticable buildings on the main thoroughfare going from the Accra airport towards the city center was a Mormon Temple with Angel Moroni on the top. It almost made me feel like I am back in Salt Lake. 

This will be a very short report as I won't be here long and won't have the opportunity to experience much.  Hope you are all surviving the snow and inversions while I'm surving the heat.  I think I prefer Salt Lake's winter except for last evening when I was able to spend a little time in the hotel pool. 

Here are a few wikis on Ghana and the Gold Coast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elmina_slave_castle.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast_(British_colony)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah

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