Wa, Ghana
Encyclopedia
Wa is the capital of the Upper West Region
of Ghana
and is the main city of the Wala people
. The majority of the inhabitants are Muslim
. It is the seat of the Wa-Na, the Paramount Chief of the Wala traditional area. Features of the town include several mosque
s, the Wa-Na Palace, a museum
and a nearby hippopotamus
sanctuary. The town serves as a transportation hub for the northwestern part of Ghana, with major roads leading south to Kumasi
, north to Hamile
and Burkina Faso
, and northeast to Tumu and the Upper East Region
. There is also a small airport.
and Dagaare people, and then by Islamic scholars and traders who settled there in order to participate in the trans-Saharan trade. These newcomers adopted the Dagaare language
and to some extent simplified its grammar, as well as incorporating numerous loan words from Hausa, such as lafia (satisfactory) and alabasa (onion). (Both of these Hausa words are ultimately Arabic in origin: lafia comes from the Arabic العافية, al-'afiyya, health or well-being, while alabasa comes from البصل, al-basal, onion.) The name of the town means 'come' in the Waali language.
Wa also holds the mortal remains of Sir Ekum Ferguson, the British-Fante who worked to bring the north under British Jurisdiction as well as that of Babatu, a notorious slave raider well known for his raids in this region during the late and early 19 century.
, the semi-arid area south of the Sahara
that ranges from Senegal
to the Sudan
. Average annual rainfall is around 1000 mm, almost all of which occurs between May and October. Following the May–October rainly season is a cool dry period called the Harmattan (in Waali sesiao sanga) when a steady, often dusty, north wind blows from the Sahara. The hottest period of the year is in February and March when daytime temperatures often reach 110 °F
(42 °C
).
, millet
, yams
, okra
and groundnuts. Upland rice
is also farmed in a few areas. The major fruit crop is the mango
. Shea
nuts are collected from wild trees, for food or refinement into oils and cosmetics.
The staple food of Wa is known as T-Zed in English
. This is an abbreviation for the Hausa
expression tuo zaafi, meaning 'very hot'. In Waali, this food is referred to as sao. It is a thick porridge of corn flour eaten like fufu
- by tearing off a chunk and dipping into a soup, usually of okra.
The Wala chieftancy has an unusually long recorded history, in various documents in Arabic
and Hausa. A dispute over the order of succession for the Wa-na began with the death of the Wa-na in 1998. This acriminous and sometimes violent controversy was partially resolved in 2003 with the enskinment of a new Wa-na. His unfortunate death in September 2006 leaves the future of the Wa-na again uncertain.
The Wa-na's palace is a good example of traditional Sahelian architecture, with an exterior similar to that of the main mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso
.
Wa also hosts the campus where the majority of students of University for Development Studies (UDS) are based. The three faculties present in Wa are:
Upper West Region
The Upper West Region of Ghana is located in the northwestern corner of the country and is bordered by Burkina Faso to the north. The capital and largest city is Wa. Other towns include Nandom, Daffiema, Jirapa, Kaleo, Nadowli, Lawra and Tumu....
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and is the main city of the Wala people
Wala people
The Wala live in Upper West Region of Ghana.Wala's vibrant costumes are made in Ghana by a local tailor. The type of costume identifies the tribe of a person or group and what region in Ghana they are from. The dance costumes are designed by the group to suit the dance. The raffia skirt is a...
. The majority of the inhabitants are Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. It is the seat of the Wa-Na, the Paramount Chief of the Wala traditional area. Features of the town include several mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, the Wa-Na Palace, a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and a nearby hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
sanctuary. The town serves as a transportation hub for the northwestern part of Ghana, with major roads leading south to Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, north to Hamile
Hamile
Hamile is a town in far northwestern Ghana, not far from the border with Burkina Faso.- Transport :In July 2007, contracts were made for the construction of a railway extension to this town.- External links :...
and Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, and northeast to Tumu and the Upper East Region
Upper East Region
The Upper East Region is the smallest of 10 administrative regions in Ghana, occupying a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, it is the ninth most populated region with a population of 920,089 in 2000, accounting for...
. There is also a small airport.
History
Wa has been inhabited for several hundred years, first by LobiLobi
The Lobi are an ethnic group that originated in what is today Ghana. Starting around 1770 many of the Lobi migrated into southern Burkina Faso and later into Côte d'Ivoire. Currently the group consists of around 160,000 people...
and Dagaare people, and then by Islamic scholars and traders who settled there in order to participate in the trans-Saharan trade. These newcomers adopted the Dagaare language
Dagaare language
Dagaare is the maternal language of the Dagaaba people in Ghana and Burkina Faso. It has been described as a dialect continuum that also includes Waale and Birifor.Ethnologue divides Dagaare into three languages:...
and to some extent simplified its grammar, as well as incorporating numerous loan words from Hausa, such as lafia (satisfactory) and alabasa (onion). (Both of these Hausa words are ultimately Arabic in origin: lafia comes from the Arabic العافية, al-'afiyya, health or well-being, while alabasa comes from البصل, al-basal, onion.) The name of the town means 'come' in the Waali language.
Wa also holds the mortal remains of Sir Ekum Ferguson, the British-Fante who worked to bring the north under British Jurisdiction as well as that of Babatu, a notorious slave raider well known for his raids in this region during the late and early 19 century.
Environment
Wa is in the southern part of the SahelSahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
, the semi-arid area south of the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
that ranges from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Average annual rainfall is around 1000 mm, almost all of which occurs between May and October. Following the May–October rainly season is a cool dry period called the Harmattan (in Waali sesiao sanga) when a steady, often dusty, north wind blows from the Sahara. The hottest period of the year is in February and March when daytime temperatures often reach 110 °F
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
(42 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
).
Food and agriculture
Despite its urban status, Wa is in many ways still an agricultural community, and many people make a good portion of their living in small scale farming. The main crops are cornMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
, okra
Okra
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
and groundnuts. Upland rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is also farmed in a few areas. The major fruit crop is the mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
. Shea
Shea
Vitellaria paradoxa, also classified as Butyrospermum parkii and B. paradoxa, commonly known as shea tree, shi tree, or , vitellaria or karité, is a tree of the Sapotaceae family indigenous to Africa, occurring in Mali, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Togo, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan,...
nuts are collected from wild trees, for food or refinement into oils and cosmetics.
The staple food of Wa is known as T-Zed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. This is an abbreviation for the Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
expression tuo zaafi, meaning 'very hot'. In Waali, this food is referred to as sao. It is a thick porridge of corn flour eaten like fufu
Fufu
Fufu, , is a staple snack of West and Central Africa. It is a thick paste usually made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached...
- by tearing off a chunk and dipping into a soup, usually of okra.
The Wa chieftancy
The paramount chief of the Wala people is known as the Wa-na (na means chief in Waali.)The Wala chieftancy has an unusually long recorded history, in various documents in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Hausa. A dispute over the order of succession for the Wa-na began with the death of the Wa-na in 1998. This acriminous and sometimes violent controversy was partially resolved in 2003 with the enskinment of a new Wa-na. His unfortunate death in September 2006 leaves the future of the Wa-na again uncertain.
The Wa-na's palace is a good example of traditional Sahelian architecture, with an exterior similar to that of the main mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso
Bobo-Dioulasso
Bobo-Dioulasso is a city with a population of about 435,543 , the second largest city in Burkina Faso, Africa, after Ouagadougou, the nation's capital. The name means literally, "home of the Jula who speak Bobo," and is possibly a creation of the French who misunderstood the identity complexities...
.
The Dumba Festival
The Dumba festival was the main traditional event of Wa. It was typically held in late September to correspond with the harvest. The highlight of the year was a ceremony in which the Wa-na stepped over a small cow lying on the ground. According to traditional belief, if any part of the chief or his clothing touched the cow, he would probably die within the year. If on the other hand he stepped over the cow successfully, he was guaranteed a successful coming year.Education
The City of Wa pays host to a few renowned educational institutions. The biggest Senior High School in the Upper West Region, Wa Senior High School (formerly, WASSEC), is in this city. WASSEC had some tumultuous times in the past due to mis-management and indiscipline which decreased the school's standards. However, the school has recently been recording major improvements in students' general discipline and performance in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. The school was made a model school under the previous NPP government, which has boosted its infrastructural capacity thereby making it an attractive destination for students and teachers. Wa also has St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary. Built in the 1960s, Xavier has produced a plethora of successful young men for the service of the country and the world. St Francis Xavier Junior Seminary, arguably the best secondary school in the country, has scored 100% on the SSSCE for a very long time.Wa also hosts the campus where the majority of students of University for Development Studies (UDS) are based. The three faculties present in Wa are:
- Integrated Development Studies;
- Planning and Land Management;
- Education, Law and Business Studies.