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Of the more than 75 ethnic groups in Ghana, the AKAN, EWE, GA, and Mole-Dagbani are the largest. Although broad cultural similarities exist, ethnic groups are separated by varying rules of descent systems and residence patterns. Languages fall into the Gur or Kwa groups of the Niger-Congo family, but each ethnic group is associated with a separate dialect. English is the official language and is taught in the schools.
About 21 percent of the population maintain traditional animistic beliefs. Christianity is the religion of some 63 percent of the population--two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic. About 16 percent of the population are Muslim.
Urban centers are experiencing rapid growth. The largest cities, in descending order, are Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Tema, and SEKONDI-TAKORADI. High population densities are found in two areas: in the south--a triangular area, with its base along the coast and its apex at Kumasi--which contains about one-third of the population; and in the northeast, a strip along the border with Burkina Faso. Elsewhere population densities are low, reflecting the extensive (rather than intensive) agricultural methods.
In 1974 free, mandatory primary and middle-school education was introduced in state schools and in government-supported missionary schools. The resulting education system is considered one of the best in Black Africa. The University of Ghana (1948) at Legon, near Accra, is the leading university. Life expectancy and infant mortality rates are close to the average for Africa. Hospitals and clinics are provided by the government and by Christian missions.
The arts are closely allied to traditional religions. The visual arts are dominated by wood carving, especially masks, and the most important performing arts are dancing and music. Important institutions are the National Cultural Centre in Kumasi and the Arts Council of Ghana, located in Accra.
Ewe
The Ewe are a West African people, numbering about 1.5 million in the mid-1980s, in Benin, southern Togo, and southeastern Ghana. They speak various dialects of Ewe, which belongs to the Kwa subfamily of the Niger-Congo languages. Their traditional government was a confederation of many small kingdoms governed by a council of chiefs and was less complex and powerful than that of the FON, to whom they are related.
The Ewe are subsistence farmers, craftsmen, and traders. Fishing in coastal waters is important to their economy. Descent is traced through the paternal line. In most of the more than 100 Ewe-speaking tribes, the largest kinship unit is the patrilineage. Marriage may include more than one wife and involves both payment of bride-price and premarital bride service by the prospective husband. Ewe religion centers on a creator god and a host of lesser deities. Its cults are similar to those of the Fon and YORUBA, as is the culture's close tie between religion and art. Ewe art consists mostly of carved wood figures of deities and figures of children made to be buried with childless women.
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