What values count in Ghana? A look at the mentality of the West African country

According to the United Nations, there are currently 193 countries on our planet. Within these 193 countries there are different groups, tribes and communities, which all have and represent their own values. But what exactly are values?

Values are desirable or morally good characteristics or qualities that are attributed to objects, ideas, practical or moral ideals, facts, patterns of action, character traits or even goods.

But how do values and moral ideas manifest themselves in practice? The values espoused by fairafric include justice, kindness, respect, honesty and togetherness. Many of these values are also of central importance in Ghana.

With the help of the World Value Survey, we would like to introduce you to five important values of the Ghanaian population.

Family

There is probably no society in which the family does not play an essential role. It is therefore not surprising that in Ghana, too, almost 96% of the respondents stated that the family comes first in their lives. This is due in part to the fact that the family is considered the cornerstone of social life in Ghanaian society. The elderly act as role models for the younger generations. At the same time, the family serves to provide financial security for family members in old age.

Friendliness

The Ghanaian population is known beyond the country's borders for its friendliness and open-mindedness. Children learn this from birth.

Part of the friendliness of Ghanaians is making small talk. A sentence like "Let's finally get down to business" is unthinkable and considered highly impolite!

In addition to small talk, Ghanaian society is characterized by an indirect communication style - direct criticism is taboo and considered very rude. Instead of giving direct criticism, topics are skirted around, which from time to time leads to problems with serious topics and conversations easily go around in circles.

Respect

This is already visibly demonstrated in the greeting: In the male population handshakes are a must and a sign of recognition. At events and celebrations it is considered respectful to greet each person individually and especially the greeting of the older generations is very important.

Furthermore, people in Ghana do not gesture with their left hand, as this is considered rude. Food is also always eaten with the right hand.

In Ghana, collective culture dominates, which means that a person always acts on behalf of the collective, or in this case, the family. As a result, disrespectful behavior by one family member can spread to the entire family. This is one of the reasons why social behavior plays a decisive role in Ghana and care is taken not to "lose face".

Faith

Religion is a very important part of the culture in Ghana, because in Ghana there is hardly a person who does not believe in God. One can even go a step further, because for more than 80% of the Ghanaian population, God plays a crucial role in everyday life. It is not uncommon for Ghanaians to pray several times a day. Getting up at three in the morning to practice your faith? No exception in Ghana!

For the population, which consists of almost 70% Christians and 18% Muslims, faith is primarily about dealing with death and creating positive associations with death. Faith also includes striving to do good. This is also reflected in the friendly disposition of Ghanaians.

Cohesion

In order to gain independence, the Ghanaian people had to fight hard, which bonded the people together in a very unique way. Cohesion is not only emphasized within the family - even with casual acquaintances and even strangers, people share and start a conversation without hesitation.

In Ghana, it is not uncommon to invite people passing by for a meal. It does not matter whether the person is a close friend or just a acquaintance. Even strangers are invited, as long as they do not refuse the invitation (which is considered polite in Ghana).