Nzema people

Nzema people
Nzema
Total population
~500,000
Regions with significant populations
Western Region of Ghana, Ivory Coast
Languages

Nzema, Twi/Fante
Religion

Christianity, African Traditional Religion, Islam
Related ethnic groups

Akan

The Nzema are an Akan people numbering about 328,700 people of whom 262,000 live in southwestern Ghana and 66,700 live in the southeast of Côte d'Ivoire.In Ghana the Nzema area is divided into two electoral districts of Nzema East District and Nzema West which is also referred to as Jomoro District of Ghana. Their language is also known as Nzima (in Ghana) or Appolo (in the Ivory Coast).

The Nzema are mostly farmers. According to their traditional calendar, days are ordered in cycles of seven, and these in turn follow each other in a three-week cycle. A religious kundum festival is held annually all over the Ahanta-Nzema area, starting in the easternmost part of Ahanta and advancing southwestward. Among other things, this festival is the main occasion on which the satirical avudewene songs are performed by young men. Lineage among the Nzema is matrilineal.

The Area was part of the Empire of Denkyira and later Ashanti.

The pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah was an Nzema. The European trained philosopher of the eighteenth century, Anton Wilhelm Amo, was of the Nzema people.

See also

  • Aby lagoon
  • Assongu, a spirit force worshipped by the peoples of this area, represented in terracotta figurines to which offerings are presented.

References

  • Burmeister, Jonathan L. 1976. "A comparison of variable nouns in Anyi-Sanvi and Nzema."
  • Egya-Blay. 1987. "Changing patterns of authority over children among the Western Nzema."
  • Grottanelli, Vinigi L. (1988) The python killer: stories of Nzema life. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Rowson, Hilary M. 1987. "Health and the gods in contemporary Nzema thought."
  • Valsecchi, Pierluigi (1999) "Calendar and the annual festival in Nzema: notes on time and history", Africa (Instituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente), 54, 4, 489-513.
  • Valsecchi, Pierluigi (2001) "The 'true Nzema': a layered identity", Africa (International Africa Institute), 71, 3, 391-425.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nzema language — Nzema Spoken in  Ghana Ethnicity Nzema Native speakers 330,000  (1993–2004) …   Wikipedia

  • Nzema — may refer to: the Nzema people the Nzema language This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article …   Wikipedia

  • Nzema — noun a) Any member of an Akan people of southwestern Ghana and southeast Côte dIvoire. b) The language of the Nzema. Syn: Appolo …   Wiktionary

  • Akan people — The Akan people are a linguistic group of West Africa.This group includes the Akuapem, the Akyem, the Ashanti, the Baoulé, the Anyi, the Brong, the Fante and the Nzema peoples of both Ghana and Côte d Ivoire. From the 15th century to 19th century …   Wikipedia

  • P. A. K. Aboagye — Paul Alfred Kwesi Aboagye (5 January 1925 19 June 2001) was a Ghanaian poet, essayist, novelist, and historian of the Nzema language. Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Public service 3 Literary work 4 …   Wikipedia

  • Languages of Ghana — Different sources give different figures for the number of languages of Ghana. This is because of different classifications of varieties as either languages or dialects. Ethnologue lists a total of 79 languages.As with many ex colonies in Africa …   Wikipedia

  • List of lists of ethnic groups — The following is a list of lists of ethnic groups: By region * Africa ** North Africa ** Horn of Africa ** Sub Saharan Africa * Americas (indigenous) ** Brazil ** USA *** Alaska *** Hawaii ** Canada * Asia ** Southeast Asia *** Vietnam *** Laos… …   Wikipedia

  • Sub-Saharan African music traditions — A Mangbetu man playing an African harp See also: Rhythm in Sub Saharan Africa Sub Saharan African music traditions exhibit so many common features that they may in some respects be thought of as constituting a single musical system.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Ghanaian cuisine — Fufu with peanut soup and meat Ghanaian cuisine is the cuisine of Ghana. There are diverse traditional dishes from each ethnic group, tribe and clan from the north to the south and from the east to west. Foods also vary according to the season,… …   Wikipedia

  • Okomfo Anokye — (active late 17th century) was an Nzema priest, statesman and lawgiver. == Early life == Okomfo Anokye was born in Benyin,in West Nzema Ghana West AFrica, now called Jomoro, in the late 1600s. His father was from Benyin and his mother was from… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”