Nzema
Encyclopedia
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 Europe
an trained philosopher of the eighteenth century, Anton Wilhelm Amo
, was of the Nzema people.
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
numbering about 328,700 people of whom 262,000 live in southwestern 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 66,700 live in the southeast of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
.In Ghana the Nzema area is divided into two electoral districts of Nzema East District
Nzema East District
The Nzema East District is a district of Ghana in the Western Region, located on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea. The Ankobra River is the only major river in the district. Rainfall occurs throughout the year. The Trans-West African highway runs through it...
and Nzema West which is also referred to as Jomoro District
Jomoro District
The Jomoro District is a district of Ghana in the Western Region.-Sources:*...
of Ghana. Their language
Nzema language
Nzema , also known as Appolo, is a Central Tano language spoken by the Nzema people of southwestern Ghana and southeast Côte d'Ivoire. It shares 60% intelligibility with Jwira-Pepesa and is close to Baoule.-References:...
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
Denkyira
Denkyira was a powerful nation of Akan people that existed in southern present-day Ghana from 1620. Like all Akans they originated from Bono state. Before 1620 Denkyira was called Agona. The ruler of the Denkyira was called Denkyirahene and the capital was Jukwaa...
and later Ashanti.
The pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
was an Nzema.
The Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an trained philosopher of the eighteenth century, Anton Wilhelm Amo
Anton Wilhelm Amo
Anton Wilhelm Amo or Anthony William Amo was born in what is now Ghana, taken to Europe, and became a respected philosopher and teacher at the universities of Halle and Jena in Germany. He was the first African known to have attended a European university.-Early life and education:Amo was a Nzema...
, was of the Nzema people.
See also
- Aby lagoon
- Assongu, a spiritSpiritThe English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
force worshipped by the peoples of this area, represented in terracotta figurines to which offerings are presented.