Cultural Education 101

To understand Ghana, I must first educate you about the culture. Yes, it is important to know the culture of the host country so as to not offend anyone. Relationships can only be built once someone trusts you and realizes that you want to know their culture. So here we go, try to stay with me as I try to remember everything I have learned so far.



Never do anything with your left hand! Don't even wave with it!



Don't wave with your fingers up and down only with your whole hand side to side. If you move your fingers, it motions someone to come to you.



El brunei is a foreigner or a white person. We get this all the time!



Pedestrians do not have the right away: learned this one in the market when I almost lost my hip!



The hierarchy system is important as men are important and should be talked to first.



When you talk to a chief leader, you only talk to the person with him and never directly to him. Only speak if he talks to you!



You will find women and men with different scars on their face. They represent different tribes that they all belong to. The tribes began putting markings on their face to identify their own people just in case they were sold into slavery.

If someone says that they will try to come it doesn't mean that they are actually coming, they probably won't show up.

When you are given a price at the market, barder for half of that price and then go up if you have to but not much.

In Northern Ghana, the population is heavily Muslim so legs need to be covered and a women should never come in direct contact with a male without another male figure.

Funerals can last anywhere from 3 days to over a week. The immediate family is in charge of having the whole family stay at the house which can really take a burden on the bank account. They must entertain the family and feed them until they decide to leave.

Red and black are funeral colors so don't wear these together!

Tro Tros are the inexpensive transportation but they can be dangerous! I haven't been in one yet but probably will sometime. Don't worry!

It is disrespectful to walk away from someone without saying goodmorning/goodafternoon first. You must first acknowledge the person and say these greetings before you begin a conversation.

That is all of the cultural education I have for you at the moment. Please study these so you can be ready for the pop quiz! Remember, I am a teacher! We will begin course 102 when I have more cultural knowledge that I hopefully don't make from my own mistakes but I guess it is the only way to learn. So keep studying!