Ghanian Culture

In the village of Kyekyewere we were warmly greeted by the community, as a part of learning the culture, we all learned our Ashanti name;

The Ashanti, and many other Ghanaians use the Akan naming system. Children are named after the day of the week they were born and in the order in which they were born. These names have spread throughout West Africa, from Benin/Dahomey (Fon) and Togo (Ewe) to the Côte d'Ivoire (Baoulé), and throughout the African diaspora. While the spelling of the names differ by region and ethnic group, the general orthography in Twi has been standardized. There is a diversity of middle names. The Ashanti have systems for middle names depending on gender, order of birth, and names of relatives. The list below shows the Akan names the Ashanti verisons are in bold.

Males
Monday: Kojo, Kwadwo
Tuesday: Kwabena, Kobena, Kobina, Ebo, Kobby
Wednesday: Kwaku, Kweku, Kuuku
Thursday: Yaw, Ekow, Yao
Friday: Kofi, Fifi, Yoofi
Saturday: Kwame, Kwamena, Kwami, Ato, Atoapem

Sunday: Kwesi, Akwesi, Kwasi, Siisi

Females
Monday: Adwoa, Adzo, Ajoba, Ejo
Tuesday: Abena, Abla, Araba
Wednesday: Akua, Akuba, Aku, Ekuwa, Kuukuwa, Kukua
Thursday: Yaa, Aba, Yaaba, Yaayaa
Friday: Afia, Afua, Afi, Efie, Efua
Saturday: Ama, Amma, Awo
Sunday: Akosua, Esi, Kisi

Sunday, March 21, 2010, Administrator