Talk:Ghana

Etymology

Can there be a section on the etymology of Ghana and why it was chosen? Alexanderkowal (talk) 20:51, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

I see this was deleted by someone who is now blocked.....we could simply say... "The word Ghana is said to have been derived from the Soninke language which means "warrior king". This word was used to describe the powerful Ghana Empire that existed in West Africa between the 9th and 13th centuries. Over time, the name Ghana came to be associated with the region and the people who lived there. When Ghana gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957, the country adopted the name Ghana as a way to honor its history and heritage". Moxy🍁 22:56, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

That’s great, feel free to apply that if no one else has any issues Alexanderkowal (talk) 06:38, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

My only gripe is that the Ghana Empire didn’t cover any of modern-day Ghana, so maybe say wider region Alexanderkowal (talk) 07:19, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

Let's not add this without actual sources; 'liquisearch' is a Wikipedia mirror that simply copied the material that was previously removed. Sam Kuru (talk) 12:53, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Okay my bad, I'll get a scholarly one Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:55, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

How is ? Not a scholarly one but it says the same thing Alexanderkowal (talk) 12:58, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

That source doesn't explain the etymology of Ghana, it just says it was the name of the ruling dynasty. There is a source at Ghana Empire, but it is an offline one. I found which explains a bit more about the selection of the name, but not the Etymology. CMD (talk) 13:23, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Would combining them be considered WP:Synth? Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:35, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Not if both are distinct points, but still neither explains the original etymology present on Ghana Empire. I'm sure there are sources out there, etymology is often hard to google. CMD (talk) 13:58, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

I think you get access to this through wikipedia library , Ghana is sort of an exonym, the Soninke used oral tradition rather than writing, so the first written records come from Arab sources, it was called Wagadu by the Soninke, although there is some debate about whether Wagadu and Ghana are the same Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:05, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

The debate is almost non existent nowadays Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:06, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Wagadu usually refers to the core of the Ghana Empire I think Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:05, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Can't seem to access that source myself. It seems potentially an exonym for the empire, but that doesn't mean the word itself wasn't originally local. CMD (talk) 14:19, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

You're right, the word was sort of from local origin, the title for the king was "Kaya Maghan" with Maghan being corrupted into Ghana. Personally I think it's beyond reasonable doubt but that's why I'm not an academic

"Firstly, there are mentions of a political entity called Ghāna in written Arabic sources. Secondly, there is the legend of the Soninké people about a polity that ruled in an area called Wagadu. Thirdly, there is a comparatively long history of archaeological research in the wider region that has become attached to the Empire of Ghana."

"The first mentions of the political entity that later became known as the Empire of Ghana are in Arabic texts after the 8th century CE. In the 10th-century work of al-Ma’sūdī, there is a reference to an unknown manuscript by al-Fazārī that appears to be from the late 8th or early 9th century. Al-Fazārī is quoted as mentioning “Ghāna, the land of gold,”3 an association that sticks to Ghāna throughout its mentions in the Arabic source material. Written between 831 and 842, al-Khuwārizmī’s Ṣurat al-arḍ mentions Ghāna and its geographic position, as well as a mountain of the same name, Jabal Ghāna, from which there flows a river into the sea.4 What exactly Ghāna was in this early period, however, is open to debate among the translators: Cuoq translates al-Fazārī as describing “the state of Ghāna”5 while Levtzion and Hopkins translate the same passage as “the province of Ghāna.”6 Some clarity is introduced by Al-Ya’qūbī in his Tārīkh, written in 872–873. In one of the most fundamental quotes for the early political history of West Africa, he states:

Then there is the kingdom of Ghāna, whose king is also very powerful. In his country are the gold mines, and under his authority are a number of kings. Among them are the kingdom of ‘ĀM and the kingdom of Sāma. Gold is found in the whole of this country.7

Together with the preceding section, a list of kings who are subordinate to the nearby king of Kawkaw (Gao), this passage is taken as proof for the existence of a complex political hierarchy in the western Sahel and is the main justification for speaking about an “Empire” of Ghana. We must however note that, by this point, the political structure of Ghāna has undergone three processes of distortion: first, in the way the North African visitors understood what they saw and related it; second, in the way the authors of the Arabic sources interpreted this information; and third, in the way that European scholars interpreted the Arabic sources. To speak of Ghāna as an empire and of its rulers as kings certainly overfamiliarizes a political form whose actual shape we know only in outline and by approximation.

Yet if Al-Ya ̔qūbī states that Ghāna is a “kingdom,” then Ibn al-Faqīh, writing after 903, muddies the waters again by referring to Ghāna as a “land” as well as a “town.”8 Ibn Ḥawqal, in the second half of the 10th century, is of the opinion that Ghāna is the name of the ruler as well as the country he rules.9 The most detailed source, Al-Bakrī in the 11th century, finally states that “Ghāna is a title given to their kings,” while the region has the name Awkar. All the while, however, Al-Bakrī still refers to the “town of Ghāna.” While the Empire of Ghana has become a common term, it is far from clear whether this is in any way a name that this polity used for itself, or whether it rather refers to the ruler, the capital, or the core region it controls. Neither do we know what language the word “Ghāna” is taken from. It is neither Arabic, nor does it appear to be from a Mandé language."

Alexanderkowal (talk) 14:36, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

Sorry guys got the info from McKissack, P.; McKissack, F. (2016). The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa. Square Fish. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-250-11351-1. Retrieved June 8, 2024. But its a Juvenile Nonfiction ...that is sourced to (Jackson, 2001) that i cant find Moxy🍁 15:31, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

How about (it might read a bit grandiose):

The name Ghana comes from Wagadu, a vast empire in west Africa from the 3rd to 12th centuries; Wagadu was coined Ghana by Arab traders involved in the trans-Saharan trade. Ghana is thought to originate from the title Kaya Maghan of the rulers of Wagadu, which translates as ruler of gold. As the Gold Coast colony prepared for independence, the nation's founder Kwame Nkrumah settled on Ghana, aiming to evoke a sense of unity and liberation among the Ghanaian people. The name was a powerful reminder of their shared heritage and the legacy of the ancient empire that once thrived in the region. It encapsulated the aspirations of the Ghanaian people for self-governance, progress, and a future marked by dignity and resilience. Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:15, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

It's a bit misleading because the gold fields Ghana used weren't in Ghana, although there was one there. See the map in Bambuk, Koumbi was Ghana's later capital Alexanderkowal (talk) 13:18, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

As a heads-up, the African Folder article is AI-generated and should not be relied on as a source. Quaoarian (talk) 15:11, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

References

Wiki Education assignment: African Archaeology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 26 August 2025 and 15 December 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jave267 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Sofia.martin55 (talk) 21:07, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

Religion section in infobox saying "other Christian" as 43%

I'm guessing this means Pentecostal, but aren't Pentecostal Christians considered protestant? Milkisverytasty (talk) 03:23, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

Yes, my understanding is that they are considered Protestant. We could use a group of people keeping an eye on all factual edits (i.e. almost all edits) to this page. Mgnbar (talk) 03:55, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Humanities 2013

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 2 June 2026 and 23 July 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kaylalatrell16 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Djmarin.

— Assignment last updated by DrBRCC (talk) 00:41, 14 July 2026 (UTC)