Wa, Ghana
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Wa is a town and the capital of
Wa Municipal District Wa Municipal District is one of the eleven districts in Upper West Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Wa District, until two parts of the district were later split off by a decree of pr ...
and the
Upper West Region The Upper West Region of Ghana is located in the north-western corner of Ghana and is bordered by Upper East region to the east, Northern region to the south, and Burkina Faso to the west and north. The Upper West regional capital and largest se ...
of northern
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. Wa had a 2012
settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...
population of 102,446. Features of the town include several churches and mosques, the Wa-Na Palace, the
St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
's Catholic cathedral, the
University for Development Studies The University for Development Studies, Tamale was established in 1992 by the government of Ghana with a view to accelerating the development of the then 3 Northern Regions of Ghana (the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions). The late Pr ...
(UDS), a museum, a nearby
hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
sanctuary in Wicheau (located in the Wa-West district), the
mushroom rock A mushroom rock, also called rock pedestal, or a pedestal rock, is a naturally occurring rock whose shape, as its name implies, resembles a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a number of different ways: by erosion and weathering, glacial action ...
In
Jirapa Jirapa is the capital town of the Jirapa Municipal in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Institutions * The only girls' secondary school in the region, Saint Francis of Assisi Girls' Secondary School, is situated in the town. * Jirapa Senior Seco ...
and the ants hill at Nanvielle. The geography of Wa is notable for the dramatic monadnock Ombo Mountain, which is located around
Kaleo Kaleo (stylized as KALEO) is an Icelandic blues rock band which formed in Mosfellsbær in 2012. It consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jökull Júlíusson, drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock ...
and visible from much of the Wa town. Other notable towns around Wa region include Naaha and Ga. The town serves as a transportation hub for the Upper West region, with major roads leading north to Hamile, and northeast to Tumu and the
Upper East Region The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...
. There is also a small airport, the
Wa Airport Wa Airport is an airport serving Wa, a city in the Upper West Region of Ghana which is also its capital. The airport is operated by Ghana Airports Company Limited. It is the fifth busiest commercial airport in Ghana with 4,696 passengers passin ...
.Touring Ghana – Upper West Region
touringghana.com.


History

Wa has been inhabited for several hundred years, by traders who settled in Wa to participate in the
trans-Saharan trade Trans-Saharan trade requires travel across the Sahara between sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. While existing from prehistoric times, the peak of trade extended from the 8th century until the early 17th century. The Sahara once had a very d ...
. Wa also holds the mortal remains of
Babatu ''Babatu'' is a 1976 Nigerien film directed by Jean Rouch. It was an official selection in the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Lam Dia * Diama * Oumarou Ganda Oumarou Ganda (1935 – 1 January 1981) was a Nigerien director and actor who ...
, a notorious raider well known for his raids in the Upper West region during the late and early 19th century. In 1892, G. E. Ferguson, a Fante man who had explored the Asante Empire and areas to its north on the instructions of the governor of the
Gold Coast Colony The Gold Coast was a British Crown colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957 as Ghana. The term Gold Coast is also often used to describe all of the four separate jurisdictions that were under the ad ...
, reported that the population of Wa at the time was larger than that of Accra. Ferguson had not reached Wa in his travels, but had been to some towns under the control of Gonja. Wa was long the capital of the
Kingdom of Wala {{No footnotes, date=October 2022 The Kingdom of Wala was a polity in what is today Ghana based around Wa. According to some traditions it had an imam as early as 1317. In the early 1890s, Wala was largely west of the Kulpawn River. Its western bo ...
. Starting in the 1930s the
Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...
began to proselytize in Wa. This led to many clashes with the Sunni Muslims in the city, especially over use of the main mosque. In 1951 rioting rose to such a level that the
Wala people The Wala or Waala live in Upper West Region of Ghana. They are a predominantly Muslim people who are the founders of the city of Wa and the Kingdom of Wala. They speak the Wali language, which belongs to the Gur group. There are 84,800 speakers ...
consider it to have been a civil war. Violence broke out in 1978 between the Ahmadiyya and the Sunni. In 1980 there was intense fighting as leaders J. N. Momori and Yakubu Seidu both mobilized their supporters, seeking to succeed Sidiki Bomi as the Wa Na. Momori eventually in 1985 became the Wa Na with the reign name of Wa Na Momori Bondiri II.


Demographics

In 1880 it is estimated that Wa had about 8,000 people. This number is thought to have fallen to 2,000 by 1900. In 1921 the census found the population to be 2,806. The population had risen to 5,207 by 1931. In that year the Wa district of the
Wala Native Authority {{more sources, date=December 2019 The Wala Native Authority was a division of the British colony of Gold Coast established in 1933. It basically corresponded in its boundaries to those of the Kingdom of Wala in 1892, thus reversing the successful ...
had a population of 13,025. In 1948 Wa had a population of 5,128 while the district had 15,827 people. In 1960 the population was 14,406. In 1970 the population had risen to 21,393. In 1984 Wa had a population of 36,000. In the 1880s Wa was said to have a population that was entirely Muslim. The Ahmadiyya began gaining converts here in the 1930s. Recent estimates place the overall population of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wa as about 5% Catholic, but how much this is in Wa and how much in other areas under the diocese is not clear. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
established a branch in Wa in mid-2017, making it so that every region in Ghana had at least one official congregation of the Church.


Transportation

There are Public Transports from Wa to major cities such as
Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
;
Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...
, Mim, Ahafo ; Cape Coast, Sunyani; Tamale; Tema; Ho; Bolgatanga; Elubo; Aflao,
Techiman Techiman is a city and is the capital of Techiman Municipal and Bono East Region of Ghana. Techiman is a leading market town in South Ghana. Techiman is one of the two major cities and settlements of Bono East region. Techiman is home to W ...
.


Environment and weather

Wa is in the southern part of the
Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
, the semi-arid area south of the Sahara. Average annual rainfall is around , almost all of which occurs between May and October. Following the May–October rainy season is a cool dry period called the Harmattan when a steady, often dusty, north wind blows from the Sahara. The hottest period of the year is in February and March when daytime temperatures often reach 40 ° C (103 ° F).


Economy and agriculture

Despite its urban status, Wa is in many ways still an agricultural community, and the majority of the Wa population make a good portion of their living in small scale farming. The main crops are corn,
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
, yams,
okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
and groundnuts. Upland rice is also farmed in a few areas of Wa. The major fruit crop is the mango. Shea nuts are collected from wild trees for food or refinement into oils and cosmetics.


Education

The Town of Wa is host to a few renowned educational institutions. The biggest Senior High School in the Upper West Region, Wa Senior High School (formerly, WASSEC), is in this town. WASSEC had some tumultuous times in the past due to mismanagement and indiscipline which decreased the school's standards. However, the school has recently been recording major improvements in students' general discipline and performance in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. The school was made a model school, which has boosted its infrastructural capacity, thereby making it an attractive destination for students and teachers. Wa also has St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary. Built in the 1960s, Xavier has produced a plethora of successful young men for the service of the country and the world. St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary, arguably the best secondary school in the country, has consistently excelled in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Exams(SSSCE). The
University for Development Studies The University for Development Studies, Tamale was established in 1992 by the government of Ghana with a view to accelerating the development of the then 3 Northern Regions of Ghana (the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions). The late Pr ...
(UDS) is a major University in Ghana and Wa is host to one of its campuses equipped with three faculties, namely: # Integrated Development Studies # Planning and Land Management # Education, Law and Business Studies


Schools in Wa

* Islamic Senior High School * Jamiat Al-Hidayyat Al-Islamiat Girls Senior High School * Northern Star Senior High School * St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary * Wa Senior High School * Wa Senior High Technical School * Wa Technical Institute * T. I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School * Nusrat Jahan College of Education * Nursing Training college, Wa * Wa Technical University (formally Wa Polytechnic) * S.D Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, SDD-UBIDS (formally Wa Campus of UDS)


Culture


The Damba Festival

The
Damba festival The Damba festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of the Northern, Savanna, North East and Upper West Regions of Ghana. The name Damba in Dagbani, Damma in Mampruli and Jingbenti in Waali. The festival is celebrated in the Dagomb ...
was the main traditional event of Wa. It was typically held in late September to correspond with a harvest in Wa. The highlight of the year was a ceremony in which the Wa-na stepped over a small cow lying on the ground. According to traditional belief, if any part of the Wa-na or the Wa-na clothing touched the cow, the Wa-na would probably die within the year. If on the other hand, the Wa-na stepped over the cow successfully, the Wa-na was guaranteed a successful coming year.


Food and cuisine

The staple food of Wa is known as ''sao'' or
Tuo Zaafi Tuo is a Chinese surname ( zh, c=庹, p=Tuǒ), and a given name in various cultures. 柁 is pronounced Tuó in Mandarin. Notable people with the surname include: 庹 * Tou Chung-hua ( zh, links=no, c=庹宗華, p=Tuǒ Zōnghuá; born 1962), Tai ...
in the local dialect, which is often abbreviated TZ or T-Zed in English. Tuo Zaafi means "very hot tuo" in
Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...
. It is a thick porridge of
corn flour Cornflour may refer to: * Cornflour (in the UK), corn starch, from the endosperm of the kernel of the corn (maize) grain * Corn flour (in the US and elsewhere), very finely ground cornmeal, ground from dried maize See also * Flour * Starch ...
eaten by tearing off a chunk and dipping into a soup, usually of
okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
. Other foods common to the Waala People are Kapala(a widely consumed food in Ghana, more commonly known as
Fufu Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a dough-like food found in West African cuisine. In addition to Ghana, it is also found in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, t ...
), Kuon-tulu (literally translated as "hot water" in Waale, a breakfast food commonly known as Kooko or Hausa Kooko) and Kpogulo (beans powder made into paste, wrapped in Cocoyam or Taro leaves and served with a side of tomato stew).


References


External links


Ghana-pedia webpage – Wa

Wa, Ghana oriented website

A news report on the passing of the Wa-na
{{Authority control Regional capitals in Ghana Populated places in the Upper West Region