Ghanaian Australians

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Ghanaian Australians
Flag of Ghana.svg Flag of Australia.svg
Total population
3,521 (by ancestry, 2011) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Mainly in New South Wales
Languages
English  · French  · Ghanaian languages
Related ethnic groups
Other African Australians, Ivorian Australians, Burkinabe Australians, Togolese Australians

Ghanaian Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Ghanaian origin and descent. More than 50% of those who are Ghana-born live in Sydney. [2]

Contents

Background

The Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan allowed students from West African countries, including from Ghana, to come to Australia the mid-1960s. More than 70 per cent of these students remained in Australia following military coups in their countries. While small in number, the Ghana-born steadily increased from the mid-1970s following the easing of immigration restrictions. [2] The majority of Ghanaian Australians are skilled and educated, with 70.6% of the Ghana-born aged 15 years and over possessing higher non-school qualifications, compared to 55.9% of the Australian population. [2]

Population

The 2011 Census noted there were 3,866 Ghana-born people in Australia. [3] Akan, Ewe and Ga all have many speakers in Australia. Akan has over 2,100 speakers and Ewe has over 400 speakers. [4] Some of the over 10,700 Australian-born who speak an African language may also speak a Ghanaian language. [3]

It was noted in 2014 that the Ghanaian student population in Australia (like the Nigerian one) was growing fast to the extent that Australian universities were keen to attract more students from Ghana. [5]

African restaurants serving up Ghanaian specialties can be found in Sydney. [6] [7]

Ghanaian Australians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghana</span> Country in West Africa

Ghana, 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 Togo in the east. Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse biomes that range from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With over 32 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other cities are Kumasi, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kente cloth</span> Ghanaian textile

Kente refers to a Ghanaian textile made of hand-woven strips of silk and cotton. Historically the fabric was worn in a toga-like fashion by royalty among the Ewe and Akan. According to Ashanti oral tradition, it originated from Bonwire in the Ashanti region of Ghana. In modern day Ghana, the wearing of kente cloth has become widespread to commemorate special occasions, and kente brands led by master weavers are in high demand. Kente is also worn in parts of Togo and Ivory Coast by the Ewe and Akan people there.

Kwame is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people in Ghana which is given to a boy born on Saturday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Ghana</span> Culture of an area

Ghana is a country of 28.21 million people and many native groups, such as:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewe people</span> West African ethnic group

The Ewe people are a Gbe-speaking ethnic group. The largest population of Ewe people is in Ghana, and the second largest population is in Togo. They speak the Ewe language which belongs to the Gbe family of languages. They are related to other speakers of Gbe languages such as the Fon, Gen, Phla Phera, Gun, Maxi, and the Aja people of Togo, Benin and southwestern Nigeria.

Kofi is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people in Ghana that is given to a boy born on Friday. Traditionally in Ghana, a child would receive their Akan day name during their Outdooring, eight days after birth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Ghana</span>

Ghana is a multilingual country in which about eighty languages are spoken. Of these, English, which was inherited from the colonial era, is the official language and lingua franca. Of the languages indigenous to Ghana, Akan is the most widely spoken in the south. Dagbani is most widely spoken in the north.

Articles related to Ghana include:

African immigration to the United States refers to immigrants to the United States who are or were nationals of modern African countries. The term African in the scope of this article refers to geographical or national origins rather than racial affiliation. From the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to 2017, Sub-Saharan African-born population in the United States grew to 2.1 million people.

Kwabena is an Akan masculine given name among the Akan people in Ghana that means "born on a Tuesday" in Akan language, following their day naming system. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Kwabena has the appellation Ogyam or Ebo meaning friendliness. Thus, males named Kwabena are supposed to be friendly.

African Australians are Australians descended from the any peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa, including naturalised Australians who are immigrants from various regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and descendants of such immigrants. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categorised within Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups as a proportion of the total population amounted to 1.3%.

Ghanaian Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of full or partial Ghanaian ancestry or Ghanaian immigrants who became naturalized citizen of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Australians</span> South African Australian

South African Australians are citizens or residents of Australia who are of South African descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghanaian Pidgin English</span> Pidgin language

Ghanaian Pidgin English (GhaPE), is a Ghanaian English-lexifier pidgin also known as Pidgin, Broken English, and Kru English. GhaPE is a regional variety of West African Pidgin English spoken in Ghana, predominantly in the southern capital, Accra, and surrounding towns. It is confined to a smaller section of society than other West African creoles, and is more stigmatized, perhaps due to the importance of Twi, an Akan dialect, often spoken as lingua franca. Other languages spoken as lingua franca in Ghana are Standard Ghanaian English (SGE) and Akan. GhaPE cannot be considered a creole as it has no L1 speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghanaians</span> Citizens or native-born people of Ghana

The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 30 million people as of 2020, making up 85% of the population. The word "Ghana" means "warrior king". An estimated diaspora population of 4 million people worldwide are of Ghanaian descent. The term ethnic Ghanaian may also be used in some contexts to refer to a group of related ethnic groups native to the Gold Coast.

Abena is an Indian (Gujarati) surname; the Gujarati અબેના (Abēnā) possibly came from the Arabic name أبين (Abyan). As a given name, it is a girl's name of Ghanaian origin and means born on Tuesday. Day names are a cultural practice of the Akan people of Ghana. Although some might believe it is mostly practised by Ashanti people, it is actually practised by all Akan people who follow traditional customs. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Abena has the appellation Kosia or Nimo, meaning friendliness. Thus, females named Abena are supposed to be friendly.

Nigerian Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Nigerian origin or descent. The Nigerian-born form one of the fastest-growing migrant groups in Australia.

Several braille alphabets are used in Ghana. For English, Unified English Braille has been adopted. Four other languages have been written in braille: Akan (Twi), Ga, Ewe, and Dagaare. All three alphabets are based on the basic braille letter values of basic Latin alphabet:

Yaw is a masculine given name originating from the Akan people and their day naming system, meaning "born on a Thursday" in Akan language, following their day naming system. People born on particular days are supposed to exhibit the characteristics or attributes and philosophy, associated with the days. Yaw has the appellation "Preko" or "Opereba" meaning brave.

Ghanaian Canadians are Canadians of full or partial Ghanaian ancestry. Ghanaians who became naturalized citizens of Canada preferably refer to themselves as Ghanaian Canadians.

References

  1. "The People of Australia – Statistics from the 2011 Census" (PDF). Australian Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Community Information Summary: Ghana-born" (PDF). Australian Government Department of Immigration & Citizenship. February 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Census Explorer: SBS World News". Sbs.com.au. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  4. The people of Australia: statistics from the 2011 census (PDF). Canberra: Department of Immigration and Border Protection. 2014. ISBN   978-1-920996-23-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. Dodd, Tim (7 July 2014). "Big increase in number of Nigerian students at Australian universities". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  6. Savill, Joanna (19 October 2006). "Taste of Africa". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. "Best African Restaurants in Sydney". LifeStyle FOOD. Telstra Media. Retrieved 11 May 2016.