 The lyrics of "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" above an orchestral reduction sheet music of the National Symphony Orchestra Ghana. | |
National anthem of  Ghana | |
| Lyrics | Michael Kwame Gbordzoe |
|---|---|
| Music | Philip Gbeho |
| Adopted | 1957 |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse) | |
"God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" is the national anthem of Ghana; it was adopted in 1957 when Ghana declared its independence from the United Kingdom.
The music for the national anthem was originally composed by Philip Gbeho and sung to lyrics written by Emmanuel Pappoe-Thompson. However the words were revised by a literary committee in the Office of the then head of state, Kwame Nkrumah. [1] Michael Kwame Gbordzoe has made claims to the current lyrics being used saying that it was written by him after the overthrow of President Nkrumah. A competition was held and Kwame Gbordzoe, who was then a student at Bishop Herman College, presented the current lyrics which were chosen to replace "Lift High The Flag Of Ghana" [2] [3] which had been officially adopted after independence and used as Ghana's national anthem during Nkrumah's presidency. [4]
The current lyrics of the "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" national anthem that has been in use since the 1970s were written by Michael Kwame Gbordzoe while a student within the framework of a national competition, [5] and is accompanied by Ghana's national pledge.
Thus, the official current lyrics of "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" are as follows: [5]
| English lyrics | Twi translation | Ewe translation | French translation |
|---|---|---|---|
I | I | I | I |
Thus, although Philip Gbeho’s composition is still being used, the current lyrics beginning "God Bless our Homeland Ghana" do not originate from him.
Michael Kwame Gbordzoe, who became a scientist by profession, has drawn the attention of the Ghana Government to the fact that although his lyrics have been adopted for the country’s national anthem since the 1970s, there has so far been no official Ghana Government recognition for his work, which may be attributed to the abrupt changes in regimes in Ghana in the past. [6] [7]
Messages were sent to various Ghanaian government agencies, and was also discussed on air at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Uniiq FM programme PTGlive, on 9 March 2008.
The National Pledge of Ghana is recited immediately after "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana".
Francis Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from Britain. He was then the first Prime Minister and then the President of Ghana, from 1957 until 1966. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.
"March On, Bahamaland" is the national anthem of The Bahamas. Timothy Gibson composed the music and authored the lyrics. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1973, when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom.
"Land of the Free" is the national anthem of Belize. The words were written by Samuel Alfred Haynes in 1929 based upon Haynes poem “Land of the Gods.” The musical arrangement for “Land of the Gods,” was composed with Selwyn Walford Young in 1930. “Land of the Gods” was changed to “Land of the Free” by the George Cadle Price administration, officially adopted as the National Anthem of Belize in 1981.
The national flag of Ghana consists of a horizontal triband of red, yellow, and green. It was designed in replacement of the British Gold Coast's Blue Ensign.
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, anglophile, lawyer and statesman. He was a politician in pre and post-colonial Ghana, which was formerly the Gold Coast.
Ako Adjei, was a Ghanaian statesman, politician, lawyer and journalist. He was a member of the United Gold Coast Convention and one of six leaders who were detained during Ghana's struggle for political independence from Britain, a group famously called The Big Six. Adjei became a member of parliament as a Convention People's Party candidate in 1954 and held ministerial offices until 1962 when as Minister for Foreign Affairs he was wrongfully detained for the Kulungugu bomb attack.
Articles related to Ghana include:
The National Symphony Orchestra Ghana is the national symphony orchestra of Ghana. NSO Ghana was founded in 1959 by order of Kwame Nkrumah, and established by Philip Gbeho, together with the musician Amihud (Ami) Elroy from Israel who was especially invited to Ghana for the three years establishment mission. NSO Ghana was the only classical symphony orchestra in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa until Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste was created in Congo in 1994.
Philip Comi Gbeho was a Ghanaian musician, composer and teacher. He is best known for his composition of the Ghana National Anthem. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Arts Council of Ghana and was a Director of Music and conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Ghana.
The National Pledge of Ghana is recited immediately after the national anthem "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" and is as follows:
I promise on my honour
to be faithful and loyal to
Ghana my motherland.
I pledge myself to the service of Ghana
with all my strength and with all my heart.
I promise to hold in high esteem.
Our heritage, won for us through the blood and toil of our fathers; and I pledge myself in
all things to uphold and defend the good name of Ghana.
So help me God.
Ghana–Israel relations refers to the bilateral relations between Ghana and Israel. Ghana–Israel relations dates back to the mid-1950s after Israel offered support to develop the Ghanaian armed forces. However, following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Ghana severed relationships with Israel. In 2011, Ghana and Israel resumed formal relations and opened embassies in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan and Accra respectively.
Ghana gained independence from the British on 6 March 1957. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The country became a republic on July 1, 1960.
Theodosia Salome Okoh was a Ghanaian teacher and artist known for designing Ghana's national flag in 1957. She exhibited her artwork internationally. She also played a leading role in the development of hockey in Ghana. Her grandson is Ian Jones-Quartey, creator of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, and her granddaughter-in-law is Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe.
Founders' Day is a national public holiday observed to commemorate the contributions of all the people, notably the "Big Six" who led the struggle for Ghana's independence. The Founder's Day was formerly called "Founder's Day" with the letter "S" appearing after an apostrophe and it was celebrated to earmark the achievements of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The history of African Americans in Ghana goes back to individuals such as American civil rights activist and writer W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963), who settled in Ghana in the last years of his life and is buried in the capital, Accra. Since then, other African Americans who are descended from slaves imported from areas within the present-day jurisdiction of Ghana and neighboring states have applied for permanent resident status in Ghana. As of 2015, the number of African American residents has been estimated at 3,000 people, a large portion of whom live in Accra.
"Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni" is the unofficial national anthem of Ghana. It was written and composed by Ephraim Amu in 1929 and is popularly sung in Twi. The original is however in the Ewe language.
My Bougainville is the anthem of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. The anthem was officially adopted in 2018. It is sung to the tune of "The Song of Australia", the melody of which was composed by Carl Linger.
Kojo Tsikata was a Ghanaian military officer and politician, who served as the Head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He was listed as a retired army captain in the Ghana Army.
