Names of Towns and Cities in Ghana came about when early settlers of those areas located something prominent accustomed to the area or names of the FIRST SETTLER forms the foundation for names given.
Usually the pronunciation of the names (could be landmarks or even animals) get corrupted overtime.
Inter-tribal migrations due to conflicts also forms the basis for the names given to some areas in Ghana.
The new settlement was always given a name.
This series chronicles how some towns and cities in Ghana got their names.
READ: The Origin of Towns and Cities in Ghana: NO WAY
READ: Origin of Towns and Cities in Ghana: Achimota
Mataheko
Mataheko is a name that was generated from an expression which means ”Let me stay here” or “I wll sit somewhere.”
A migration issue must have triggered this due to land litigations in Accra.
Dzorwulu
Dzorwulu means “a big valley”.
Apparently an ancient deep gorge in the area must have given rise to the name.
Not surprising, the land originally was mashy and waterlogged many years ago.
Adjiriŋano
“Adjiri ŋano” means Adjiri’s field.
ŋano means field or grassland.
Adiiri is the name of the first settler like Ayi Mensa, Abbossey Okine and Ashaley Botwe.
Legon
Legon was a hill where an animal of the antelope family called “Le” could be found.
This hill was hunting grounds for people who wanted this animal for various purposes.
As a result, the “Le-gon” or “land or area of the Le” eventually became Legon due to how people pronounced the name.
This antelope perhaps (it could be another family of the antelope) must have been the Royal Antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus).
A West African antelope recognized as the world’s smallest.
It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
The royal antelope prefers areas with fresh and dense growth of shrubs and other plants.
It inhabits the warm, moist lowland forests (the legon hills was a lowland forested area) prevalent in western African countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The animal’s habitat also includes forest fringes and secondary forests.
Its geographic range extends eastward from the Kounounkan Massif in southwestern Guinea through Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire to the Volta River in Ghana.
The royal antelope may also be found in the region north to the forested areas of western Africa, which is marked by the interface of forest and savannah habitats.
Osudoku
Osu came out of Osudoku due to inter-tribal conflict here and there so they moved out
Osu is part of Osudoku and they moved and came to the coast and settled at a place and called the place Osu.
So that’s how, and then when the Europeans came, they built their fort and castles there, Osu castle and when they built more people joined them and it became a big town.”
La
La is part of Ladoku.
It was inland and then they had a war with their neighbours and they moved out of the place.
They had a war with Shai and they moved out and stayed in different places.
As they were coming, they got lost and said “Mayera” meaning “i am lost”.
They moved on and got to Ajangote and from Ajangote, they came back to the coast.”
READ:Origin of Towns and Cities in Ghana: Dixcove
Malejor
“Male” is the name of the founder and the “jor” means valley, according to the geographical feature of the area.
“Malejor” literally means ‘Male’s Valley.’
Origin of Towns and Cities in Ghana: Achimota
Achimota
Achimota means “speak no name” in the Ga language.
The name came about when people (relatives of slaves) started searching for those (slaves) they knew had escaped into the forest but mentioning the person’s name was a security threat!!
The escapees remained silent there!!
In pre-colonial Ghana, Achimota’s forbidden forest was a “silent” refuge for runaway slaves.
Sowutuom
According to oral tradition, the area now called Sowutuom today, was a jungle, inhabited by wild animals, and nobody lived there except hunters!
Wild animals were always attacking people who lived in that vicinity (more like a hamlet)..
So initially the place was called “Abrewa Nk)” meaning “old people don’t go”.
So the name “So Wo Tuom Mu” means “Hold your gun well” in case you meet a wild animal on your way to the farm.
And that’s how the name came to stick around.
Taifa
Taifa Community Chief, Nana Adu Bediako from Kwahu Abetifi has acknowledged the contributions of the Kwahus towards the development of the town.
In acknowledging them, he gave a brief history about Kwahu businesses indicating it all started from Obo Kwahu before Ghana attained Independence.
He explained that, this was due to the fact that most of the indigenes are hardworking and economical.
Most people realized entrepreneurship was very lucrative hence the decision for most people to veer into that direction.
Nana Adu Bediako revealed that Kwahu’s do not spend extravagantly and refuted the stingy tag associated with Kwahus.
It was the quest for greener pastures in Accra that brought the Kwahus there.
Oral sources say “Na Omo Tai Fã ha” meaning “they used to pass here” when they were coming to Accra.
Overtime the name got corrupted to “Tai-Fa” or “Use to Pass”.
Also, according to the Taifa Community chief, Taifa means peaceful town.
It consists of mostly Kwahus, Ashanti’s and Akyems with few other tribes.
Nana Adu Bediako, (4th chief to be enstooled in Taifa) has been the chief for almost 6 years now.
He started life as a teacher and later a worker at SSNIT before venturing into entrepreneurship.
He worked in Ghana for 10 years and travelled to Germany, Britain and then returned back to Ghana some 29 years ago.
He has been married for 48 years and has four children.
He currently runs a a guesthouse and washing bay at Taifa.
The Name Taifa
Historically Taifas (“factions” or “camps”) were small independent Muslim kingdoms and principalities that emerged after the fall of hegemonic Muslim caliphates in al-Andalus – the Muslim-controlled part of the Iberian peninsula – during the High Middle Ages.
There were three Taifa periods between 1031 and the mid-13th century.
Kanda
Kāṇḍa is a Sanskrit word meaning “chapter”, used in the names of the chapters of some Hindu books.
In South Africa it means “Head”.
Kanda is a residential area developed during the era of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Dr. Nkrumah was loved by India so much, so perhaps the place must have gotten its name through an Indian connection with a person or a project.
To be Continued…
REFERENCES
Professor Irene Naa Kokoi Odotei interview on Joy FM, Wednesday 13th March, 2024.
#KwahuEaster2022: Taifa Community Chief acknowledges contribution of Kwahus to the town’s development
Historian and Sociologist Henry Kwadwo Amoako
