Ghanaians in the United Kingdom

Ghanaian British

Notable British Ghanaians: Freema Agyeman, Paul Boateng, Dizzee Rascal
Regions with significant populations
London, Manchester, Liverpool
Languages
English, Fanti, Akan, Dagbani, Ga, Dangme, Ewe, Gonja, Gurunsi, Nzema, Hausa, others
Religion
Christianity, Islam, Traditional Beliefs

Ghanaian British people are one of the largest Black African groups living in the United Kingdom with 56,000 reporting being born in Ghana in the 2001 Census. The majority of Ghanaian British peoplelive in Greater London especially the boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Newham, Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, Croydon and Brent. Outside there are large populations in Manchester and Birmingham. One of the most important places for interaction and the purchasing of culturally appropriate foodstuffs is Queen's Market, Upton Park.

History

Although modern Ghana gained independence in 1957 (and was one of the first Black African countries to do so from the British), people from that region have been arriving and living in Britain since at least the mid 16th century. At that time there were many Africans living and working in London, free rather than enslaved people, some of whom were based at the royal court. Even Shakespeare, it is rumoured, sought the company of an African lady, Lucy Morgan.
In 1555 John Lok, a London merchant and Alderman, brought five Africans from the town of Sharma, in what is to day Ghana, to London to be trained as interpreters in order to assist England’s trade with the west coast of Africa.
From that time onwards economic links were established between West Africa and England. At first, the English were most concerned to acquire gold from the region that came to be know as the Gold Coast. Pepper and other spices were also much in demand in Europe and in 1562, John Hawkins had organised the first voyage to West Africa to acquire African captives. By the middle of the following century English traders and financiers had become increasingly concerned with trafficking in human cargo from the Gold Coast. England’s relationship with West Africa would be largely determined by the trafficking of human flesh for the next two centuries.
The enslavement of Africans on the Gold Coast led to some of them being brought to England as personal servants as slaves. It is difficult to establish how many people were brought to London in this way because one of the characteristics of slavery was the renaming of those enslaved and therefore it is usually impossible to establish the original homeland of most of those Africans who lived in London in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Modern-day Ghanaian migration developed in the 1960s due to economic crisis in the country, and by the 1980s and early 1990s, 10-20 % of Ghanaians were living outside Ghana (Peil, 1995). Households often sent a family member to a wide range of destinations in Africa, the US, the Middle East and Europe with their migration tending to be temporary - with the aim of supporting their family and diasporic communities, improving their standard of living and ultimately acquiring enough capital to establish a business in Ghana.

Famous Ghanaian British people

• Adam Afriyie, Member of Parliament.
• Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Athlete.
• Adjoa Andoh, Actress.
• Samata Angel, Fashion Designer.
• Anita Asante, Footballer.
• Rhian Benson, Singer/Songwriter.
• Lethal Bizzle, Rapper.
• Ozwald Boateng, Fashion Designer.
• Paul Boateng, Politician and Ambassador.
• Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Advocate, Cultural Nationalist.
• Jaye Davidson, Actor.
• James Harper, Footballer.
• Dizzee Rascal, MC/Rapper
• Kojo, Award winning British Comedian
• Idris Elba, Actor.
• Joseph Kpobie, Actor.
• Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Basketball player.
• Oxide & Neutrino, UK Garage, MC and DJ Duo.
• Belinda Owusu, Actress.
• Osei Sankofa, Footballer.
• Joey Ansah, Actor.
• Reggie Yates, TV Presenter.
• June Sarpong, TV Presenter.
• Sam Sarpong, Actor.
• Sway DaSafo, Rapper.
• Hugh Quarshie, Actor.
• Lloyd Owusu, Footballer.
• Freema Agyeman, Actress.
• Tinchy Stryder, Rapper
• Ras Kwame, Radio DJ/Presenter
• The Mitchell Brothers, Rap Group
• Jeanette Kwakye, Athlete
• Nigel Quashie, Footballer.
• Paul Sackey, Rugby Union Player.
• Arthur Wharton, Footballer.
• Rachel Yankey, Footballer.
• Ama Sefa Yeboah, Actor.

See also

• Black British

Bibliography

• Herbert, Joanna. Experiences of Everyday Racism Among Ghanaian Migrants in London (2008).[1]

External links

• Voice of Africa Radio
• West African Business Association
• Ghanaian Community in United Kingdom
• Ghana.co.uk