Rare facts you did not know about India's historical connection with Ghana
Rare facts you did not know about India's historical connection with Ghana
India and Ghana share a longstanding relationship rooted in shared anti-colonial values and strong diplomatic ties. India has supported Ghana in various sectors, including building key infrastructure like the Jubilee House. Cultural links are also strong, with a visible Indian diaspora.
Kwame Nkrumah was influenced by the Indian Independence movement: Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, drew ideological inspiration from India's independence movement. He admired Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and saw India’s 1947 independence as a model. In fact, Nkrumah called Gandhi "a universal symbol of freedom."
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Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with independent India: Shortly after gaining independence in 1957, Ghana opened diplomatic ties with India. India reciprocated, and their embassies in Accra and New Delhi were among the earliest African-Asian missions.
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The composer of Ghana’s first national anthem, Philip Gbeho, was inspired by the lyrical structure of Rabindranath Tagore’s work. Tagore’s musical legacy had already spread to African intellectual circles by the mid-20th century.
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Gandhi visited Ghana before it became independent: Mahatma Gandhi's influence in West Africa included a brief stopover in the Gold Coast (modern Ghana) en route to or from his South African campaigns. Although he did not stay long, he interacted with early African nationalists who would later become Nkrumah's contemporaries.
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Ancient maritime links may have existed with Indian traders: Though speculative, archaeological and historical clues suggest that early Indian and Arab traders who frequented East Africa may have indirectly connected with West African trade routes via the trans-Saharan network, especially in the era of the Ghana and Mali empires. This is still under academic exploration.
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Indian films' popularity: Bollywood movies, especially classics from the 1970s and 1980s, have long enjoyed popularity in Ghana. In some rural areas, Indian films were screened in open-air cinemas and dubbed or subtitled in local languages. Amitabh Bachchan, in particular, remains a well-known figure.
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Indians in Ghana: Though small in number, the Indian diaspora in Ghana has significantly contributed to sectors like pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and education. Several prominent hospitals and factories in Accra and Tema are Indian-run.
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Ghanian students in India: As part of India’s ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) programme, Ghana has been a beneficiary of scholarships, training programmes, and higher education opportunities since the Nehru era. Thousands of Ghanaians have been educated in India, particularly in medicine and engineering.
