Ordinary People Making Extraordinary Differences!
Visit Ghana
Are you planning a trip to Ghana this year? We would like to encourage you to visit the Sissala district in the Upper West Region of northern Ghana. If you are an adventurous traveller who likes to explore off-the-beaten-track then you will be rewarded for visiting Tumu, the Sissala district capital. Tumu is an excellent place to stop when travelling between Bolgatanga and Wa. The main attractions are the friendly, warm-hearted people and the vibrant, traditional music and dancing. The Sissala tribe are famous for making and playing the African xylophone or balafon and tampani drums. Got some room in your rucksack to take pens, pencils etc to Pulima Primary School? Visit www.stuffyourrucksack.com.
The Lasajang Community Project is supporting rural farming communities in the Sissala district and we would be happy to introduce independent travellers to some of the local families, musicians and dancers. We can help you arrange a local guide, bike hire, accommodation and food in Tumu or a family stay in a nearby village. Places to visit around Tumu are the Gwollu Slave-Trader Defence Wall, Gbele Game Reserve, Wotumu Caves and the hippos in Pulima Dam. We can introduce you to the famous Gandawi cultural troupe that performed in Scotland during the summer 2007. They perform regularly in Tumu and we can arrange group or individual lessons for the African xylophone, drumming or dancing.
Other more relaxed activities are visiting a nearby pito bar (pito is the locally brewed beer), learning the Sissali language which is great to practise as you wander around the market, cooking TZ on an open fire, pounding fufu or learning some of the local crafts such as weaving, basket making or pottery. For further information or advice please contact us: info@supportghana.co.uk
Sissala District
The north of Ghana is divided into three administrative regions; Northern region, Upper East region and Upper West region. The Sissala District is in the Upper West, the most remote and underdeveloped region in Ghana. The roads connecting the towns are dusty, dirt tracks with only a few tarred roads around the regional capital Wa. As compared to the other nine regions in Ghana, the Upper West region has fewer visitors. The Sissala District is situated close to the border with Burkina Faso. It covers a landmass of about 100-120 km2 and has an estimated population of 150,000 people. The district capital is the small town of Tumu. Over 90% of the population of the Sissala’s are peasant farmers growing just enough food to feed the family.
Sissala People
The Sissala people live in large extended family circles. Village houses are arranged in a circle to make a family compound where resources are normally shared and used together. The houses are made with mud bricks and have thatch or zinc roofs. Over 90% of the villages in the area have no electricity or running water. Drinking water is collected from a borehole by pumping a handle up and down to draw the water from deep underground. The water from a borehole is clean and safe to drink.
The majority of the Sissala people are very busy during the rainy season producing enough food to eat for the year. Everyone from the smallest child is involved in the work. They also sell some of the harvest to look after their communal and social needs. Some families have bullocks which they use to plough the land but the majority of farm work including the sowing, weeding and harvesting is done by hand. The Sissala farmers grow lots of cereal crops like maize, millet and guinea-corn and other crops like beans, groundnuts and yam. Some farmers also rear chickens goats, sheep, cattle and other farm animals.
The feeling of a communal sense of belonging is paramount to the way of life of the Sissala people and supporting a child to grow is the responsibility of the whole village and not just the parents alone. The first priority of the whole community is to teach the child as early as possible to know what is right and what is wrong.
Climate
The weather in the Sissala district like all other parts of northern Ghana is hot and tropical. The hottest time of the years is between March and May. During this time the whole area is hot and very dry. There is no ground vegetation and most of the trees are bare. There is only one rainy season in the north unlike the south of Ghana which has two seasons. The rains in the north last for only four months (May to August), the rest of the year is mainly dry. The rains transform the area from dry and baron to lush and green. Between December and February each year, the whole of northern Ghana goes through the Harmattan, a dry wind which blows all the way from the Sahara desert. During the Harmattan a red dust blows in the air and settles everywhere.
Culture
Most Sissala people live in large extended family systems with a family head or landlord who is often the oldest male in the family. Respect for the elderly is very important among Sissala people and every child is brought up to respect their elders.
At the village level, the chief and his elders are responsible for the day to day administration of the community and the Jangtina or the village landlord provides spiritual leadership and moral guidance for everyone in the village.
Language
English is the official national language of Ghana because it was a former British colony. There are however over 75 different Ghanaian languages and dialects in the country. The most common language in the south is Twi. The Sissala people speak the Sissali language which has eight distinctive dialects. English is spoken by many of the Sissala people especially the younger generations making it easy for visitors to communicate and have a great time.
Food
The staple foods of the Sissala people are porridge, kulong (TZ), banku, kenkey, fufu, rice and yam. There are different types of porridge made with grains such as millet and guinea-corn and some are flavoured with ginger and pepper. Bo froot (a type of doughnut) or bread are dipped in the porridge.
TZ is commonly made with millet flour and is a thick porridge that is eaten with a green leaf stew that may contain some meat such as goat, sheep, cow, chicken or guinea fowl.
Banku is made with fermented corn dough that is boiled and stirred to make a thick ball that is served with spicy okra soup.
Kenkey is a type of fermented corn dough that is wrapped in plantain or maize leaves and boiled to cook. You use your fingers to break off a piece and dip in the hot pepper sauce and is excellent eaten with sardine or fried fish.
Fufu is yam (like potato but tougher and starchier) that has been pounded to make a sticky dough that is served with light soup.
Yam chips or fried plantain (a type of banana) are eaten with a bean stew.
Doughnuts made with bean flour are cooked by women at the side of the road on charcoal fires.
Religion
The Sissala’s are definitely among some of the most spiritual people on earth. Almost everyone believes in something and many people actually believe in more than one God. A lot of the Sissala people have converted to Islam and Christianity in recent times but the overwhelming majority still believe or practice the ancient tradition of Viekparien. Those who practice Viekparien believe that the Gods are many and not just one. They believe in the ancestors and their power to guide all living beings to live happy and spiritually enriching lives. The Viekparers believes in making spiritual offerings and worshiping of everything which is connected with nature including the rivers, stones, animals and trees. Viekparers believe that the almighty is indeed so mighty that it is impossible to communicate directly. They believe the medium of communication is through its creatures that a message can be transmitted to the almighty WIA.
Festivals
There are several seasonal farming and hunting festivals in the Sissala area just like many other parts of northern Ghana. Two of the main Sissala festivals are jingbenti festival and paregbelle festival. During the jingbenti festival in July lots of food is cooked and in the evening fire torches are carried round the town.
Paregbelle is a harvesting festival which is held annually to thank Sissala Gods for the gift of the land. This festival is celebrated like an agricultural show where every farmer comes to tell their own experience and take the opportunity to learn from other farmers and make new friends. The paregbelle festival is usually celebrated between September and October every year.