By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-09 11:27:04 | Updated at 2026-10-09 14:39:56
3 hours ago
GHANA · CULTURE
Key Facts
- —The country About 34.4 million people (2026 projection), English-speaking, in West Africa.
- —UNESCO heritage Kente weaving listed in 2024, highlife music and dance in 2025.
- —Who Black Sherif, Stonebwoy, Kofi Kinaata, El Anatsui, the late Daddy Lumba.
- —What happened in 2026 Black Sherif top artiste; Black Stars out in World Cup last 32.
- —Coming up African arts festival AFESTACC in Ghana, 9–12 December 2026.
- —Still open AFESTACC host venues have not yet been announced.
From highlife and kente to Black Sherif and El Anatsui, these are the people and traditions that define Ghana culture in 2026.
Ghana culture runs from highlife, the guitar-led dance music UNESCO recognised in 2025, to hand-woven kente cloth and young rappers. It matters to US readers because Ghana markets itself as a home for the African diaspora, and its artists reach American audiences.
This guide names the key figures in music, books and film, visual art, sport, media and festivals. It also explains what they say about a country of about 34.4 million people, the 2026 projection of the Ghana Statistical Service.
Ghana Culture at a Glance
Ghana sits on the Gulf of Guinea between Côte d’Ivoire and Togo. It won independence from Britain in 1957, and English remains the official language.
The country is home to many peoples, among them the Asante, Fante, Ga, Ewe and Dagomba. Each has its own language, chiefs and festival calendar, and that diversity is the raw material of its culture.
Two recent decisions by UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, put this heritage on a global map. Kente, the strip-woven cloth worn at Asante and Ewe ceremonies, joined UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2024.
Highlife music and dance followed in 2025. These are Ghana’s only two entries on that list as of October 2026, according to UNESCO.
The state’s culture portfolio sits with Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts. She is a performing artist and the member of parliament for Ketu South in the Volta Region.
She serves under President John Dramani Mahama, who took office in January 2025. The guide to who holds power in Ghana explains the wider government.
Music, From Highlife to Black Sherif
Highlife grew up in the coastal cities in the early 20th century, blending local rhythms with brass bands and guitars. It later spawned hiplife, a fusion with hip-hop, and fed into the Afrobeats sound now heard worldwide.
The genre lost one of its biggest stars in 2025. Daddy Lumba, born Charles Kwadwo Fosu, died on Saturday, 26 July 2025, aged 60, the Ghana News Agency reported.
President Mahama said his “unmatched musical genius provided the soundtrack to our lives.” In May 2026 the Ghana Music Awards gave him a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
Those awards, sponsored by the telecoms company Telecel, are the country’s main music prize. The 27th edition was held on Saturday, 9 May 2026, at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Black Sherif, a rapper and singer, dominated the night with five awards. He was Artiste of the Year, and Iron Boy won Album/EP of the Year, according to the official winners list.
Other winners show how wide the scene is. Kofi Kinaata won Highlife Artiste, Medikal took Hiplife/Hip-Hop Artiste and Stonebwoy won Reggae/Dancehall Artiste.
Wendy Shay was named Afrobeats/Afropop Artiste and Diana Hamilton won Gospel Artiste. Gospel matters because Ghana is a deeply churchgoing country, and church choirs are a training ground for many performers.
Writers and Film-Makers
Ghana’s modern literature began with the independence generation. Ayi Kwei Armah and Ama Ata Aidoo wrote novels, plays and stories about the hopes and disappointments of the post-colonial state.
Their themes still shape how Ghanaians write about corruption, migration and family. Aidoo died in 2023, but her work is still widely read.
The best-known Ghanaian voice in the United States today is Yaa Gyasi, a Ghana-born novelist raised in Alabama. Her debut novel Homegoing won the PEN/Hemingway Award, says her publisher Penguin Random House.
On screen, Ghana has two industries: Accra produces English-language films and television. Kumasi’s “Kumawood” makes low-budget comedies and dramas in the Twi language.
The National Theatre in Accra hosts drama, dance companies and concerts. It is a main stage for the performing arts that the minister herself came from.
Visual Artists, From El Anatsui to the Venice Pavilion
Ghana’s most celebrated living artist is El Anatsui. He was born in Anyako, Ghana, in 1944 and has mostly worked in Nigeria, says Tate, Britain’s national gallery group.
He is famous for vast, shimmering hangings stitched from thousands of liquor-bottle tops. They echo the patterns of kente while speaking about trade, waste and the history of the Atlantic.
He won the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. On 9 October 2023 Tate Modern in London unveiled Behind the Red Moon, which Tate called his largest work to date.
His work also featured in Ghana’s first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019. That pavilion announced a confident contemporary scene, with artists working between Accra, Kumasi and Tamale.
Sport Icons and the Black Stars
Football is Ghana’s shared passion, and the national team, the Black Stars, is its most powerful symbol. The name comes from the black star on the national flag.
The team qualified for the 2026 World Cup in North America and reached the round of 32. It lost 1–0 to Colombia in Kansas City on Friday, 3 July 2026, the Ghana Football Association reported.
Jhon Arias scored the only goal in the 14th minute. Ghana’s coach, the Portuguese veteran Carlos Queiroz, had led the side through a group that included Croatia and Panama.
Forward Antoine Semenyo and veteran Jordan Ayew, who both played against Colombia, are household names at home. The preview of the Colombia tie and the report on the group game against England cover the campaign in detail.
Boxing is the second sporting tradition, rooted in the old Accra districts of Jamestown and Bukom. Their gyms still draw young fighters hoping to follow earlier champions.
Media, Festivals and the Black Star Experience
Ghana has one of West Africa’s liveliest media scenes. The state broadcaster GBC competes with private radio and television groups, and talk radio shapes debate on politics and culture.
The festival calendar is where most visitors meet Ghanaian culture. The government’s flagship programme for it is the Black Star Experience, launched by President Mahama on Thursday, 1 May 2025.
He called it “a 365-day celebration” of Ghanaian creativity, the Ghana News Agency reported. It packages festivals, concerts, fashion, food and heritage tours into one year-round calendar.
Mahama named three examples at the launch. They were the Chale Wote street art festival in Jamestown, Hogbetsotso in the Volta Region and Fetu Afahye in Cape Coast.
Chale Wote turns the old harbour district of Jamestown into an open-air gallery of murals, music and performance. The other two are traditional festivals led by chiefs, with drumming, processions and durbars.
For the diaspora, the key dates are PANAFEST and Emancipation Day, centred on the former slave forts of the Central Region. The 2025 edition ran in late July, according to the Ghana Tourism Authority.
Ghana will host the first African Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTACC) from 9 to 12 December 2026. Minister Gomashie announced it in August, the Ghanaian Times reported.
December is already Ghana’s peak party season, when diaspora visitors fly in for concerts and weddings. The guide to Ghana’s place in the world explains why this soft power matters to the government.
What the Key Figures Say About Ghana
Taken together, these names describe a country proud of tradition but restless to modernise it. Kente and highlife are protected as heritage, while Black Sherif and El Anatsui reinvent them for global audiences.
They also show how much of Ghana’s culture is made abroad. Writers, film-makers and footballers often build careers in the United States and Europe, then return to Accra as ambassadors.
Finally, the state now treats culture as an economic tool. The Black Star Experience aims to turn festivals into tourism revenue and jobs, competing with neighbours for visitors.
The guide to Nigeria’s culture covers the biggest rival, and the guide to Ghana and its neighbours explains the region. More coverage sits on the Ghana page.
What It Means for US Readers
For travellers, the festival calendar is the best way in. December and the PANAFEST season in July and August are the busiest periods, so flights and hotels in Accra fill early.
For students and universities, the links are deep: Ohio University says it enrols more Ghanaian students than any other US university. Minister Gomashie attended its Global Arts Festival in March 2026.
For music fans, Ghanaian artists are part of the Afrobeats wave on US streaming services and tour circuits. Highlife’s new UNESCO status is likely to bring more festival bookings and reissues.
For collectors and museums, Ghanaian contemporary art is now a serious field. El Anatsui’s work has filled the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern and won top honours in Venice.
What Is Not Known
The host venues and full programme for AFESTACC in December 2026 have not been announced. It is also unclear how much public money the festival will receive.
There are no published official figures yet on whether the Black Star Experience has raised visitor numbers since May 2025. Who coaches the Black Stars after the World Cup is also not settled in the sources checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ghana culture best known for?
Abroad, Ghana is best known for kente cloth, highlife music, football and its festivals. UNESCO listed kente weaving in 2024 and highlife music and dance in 2025.
Who is the biggest Ghanaian music star right now?
Black Sherif was named Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards on 9 May 2026. He won five awards, including Album/EP of the Year for Iron Boy.
Who was Daddy Lumba?
Daddy Lumba, born Charles Kwadwo Fosu, was one of Ghana’s most popular highlife singers. He died on 26 July 2025, aged 60, and received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2026.
Who is El Anatsui?
El Anatsui is a Ghanaian sculptor, born in 1944, known for huge hangings made from bottle tops. He won the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2015 Venice Biennale.
What is the Black Star Experience?
It is the Ghanaian government’s year-round programme of festivals, concerts and heritage events, launched by President Mahama on 1 May 2025. It aims to make Ghana a cultural destination all year.
How did Ghana do at the 2026 World Cup?
The Black Stars reached the round of 32. They lost 1-0 to Colombia in Kansas City on 3 July 2026.
Sources: Ghana Statistical Service; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage; Ghana News Agency (music awards); Ghana News Agency (Daddy Lumba); Ghana News Agency (Black Star Experience); Ghana Football Association; Ghana Tourism Authority; Tate; Penguin Random House; Ohio University; Ghanaian Times (all accessed 9 October 2026).
