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Shrines in Ghana

Besease Traditional Building · Photo: Sucram Yef · License: CC BY 2.0 · Source

Shrines in Ghana open a door onto living belief, memory and landscape. Some are centuries-old houses of earth and timber, others are groves, cliffs, rivers and rock formations where people have gathered for generations. What they share is care: each is tended by a community, a priestly family or a traditional council, and each asks for the same courtesy you would show in any place of worship. Where they differ is in setting and story. The Besease Traditional Building, also known as Yaw Tano Shrine, and the Ejisu Besease Shrine stand among the ten surviving Asante Traditional Buildings within Ghana's 1980 UNESCO World Heritage property. Far to the north, the Tengzug Shrine is the paramount shrine of the Talensi people, set among sacred shrines in the cliffs of the Tongo Hills, while the Tongo-Tengzuk Cultural Landscape and Sacred Shrines gathers balancing rock formations and ancestral shrines near Tongo. In the south, the Akonedi Shrine at Larteh is dedicated chiefly to the female spirit Akonedi, and the Lalue Kpledo Shrine at Prampram is the focus of the three-part Lalue Kpledomi festival.

Good to know

Before you go

Plan around people, not just places. Many of these sites are active shrines, so write or call ahead through the local traditional council, the parish or a community tourism contact before you travel, and ask what is permitted. Dress modestly, remove your shoes where asked, and check before photographing anyone or anything. Some sites, such as the Antoa Nyamaa Shrine near Kumasi, are reached by a farm path, so sturdy shoes help. Distances between regions are long: the Tongo Hills sites sit in the Upper East Region, the Asante sites around Kumasi, and the Ga and coastal shrines in Greater Accra and the Central Region. Allow a full day for each cluster rather than trying to link them. If you hope to see a festival, such as the Ohum Festival at Old Tafo or Homowo rites at Teshie, confirm dates locally, as they follow traditional calendars.

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Places to explore

Attraction · Ejisu

Besease Traditional Building

The Besease Traditional Building, or Yaw Tano Shrine, is one of the ten surviving Asante Traditional Buildings within Ghana's 1980 UNESCO World Heritage property.

Photo: Sucram Yef · Source

Attraction · Besease Ejisu

Ejisu Besease Shrine

Traditional Asante shrine house at Ejisu Besease, Ashanti Region, one of the ten UNESCO-listed Asante Traditional Buildings and the listing's main visitor site.

Photo: Sucram Yef · Source

Attraction · Tongo

Tengzug Shrine

Tengzug Shrine is the paramount shrine of the Talensi people, set among sacred shrines in the cliffs of the Tongo Hills, about 15 km southeast of Bolgatanga.

Photo: Alhaj Darajaati · Source

Attraction · Tengzuk

Tongo-Tengzuk Cultural Landscape and Sacred Shrines

A Talensi cultural landscape of balancing rock formations and sacred ancestral shrines at the base of a horseshoe-shaped hill chain near Tongo, Upper East Region.

Photo: Munkaila Sulemana · Source

Attraction

Attraction · Larteh

Akonedi Shrine, Larteh

The Akonedi Shrine is a traditional shrine and heritage site at Larteh Kubeasi in the Akuapem Hills, Eastern Region, dedicated chiefly to the female spirit Akonedi.

Attraction

Attraction · Nkwanta

Akyode Shrine

A traditional shrine of the Akyode (Kyode) people in Nkwanta South Municipality, Oti Region, recorded as the Akyode paramount site.

Attraction

Attraction · Antoa

Antoa Nyamaa Shrine

Antoa Nyamaa is a river deity and shrine in Antoa, Kwabre East, Ashanti Region, about seven miles from Kumasi, reached by a farm path to the Asuo Nyamaa stream.

Attraction

Attraction · Anomabo

Dontsin No.3 Company Posuban Shrine

An Asafo company posuban shrine in Anomabu, Central Region, outdoored in 1948 and rebuilt in 1966, attributed to artist Kwamina Amoaku.

Attraction

Attraction · Prampram

Lalue Kpledo Shrine

Lalue Kpledo Shrine in Prampram, Greater Accra, is the sacred shrine of the Lalue deity and the focus of the three-part Lalue Kpledomi festival.

Attraction

Attraction · Old Tafo

Ohum Shrine and Ohum Dua (Gyempremo Shrine), Old Tafo

A sacred shrine and ancient spiritual tree in Old Tafo, Eastern Region, central to the Ohum Festival of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.

Attraction

Attraction · Teshie

Osabu-Ayiku Shrine

Traditional Ga shrine and seat of the Teshie Wulomo in Teshie, Greater Accra, and customary venue for the Bloahejuu and Abele kuu rites of the Homowo season.

Attraction

Attraction · Techiman

Our Lady of Calvary Grotto, Asueyi

A Catholic pilgrimage and retreat grotto of the Diocese of Techiman, built on rock formations at Asueyi in the Bono East Region.

Attraction

Attraction · Techiman

Tano Boase Sacred Grove

A sacred grove and rock shrine near Tanoboase in Bono East, associated with the deity Tano and the heritage of the Bono people.

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