#GhanaMonth - Celebrating Women and Ghana's History Month

Ghana Month

To know exactly where you’re going, you first need to understand where you have come from. For that you need an appreciation of history.

Hi There # KingsandQueens:

The 2nd best time to visit Ghana apart from December is the month of March. The streets, coloured by the red, gold and green with the black star of the Ghana flag, bubbles with action and patriotism in March which is Ghana month. This is truly a good time to be Ghanaian or to be in Ghana.

It is a time when we do not only celebrate our rich history, we also showcase the best our beloved country has to offer the world. From the warmth of the people to the great food and ambience, Ghana is your refuge from a troubled world. Even for anyone visiting Ghana this month, you cannot help but feel a sense of belonging to the Ghanaian story. One whose theme is about a people who defeated colonialism and decided to take our collective destinies into their own hands.

On the second note, as International Women’s Day beckons, we celebrate the tirelessly contributions of women to the development of our society.

The streets exude the self belief and can-do spirit which spurred the independence some 65 years ago. It has been the guiding light ever since.

As Ghanaians, our Independence Day celebrations on March 6 honours our rich cultural diversity. It is again time to reflect on the ties that bind us as a nation. Amid the celebrations, there is always pause for reflection about how far we have come as country.

After independence, the now self-dependent Ghana relied on trading its natural resources to its advantage, carting off gold, cocoa, timber, bauxite and recently crude oil abroad in return for foreign exchange. Most of these natural resources are excavated in the raw states, shipped abroad for value addition and resold back to the country. This vicious cycle has been a major cause of economic stagnation that Ghana and many other African countries have experienced since their independence.

Shea is truly one of Ghana’s jewels. The shea sector has been changing this narrative of exporting raw materials for pittance. Shea producers have been focused on adding value and not just shipping out the unprocessed nuts. The thrill of this story is that the locally produced shea butter using traditional methods, is the best shea butter money can buy. Essentially, the shea sector has been providing the blueprint for an entire continent that it is possible to produce premier quality products from our own natural resources for the global market.

Gradually, the indigenous businesses like Hamamat Africa are rewriting the script. We are evermore committed to not being mere raw material suppliers, but rather difference makers. The difference is being made using our very own raw materials, crafted into some of the best products the world craves.

The celebration of Ghana month also brings into sharp focus the invaluable role women play in building local economies. As the International Women’s Day beckons, we jointly celebrate the achievements of our women and their contributions to nation building.

As we celebrate Womens History Month, we all need to remind ourselves that women are agents of development. Evidence from the shea sectors points to the fact that women have the capability of spearheading economic activities. Alienating women from these economic ventures means slowing down the pace of development especially in Africa.

In our individual capacities, we have a responsibility to support women led industries to grow into the next powerhouses. We can support by prioritising those products and services produced by women.

In this month of March Hamamat Africa is launching the Village Colouring Book on our website. This is to give kids from around the world insights into things that represent the Ghanaian and African identity. Our History provides identity. Studying history improves our decision making and judgment. History shows us models of good and responsible citizenship.

Our history also teaches us how to learn from the mistakes of others and help us understand change and societal development. History provides us a context from which to understand ourselves and others.

So let’s get colouring because every order made on www.hamamat.com gets to colour too. Wishing my beloved country Ghana a Happy month of Celebration and to all Women around the world, our history matters - let's rewrite some more history.

With Love & Wellness.
- HAMAMAT