Big Ada is a town in the

Ada East District Ada East District is one of the twenty-nine districts in Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Dangme East District in 1988, which was created from the former Dangme District Council, until the western par ...

, a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the

Greater Accra Region The Greater Accra Region has the smallest area of Ghana's 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres. This is 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the second most populated region, befor ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. The settlement lies along the road from Ada Kasseh to the district capital

Ada Foah Ada Foah is a town on the southeast coast of Ghana, where the Volta River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The town is located along the Volta River, off of the Accra-Aflao motorway. Known for palm-lined beaches and estuary islands, Ada Foah is also th ...

, just off the

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

Aflao Aflao is a town in Ketu South District in the Volta Region on Ghana's border with Togo. Aflao is the twenty-eighth most populous settlement in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 96,550 people. In the 18th century, Aflao served a ...

motorway.

History

The Ada people first migrated from Ancient Egypt, then to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in a town called Ile-Ife, through

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

among the

Fon People The Fon people, also called Fon nu, Agadja or Dahomey, are a Gbe ethnic group.Fon people
Encyclopædia Britan ...

then to

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

, and finally to Big Ada in the

(present day

). Big Ada was one of the first places the Ada people settled. From there, they spread out to different settlements,Amate, C.OC. The Making of Ada" 1999. but always perceived Big Ada as their home base. The village that is located on the riverbank of the Volta used to be an important trading center, profiting from the river's fantastic location. From there, goods were transported to the hinterland by canoe past the Shai and Akwamu mountains. The economic activities reached a peak around 1901 when a transportation system called the

Volta River Transport System Volta may refer to: Persons * Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist and inventor of the electric battery, count and eponym of the volt * Giovanni Volta (1928–2012), Italian Roman Catholic bishop * Giovanni Serafino Volta (1764–18 ...

was launched. Ada's decline started with the construction of the harbor sea port in

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

that made the transport on the

Volta River The Volta River is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The main parts of the river are the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta. In ...

unnecessary. Today, Ada is not as popular as far as social life and economic activities are concerned. Hardly any traces of physical structures such as factories and shops remain.

Services

Big Ada consists of two main roads with many smaller paths in between. The area has some guesthouses, many chop bars and spots, a police station and a small library. The local radio station Radio Ada that broadcasts in the local language

Dangme The Dangbe language, also ''Dangbe'' or ''Adaŋgbi'', is a Kwa language spoken in south-eastern Ghana by the Dangbe People ''(Dangbeli)''. The Dangbeli are part of the larger Ga-Dangbe ethnic group. Klogbi is a variant, spoken by the Kloli (K ...

has its office just outside Big Ada.Big Ada is also the office of the King of Ada, who is head over the various local chiefs.

Asafotufiami Festival

Ada is the venue of the well-known, annual Asafotufiami festival that takes place in the first week of August and is one of the biggest events in the district. The event celebrates ancient wars and draws a big crowd of people to Ada. Historically, the Asafotufiami is a remembrance of ancient wars with neighboring tribes such as the Ewe. The "Asafotu" are companies of warriors who fire their

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s in celebration. These days, the festival is a grand homecoming for the Ada and African

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

. As many of the Ada's were enslaved during the transatlantic Slave trade. The celebration starts on a Thursday in the first week of August and goes on until the following week. Young men are initiated and instructed in the ancient tactics of warfare, the paramount chief of Ada and the chiefs of the various clans gather for processions and speeches and parties and celebrations continue throughout the whole festival. On Sunday, there is an open-air church service. The following days are filled with beach parties, boat races, river excursions and football matches.

References

External links

Ada Tourism
Official Website {{coord, 5, 49, N, 0, 37, E, region:GH_type:city, display=title Populated places in the Greater Accra Region Accra