The expression of Akwaaba is an important expression in Ghanaian custom because it symbolizes acceptance, friendliness and cooperation.
‘Akwaaba,’ which simply means welcome, in some Akan dialects, has become a symbol for expressing the celebrated Ghanaian hospitality, especially to foreign guests.
Customarily, Ghanaian hosts are expected to extend Akwaaba to strangers and intimate relations alike whenever they receive them on both formal and informal occasions. And it must be expressed as often as necessary. This is to demonstrate warmth, acceptance, and peace.
The extension of Akwaaba is normally followed with the offering of seats and the serving of water or drinks or both.
The expression of Akwaaba is so important that the Government of Ghana has placed the word at some of its entry points to demonstrate to foreigners that, they are, indeed, welcome to Ghana. Ghanaians pride themselves as the friendliest people in Africa. Thus, on both official and informal occasions, Akwaaba is expressed to initiate relationships or to cement existing ones.
Critique of this portrait:
This picture appears to be the portrait of an unknown photographer to present a nonverbal communication of Akwaaba to guests.
The theme of the picture seems to be: “Akwaaba; a symbol Ghanaian Hospitality”.
The picture features a model who is obviously dressed for a formal traditional occasion. She is wearing two designs of the ‘Kente’ cloth and a Kente headgear. These have been complemented with some bead necklaces and some golden rings.
The model carries a pot, which appears to contain some palm wine, and she has a calabash, with which she would serve the drink.
She has a broad smile, which is an indication of joy and friendliness.
The outfit of the model, the Kente, is unique to Ghana so the picture seeks to communicate some information, which is akin to Ghana. The pot and the calabash are widely used in typical African communities, including Ghana, for carrying water and drinks and for serving them, respectively, to guests to demonstrate hospitality.
This picture is well framed with a balanced depth of field and it has a great appeal.
The effort of the photographer to capture the so-called Ghanaian hospitality in a photographic portrait is, therefore, highly commendable.
However, without the caption of ‘Welcome’ or ‘Akwaaba’ a viewer might find it difficult to interpret the picture as one meant to express welcome and portray Ghanaian Hospitality.
It may simply mean a beautiful woman, who is happy, and is ready to serve what she is carrying in the pot.
Though the picture may not be easily associated with its theme, especially to the foreigner who is alien to Ghanaian customs, it demonstrates the concept that the photographer, as an artist, has the privilege to develop his own concept, determine his own theme, and capture it with his lenses and caption it and sell it to the world.
It is, therefore, no wonder that this picture has been embraced and copied many times for sale and use.
The expression of Akwaaba is an important expression in Ghanaian custom because it symbolizes acceptance, friendliness and cooperation.
‘Akwaaba,’ which simply means welcome, in some Akan dialects, has become a symbol for expressing the celebrated Ghanaian hospitality, especially to foreign guests.
Customarily, Ghanaian hosts are expected to extend Akwaaba to strangers and intimate relations alike whenever they receive them on both formal and informal occasions. And it must be expressed as often as necessary. This is to demonstrate warmth, acceptance, and peace.
The extension of Akwaaba is normally followed with the offering of seats and the serving of water or drinks or both.
The expression of Akwaaba is so important that the Government of Ghana has placed the word at some of its entry points to demonstrate to foreigners that, they are, indeed, welcome to Ghana. Ghanaians pride themselves as the friendliest people in Africa. Thus, on both official and informal occasions, Akwaaba is expressed to initiate relationships or to cement existing ones.
Critique of this portrait:
This picture appears to be the portrait of an unknown photographer to present a nonverbal communication of Akwaaba to guests.
The theme of the picture seems to be: “Akwaaba; a symbol Ghanaian Hospitality”.
The picture features a model who is obviously dressed for a formal traditional occasion. She is wearing two designs of the ‘Kente’ cloth and a Kente headgear. These have been complemented with some bead necklaces and some golden rings.
The model carries a pot, which appears to contain some palm wine, and she has a calabash, with which she would serve the drink.
She has a broad smile, which is an indication of joy and friendliness.
The outfit of the model, the Kente, is unique to Ghana so the picture seeks to communicate some information, which is akin to Ghana. The pot and the calabash are widely used in typical African communities, including Ghana, for carrying water and drinks and for serving them, respectively, to guests to demonstrate hospitality.
This picture is well framed with a balanced depth of field and it has a great appeal.
The effort of the photographer to capture the so-called Ghanaian hospitality in a photographic portrait is, therefore, highly commendable.
However, without the caption of ‘Welcome’ or ‘Akwaaba’ a viewer might find it difficult to interpret the picture as one meant to express welcome and portray Ghanaian Hospitality.
It may simply mean a beautiful woman, who is happy, and is ready to serve what she is carrying in the pot.
Though the picture may not be easily associated with its theme, especially to the foreigner who is alien to Ghanaian customs, it demonstrates the concept that the photographer, as an artist, has the privilege to develop his own concept, determine his own theme, and capture it with his lenses and caption it and sell it to the world.
It is, therefore, no wonder that this picture has been embraced and copied many times for sale and use.
Akwaaba is an important expression in Ghanaian custom because it symbolizes 
acceptance, friendliness and cooperation.
‘Akwaaba,’ which simply means welcome, in some Akan dialects, has become a symbol for expressing the celebrated Ghanaian hospitality, especially to foreign guests.
Customarily, Ghanaian hosts are expected to extend Akwaaba to strangers and intimate relations alike whenever they receive them on both formal and informal occasions. And it must be expressed as often as necessary. This is to demonstrate warmth, acceptance, and peace.
The extension of Akwaaba is normally followed with the offering of seats and the serving of water or drinks or both.
The expression of Akwaaba is so important that the Government of Ghana has placed the word at some of its entry points to demonstrate to foreigners that, they are, indeed, welcome to Ghana. Ghanaians pride themselves as the friendliest people in Africa. Thus, on both official and informal occasions, Akwaaba is expressed to initiate relationships or to cement existing ones.
Critique of this portrait:
This picture appears to be the portrait of an unknown photographer to present a nonverbal communication of Akwaaba to guests.
The theme of the picture seems to be: “Akwaaba; a symbol Ghanaian Hospitality”.
The picture features a model who is obviously dressed for a formal traditional occasion. She is wearing two designs of the ‘Kente’ cloth and a Kente headgear. These have been complemented with some bead necklaces and some golden rings.
The model carries a pot, which appears to contain some palm wine, and she has a calabash, with which she would serve the drink.
She has a broad smile, which is an indication of joy and friendliness.
The outfit of the model, the Kente, is unique to Ghana so the picture seeks to communicate some information, which is akin to Ghana. The pot and the calabash are widely used in typical African communities, including Ghana, for carrying water and drinks and for serving them, respectively, to guests to demonstrate hospitality.
This picture is well framed with a balanced depth of field and it has a great appeal.
The effort of the photographer to capture the so-called Ghanaian hospitality in a photographic portrait is, therefore, highly commendable.
However, without the caption of ‘Welcome’ or ‘Akwaaba’ a viewer might find it difficult to interpret the picture as one meant to express welcome and portray Ghanaian Hospitality.
It may simply mean a beautiful woman, who is happy, and is ready to serve what she is carrying in the pot.
Though the picture may not be easily associated with its theme, especially to the foreigner who is alien to Ghanaian customs, it demonstrates the concept that the photographer, as an artist, has the privilege to develop his own concept, determine his own theme, and capture it with his lenses and caption it and sell it to the world.
It is, therefore, no wonder that this picture has been embraced and copied many times for sale and use.
Nkulenu: Preserving the Ghanaian Heritage
Became the first indigenous African processed food on the world market in 1972
Every worker knows that hard work pays
The Cans get their first cleaning
The Nkulenu Brand:Flying high the national flag
For more than seventy years, Nkulenu Industries Limited has pursued its vision of assisting Ghana to achieve food security through the preservation of vegetables and other foodstuffs, while flying high the flag of Ghana globally thus portraying the ingenuity and determination of the African woman as demonstrated by Dr Esther Ocloo, the founder.
This is no mean feat, especially in an environment where many small and medium enterprises (SMES) collapse before their fifth anniversary, according to Ms Shika Acolatse, a consultant who has for the past 12 years been helping SMEs to survive.
Mr Stephen Ocloo, Chairman of the board of directors of Nkulenu Industries, explains that commitment towards maintaining the highest quality production standards, strict financial discipline and healthy labour relations form part of the driving force behind the company’s success.“Our agents, the farmers who supply us with our raw materials, complain often that we are fastidious because what we reject, our competitors accept,” says the 84-year-old widower of the company’s originator.
“We don’t keep any raw materials overnight; we process all our fresh produce on the day they arrive,” he adds.
Thus for seven decades and more, the Nkulenu brand has earned its distinct reputation, on both the domestic and international market, producing on HAACP certification.
From the production of 12 jars of orange marmalade in 1942, there are seven Nkulenu products on the market today: the Palm Soup base described as the flagship product; the orange and pineapple marmalades; the orange Squash; the bottled palm wine; the pineapple juice and the Pinger (pineapple and ginger drink). ‘Meda’, a malted corn drink, is also produced on demand.
Indeed, the palm soup base became the first processed indigenous food from Africa to be officially certified for export in Europe and America when it was launched in London and New York.
Nkulenu Industries, however, started exporting to the United Kingdom in 1970 and to the United States in 1972 to enable Ghanaians abroad to enjoy their indigenous dishes and to introduce Ghanaian foods to non-Ghanaians, says Mr Ocloo who is also the chairman of the board of directors.
Nkulenu, which exports about 85 per cent of its products, has an annual turnover of about half a million dollars. It produces basically on a demand-driven basis.
The products are also on the shelves in the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Australia, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and many others.
“We have never faced any problem with the quality of our products anywhere in the world because we don’t compromise on quality,” asserts Mr Ocloo. The factory has become a research hub attracting food researchers both locally and internationally.
It all started in 1942, when Dr Mrs Esther Ocloo, (Nee Nkulenu) of blessed memory, invested her pocket money of six shillings in the production of orange marmalade after she had completed Achimota College, where she had also acquired her food production skills.
When her investment yielded 100 per cent profit, she realised that she had found herself a business in food preservation. This was the post Second World War era when imported provisions were difficult to come by and employment was scarce.
Dr Ocloo persisted in her endeavour and founded her business at Osu and ran it successfully enough to save money to pursue a course in Food Science and Modern Processing Techniques at Bristol University, Long Ashton Research Station in the United Kingdom.
She returned to Ghana in 1953 and was even more enthusiastic about her cause and its prospects for her motherland and the opportunity to give employment to the jobless.
Dr Ocloo told her husband that Ghana could become self-sufficient in feeding itself with some investment and commitment to food preservation and that was a mission she would champion with research and example.
She had observed in Britain that housewives preserved vegetables during summer for use in winter and Ghana could do same by preserving the country’s abundant surplus produce during the main agricultural season for use in the lean season.
Dr Ocloo endeavoured to walk her talk and relocated her thriving business to its present location at Madina in 1962 on a larger space. She was a woman of many parts as she helped to found the Association of Ghana Industries, the Aid to Artisans, Women’s World Banking-Ghana, Business and Professional Women Association of Ghana and the African Women Entrepreneurial Centre at Peki.
Her efforts did not go unnoticed, as in 1969 she earned the Grand Medal (Order of the Volta).
Thirteen years after her passing, at the age of 82, the heirs of Nkulenu Industries say they are leaving no stone unturned in preserving the heritage won for them.
“The future is very bright for Nkulenu because we intend to increase our production capacity and reintroduce our convenience foods, which were very popular when we made them,” declares Mr Ocloo. “We have endured the many challenges of businesses over the years and the critical one is overcoming the seasonal availability of raw materials to be able to meet the demand for our products”.
To solve this problem, Nkulenu plans to resume the construction of its new factory at Kpong in the Eastern Region on a 15-acre land next year. The new project whose cost is estimated at about 340,000 dollars, had to be suspended three years ago for fortification because the poor nature of the soil was creating some structural defects. Another 41 acres has been planted with mangoes and oranges.
Already, it has acquired state of the art multi-purpose food processing machines to increase the production levels of the existing products and to reintroduce heat and serve foods like jollof rice, beans in zomi, palaver sauce and others.
Mr Ocloo says this endeavour will no doubt propel the vision of preservation towards national food security and fly the national flag even higher across the globe.
A GNA feature by Beatrice Akua Asamani
Only the best palm fruits make it to production
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