A Muslim in Ghana
Islam
is believed to be one of the world's youngest religions. Followers
of Islam are called Muslims. "Muslim" is an Arabic
word that refers to a person who submits themselves to the "Will
of God." There are approximately 2 million Muslims in Ghana
(and about 6 million in North America). Usman Musah is a young
Muslim who is 15 years old and attends 6th grade
at Ayigya Metropolitan Assembly school.
Everyday, Usman goes
to the makatranta (mosque) to learn how to read and write
the Koran which is Arabic. (Muslims believe that the Koran is
the book of Allah sent for the guidance of humanity through
the last Prophet Muhammad.) As a Muslim, Usman must go to makatranta
once a day and say his prayers five times a day at 5 a.m., 1:30
p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. His school has a morning
session
and an afternoon session. Some students go to school in the
morning while others go in the afternoon, then they switch after
two weeks. If Usman goes to school in the afternoon, he has
to go to the mosque in the evening. He prefers the morning session
of school so that he can go to the makatranta in the
afternoon.
Usman lives
in Kumasi, in a section called the "zongo,"
a name given to any Muslim community within the Ashanti region
of Ghana. He speaks some Twi and English, but his native language
is Hausa.
Ayigya Metropolitan
Assembly's school garden is fairly large and contains alternating
rows of maize and cassava planted by the students and teachers.
Usman has learned that the cassava leaves and seeds return nutrients
to the soil, which the maize uses to grow big stalks with juicy
ears of corn. Usman likes to plant and weed the garden and he
enjoys harvesting the crops to sell at market.
Corn growing in the school’s garden is
ready for harvesting.
For more information on the different religions of Ghana, visit
the Civilizations
in Africa: Ghana Web site.
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© 2009
National Gardening Association