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Entertainment
The Sandema Festival
The festival is a war dance festival celebrated by the
Builsas, in December. It marks the end of the slave
trade in northern Ghana, and the capture of the noto-
rious slave marauders, Samori and Babatu.
The Samapiid Festival
This festival is a thanks-giving festival celebrated by
the Kusasis people in December. The Golob festival
is celebrated by the Talensis of Tongo in March to
mark the beginning of the sowing season.
Sumbrungu Painted Houses
One of the most distinctive features in the Upper
East Region are the traditional villages that dot the
landscape. These villages generally feature round
thatched roof huts, painted with decorative motifs in
striking colors. A beautiful example of traditional paint-
MOSQUE
The Larabanga Mosque is a historic mosque of the
“Sudanese” architectural mosque type in the village
of Larabanga, Ghana. Though uncertainty exists re-
garding its age, it is believed to be one of the holi-
est Islamic sites in Ghana.
In 2002, it was placed on the 2002 World Monu-
ments Watch by the World Monuments Fund, be-
cause of damage sustained after an inappropriate
restoration in the 1970s. According to the Fund, one
of the minarets had also collapsed in 2000 during
a storm. The financial services company American
Express provided USD$50,000 for the mosque to be
restored through the World Monuments Fund. The
funds were devoted to reassessing the state of con-
versation of the site, and to funding a team of local
artisans and labourers to restore the monument with
special emphasis on reviving the knowledge of mud-
plaster maintenance.
BOLGATANGA
Bolgatanga is the largest city in the north and the
gateway to Burkina Faso. Colloquially known as Bol-
ga, is the capital of both the Bolgatanga Municipal
District and the Upper East Region of Ghana, and
has a population of about 50,000.
Historically Bolgatanga was situated at the terminus
of the ancient Trans-Saharan trade route. The east-
ern route traveled through Northern Nigeria, con-
verging with the Sahelian route from Mali via Burkina
Faso, near Bolgatanga. Along the route, handicrafts;
especially straw baskets, hats and fans, as well as
leather goods, metal jewellery and indigenous attires
called “Fugu” were exchanged for kola nuts and salt.
Where to Stay
Hostels/Guest Houses towards the beach are good
quality and some have lovely roof bars also.
Resorts
Brenu Beach Resort, Brenu Akyinim
Take a tro-tro (minibus) from GOIL/Pedu Junction
along the Accra-Takoradi Road towards Takoradi.
Get off at Ayensudo junction, and then hire a taxi
from the main road to Brenu Beach.
A well-tended private beach, better for swimming
than the beaches in Cape Coast, is only a 15-20
minute Tro-Tro (minibus) ride away. There is a res-
taurant/bar on premises which offers a great variety
of Ghanian and International dishes for 5-10 Gh¢.
Camping/rooms are available. 1 Gh¢ entry fee for
the day.
What to See and Do
Larabanga Mosque
The Upper East Region, where Bolgatanga lies, is
part of what used to be known as the Upper Region.
Between 1902 and 1960 the Northern Territory was a
British protectorate, it was separated into the North-
ern and Upper Region on July 1, 1960. The Upper
Region was later apportioned into Upper East and
Upper West Region in 1983 during the PNDC rule.