Waakye Rice and Beans Ghana Style 

 

Waakye is a popular easy to make Ghanaian dish of rice and beans and is a meal itself or served as a side with boiled eggs, salad, grilled fish, chicken, goat, pasta or vegetables. 

 
Prep time: 10 min 

Cook time: 30 min 

Total time: 40 min 

  

Waakye Rice and Beans Ghana Style 

Ingredients
2 cups white rice
2 15.5 ounce cans red beans
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons shito (pepper) sauce or 1 chopped hot pepper
½ teaspoon baking soda or 2 dry sorghum leaves
4 cups water

Directions
In a large pot add all ingredients and simmer until rice is cooked about 30 minutes. Serve with boiled eggs, grilled fish, chicken, goat or vegetables.

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Information on Cameroon

Three quick facts about the Republic of Cameroon; Mount Cameroon is the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan West Africa and an active volcano, former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country, and The Republic of Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.

Carrying firewood home in Cameroon 

How Cameroon got its name.

In the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water; over time, the designation became Cameroon in English; this is the only instance where a country is named after a crustacean

 

Nationality

Noun: Cameroonian(s)

Adjective: Cameroonian

 

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 59.4 years

Male: 58 years

Female: 60.9 years

 

Ethnic groups

Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

 

Population distribution

The population is concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated.

 

Religions

Indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

 

Languages

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

 

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

 

Area comparative to US States

Slightly larger than California

 

Border countries

Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria

 

Climate

Current Weather varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

 

Terrain

Diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

 

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)

 

Natural hazards

Volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes

 

Did you know?

Cameroon is also referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country, there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity.

Information on Cameroon

Berbere is a popular ingredient in spicy Ethiopian spice blends. It's used to season meats, chicken and veggies, beans, and nuts. Berbere is used in many low-sodium dishes as a salt alternative.

Three Berbere Spice Facts.

Berbere is a hot spice blend that is an integral ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine.

Berbere name means hot in Amharic.

Berbere is pronounced bear-bear-ee.

Create our easy homemade Ethiopian Berbere spice blend at home. Berbere spice blend made at home is created fresh without additives or preservatives.

Recipe for Berbere spice blend

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground dried spicy chilies

1/4 cup paprika

1 teaspoon ground powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Finely grind fenugreek seeds and combine well with remaining ingredients. Store in an airtight container away from heat and direct sunlight. 

African cotton economy in regards to cotton plantation owners and everyday Benin citizens benefit from the cotton economy but not equally. Cotton in Africa mostly benefits plantation owners, shipping merchants, and the textile industry.

 

Picking Cotton in Modern Day Africa

Where is Benin

Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a West African kingdom that raised to prominence in about 1600 and over the next 250 years became a regional power, largely based on its slave trade.

Benin is located in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo. Benin is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. The languages of Benin include French the official language, Fon and Yoruba, and numerous tribal languages.

The population of Benin is mainly located in the south, with the highest concentration of Beninese people living in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast. Most of the north of Benin remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west. Nevertheless, no matter Beninese people live, almost half the population is dependent on cotton to earn a living.

Cotton in Benin

Benin cotton

The economy of Benin is dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.

Benin, which was a leading global producer of cotton between 2004 and 2006, has since experienced a sharp fall in production. Cotton exports have not been able to recover its former output levels.

The Benin government has also taken over the export of cotton and cottonseed. After a difficult period, production is now once again getting under way, but with output likely to be below Benin’s glory days as King of Cotton.

Picking Cotton

In Benin, large cotton plantations or farms are dedicated to growing cotton. Picking cotton in Benin without machinery is very hot, hard, physical work where women work the same hours as men. At harvest time, pickers are expected to pick a certain amount of cotton each day or they do not earn enough money to support their families. Most work as field hands on cotton plantations. Today raw cotton is processed in the state's grain mills which the picker must pay for the use of the mill.

Cotton pickers can work in the fields from sunrise to sunset and at harvest time; they might work an 18-hour day. At harvest time, the cotton bolls are collected into large sacks and weighed. A good picker can harvest 100-300 pounds of cotton in a day. This size of harvest would consist of one-third fibers and two-thirds seeds. Harvesting is mechanized today on some larger farms.

Cotton is still King in the African country of Benin, cotton accounts for nearly 40 percent of the country's revenue. Cotton provides an income to roughly three million people however; cotton productivity and profitability have declined in recent years due, in part, to poor governmental management practices and piracy against commercial shipping in its territory off the Port of Cotonou.

 

Cotton in Benin Africa Three Facts 

Cotton is Benin’s most important cash crop.

Cotton is highly susceptible to pests such as cotton bollworm, and more pesticides are used on it per unit than on any other crop. Organic farming is catching on but relies on farmers rotating their crops, which takes time, and monitoring insects.

Cotton has mainly been farmed in Benin using agrochemicals including, in some cases, the banned insecticide endosulfan, to raise yields.