In the last 25 years many Ghanaian migrants settled in Northamptonshire, bringing a rich culture of celebration that is integral to their community and their new lives.
The Ghanaian diaspora has been present in the UK since the 1500s but there was a clear influx of Ghanaian migrants after the country won its independence in the 1960s.
In 1961 a census of the United Kingdom recorded 10,000 residents born in Ghana, which had increased to over 95,000 by 2011, according to a BBC article on African and Asian migration.
Assimilating into British culture did not water down traditional Ghanaian practices, especially that of celebratory events. In Ghana, the community has a strong presence in the lives of the people there. Everything is based on togetherness and parties are a prime example of this.
The culture revolves heavily around celebration and finding reasons to rejoice, sometimes with intent and purpose and sometimes just for the fun of it. To be able to connect with your loved ones, neighbours or even others you aren’t closely associated with, the bond of community is strengthened.
“You seriously had to be there it was just something you had to experience firsthand,” is the sentiment carried by most Ghanaians who lived through the iconic party era of the ’00s in Northamptonshire.
During this time, the steady migration of Ghanaian people continued but concentrated itself in the East Midlands and this new wave of immigrants chose this area as a new place to thrive and call home. With them, they brought their zest for life and infectious attitude towards partying.
Being second-generation Ghanaian, living through this time gave me and my peers a deep appreciation for our heritage. Partying and enjoyment were weaved into our weekly routine, something that I now carry everywhere I go.
In this oral history, a group of Ghanaians from the Midlands talk about the party scene from the early 2000s to the present day.
How the Midlands parties began
Wendy Essilfie, 51, currently lives and works in London but has lived in Wellingborough for 13 years. Prior to that she lived in Ghana, and she told us that the whole thing started when she first moved to the UK in 2001.
“I’m sure Ghanaians had been partying here before us, but when we moved to the Northants we made house parties a HUGE thing. In Ghana we have a close-knit community. Most people who moved to Wellingborough, are from Takoradi or Cape Coast (Ghanaian boroughs). So it’s like, one person came to the UK and then they’ll call another person to come and so on,” she said.
“In Africa, every neighbour knows each other. We all grow up in one house and don’t really leave or move. So every neighbour is a friend.
“In Ghana, migrating to the UK is seen as an advantage. It’s like changing from poverty to riches. So if somebody has the opportunity to come here, they will try and help an area friend or childhood friend to move abroad. As we migrate, we bring our culture here and Ghanaians love having fun, it’s not like the UK where everybody minds their own business. We go together. We come together. We all have fun together.”
Nana Owusu, 57, moved to Wellingborough at 33 and lived there for 11 years. He then later moved back to Ghana were he now owns a construction company
“When we used to party in Wellingborough, it was usually for a celebration. That’s how it started in the 2000s. It’s for someone’s birthday, a christening, an engagement, a wedding. There was always a cause for it.
“Then because you had a big Ghanaian community, it was like almost every week somebody was doing something and we got used to that. If there was nothing to celebrate, people made up an excuse to party.
“Because it had become something that we do almost every weekend, people wanted the weekend to be joyous. So someone would say ‘Oh I’m cooking today.’ or ‘Everybody should come to my house today.’ Before you knew it, a party would start!”
“Our socialising would normally start with parties. Most of us were around the same age and our kids were the same age, going to the same schools. As well as this, we celebrate the same way so it was easy for us all to connect,” Wendy added.
“There’s a tradition called ‘Outdooring’ that’s a child naming ceremony. We were all having babies at the same time in the 2000s so there were a lot of those ceremonies. Then we would have birthday parties of course. We would also have funerals.
“Funerals for us aren’t a sad thing like for other cultures. We are celebrating the life you lived, the people you knew, the fun you had. Funerals are often bigger than birthdays or weddings for Ghanaians. Enjoyment goes hand in hand with everything we do culturally. That’s why we are all happy. We don’t stress much.”
Memorable moments from that era.
Nana told us that his favourite parties were the birthdays and the christenings. “With birthdays, from the ages 20-50, everyone goes all out. So there were a lot of birthday parties and they were always big. And then with christenings, everybody did christenings.
“Even people who didn’t do birthday parties would have to do a christening because it was an occasion to bring the kid out, to tell people ‘I’ve got a new kid and this is their name.’
“So even people who didn’t like to party, or didn’t want to spend their money on that sort of thing, were forced to have a christening because that you cannot dodge. Also at the time a lot of people were having babies so there were a lot of christenings.
Beverly Tekyi is 22 and currently lives in Birmingham where she attends university; she splits her time between there and Wellingborough, and has fond memories of her childhood: “I remember kids running around, being free. Looking back, the gardens probably weren’t even that fat, but because we were so small, everything just felt so big, parties were the biggest playground.
“We found it easy to entertain ourselves, obviously, our parents were keeping themselves busy, the aunties were cooking, the uncles were pouring drinks and chatting, and the kids were upstairs in someone’s room, talking, being silly, or trying to see if the food was ready.
“There was always something to do. We were always at these parties with people our age so we always had friends around. Because everyone’s parents knew each other before we were born, it’s like we were all built-in besties and a lot of people, who aren’t from such a close-knit community, don’t have connections that go back more than 10 years, or they don’t have friends share the same culture as them. Our parents gave us a really good head start social life-wise through those parties.
Organising the parties.
“One of the main differences about partying in Wellingborough is that we would party in-house so the event can not be as big as back home. In Africa, we party outside or we hire a place out,” Wendy said.
“Beach parties were a huge thing for us. Also, we party to see your wealth. It could be kind of a competition at times. In the UK, we make a lot of money, but it’s not enough for us, whereas in Ghana, the little we have goes a long way.
“When we moved to Wellingborough, the closeness of the community meant that everyone could chip in for parties. We would never come to any party empty-handed. Even with funerals, we contribute money to help with the costs. It is quite insulting to come to someone’s event empty-handed. It says a lot about you.”
“Looking back, I don’t even know how our parents did it. They were working the maddest of hours, so being able to balance their full time jobs and their social life is so impressive,” Beverley added.
“Factor in the preparation for the parties, and actually being present at the parties, being able to have a good time, that’s something nowadays we fail to do.
“Even now when we host little parties, or we try to go out, I’m already stressed. For our parents, it was a group effort and that helped so much. It was community-based, everyone’s pulling their weight so the load wasn’t much.
“Now it’s like if you’re having a party, you’re patterning it by yourself. It’s definitely the individualism that’s normal in Western culture. It’s seeped into everyday life despite us being raised with a strong sense of community. Because why is it ‘If I’m hosting this, I need to pay, I need to deliver.’? If we want to enjoy we should all help facilitate the enjoyment.”
Nana explained that the celebrations fitted around work: “Everybody concentrated their work for the week from Monday to maybe Saturday afternoon. So most parties were on Saturday evenings. Many people don’t have work on Sunday so when there’s a party on Saturday evening, the following morning or Sunday afternoon, people still come back to your house for an after-party!
“It would feel like a bender in a way. There would always be some drinks and food left from the night before. Or somebody might not have come to the party because they had gone somewhere or gone to work, so they could join the following day. The party never really stopped. It was the norm.”
How Ghanaian parties have changed for the younger generation
“Nowadays we sort of wait for things to happen, so that we can celebrate, so whether it’s a birthday, or Christmas, or whatever, that’s when we get together. And in the 2020s it doesn’t feel like there is much to celebrate. However, with our parents, it was just that constant need for a party no matter the occasion,” Beverley said.
“Come rain or shine, every weekend without fail, like, we were there just to celebrate life, Ghanian culture and the Ghanian community. Celebration is a big part of being Ghanaian even if you look at funerals, our culture is one of the few to have full-on parties when people die.
“We see that as celebrating the life that you lived. We don’t want to take life for granted, it’s beautiful.”
Beverly is concerned that her generation is lacking in terms of preserving this party culture: “The pandemic changed, like, 90% of how we all live now, a lot of us are more introverted, and a lot is changing, we’re just, we’re not our parents, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try and replicate some of the things that they did for us.
“If I had an action plan on how to revive Ghanaian parties, first of all, I’d have to find out who’s really on it, and what everyone’s capacity is, because a lot of people say, ‘Of course we should throw a party! Of course, I’ll help out!’ But when push comes to shove, they are nowhere to be seen.
“We need serious candidates, then once we get it popping with those initial people, even if it’s just a small group, other people will jump on the bandwagon. So starting with a group of people that all want the same thing, and then building from there.”
Nana Owusu agrees: “You see, most of us were born in Ghana, went to school in Ghana, and most of us knew each other before we got to the UK. So you meet someone who knows a friend or who went to school with a friend.
“With your generation, you guys are a bit isolated. In Ghana, secondary school is a social thing because almost all secondary schools are boarding schools, people come from all over.
“So you got to meet people you will never have met in your life. But in the UK, it’s restricted. The secondary school you go to is based on the area you’re from, there’s less branching out. I think the most expanding you can do is in uni. Even with that, everyone moves back home when they finish uni, it’s not consistent.”
Attitudes towards partying now
Wendy told us that she still goes out even though she’s moved from Wellingborough: “I have a girls’ group and we have fun, we party a lot. I don’t stress myself with the bigger parties.
“Our children are grown up so we don’t have to carry them to every event. Our circle has become small. We do more activities and trips. I would say I miss it, it was a good time. But I have been partying since I could walk, and I’ve partied all the way from Takoradi to Wellingborough. I’ve experienced it all so it’s hard to truly miss.”
Nana Owusu is still partying: “But I don’t enjoy it like I used to. It’s mainly because of my age. I don’t care too much to go out. Unlike back in the day, I had to go to EVERY party. Once I hear somebody’s having a party, you don’t even have to invite me, I would be there.
“I’m tired now because I started from secondary school days. But it’s important to keep doing it, to go to a couple of parties here and there because it’s a part of our heritage, enjoying life is a part of us. Those Wellingborough parties were a good representation of that.”
But Beverly isn’t losing hope: “I feel like the Ghanaian community, as we grow up, naturally, we’re not going to be exactly like our parents, I don’t know if we’re going to get to that stage where we can truly embody the level of fun they had, but we were lucky enough to have that rich experience, even as kids.”
Featured image courtesy of Ebo Constu via Facebook.