Cross-Cultural Ties between Ghana and Egypt: The Agency of the Egyptian Community in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Ghana is recognized as an important destination of international migrants. In
spite of the socio-economic and political upheavals that the country experienced
during the early post-independence era leading to the (forced) return of several
of its migrant groups, some have still remained and formed permanent
communities and integrated into the Ghanaian society. This paper focuses on the
Egyptian diaspora in Ghana. It examines: (1) the type of cross-border and
transnational ties that Egyptian migrants in Ghana have established between
Ghana and Egypt; (2) how these ties generate cross-cultural relations between
Ghana and Egypt; and (3) the extent to which these ties provide a privileged
economic and political position to the Egyptian community in Ghana. The work
is based on the socio-cultural transnationalism theory. A socio-historical method
was adopted for the research and apart from the analysis of historical data, eight
key informants were interviewed. The paper shows that due to high-profile
intermarriages between Ghanaians and Egyptians, coupled with the ‘Nkrumah
factor’, the Egyptian community in Ghana occupies a privileged economic and
political position in Ghana.