Ghanaian Love for Selfies

Etse sen? (How are you?) I’m Adjoa. I used to work in Ghana as a JICA volunteer. Today, I’d like to introduce a fun part of Ghanaian mobile phone culture!

In Ghana, almost all adults own a mobile phone. When I was there, my phone wasn’t a smartphone—it was what they called a “Yam phone”, meaning it could only make calls and send text messages (no camera, no apps). Surprisingly, many Ghanaians own smartphones, even though they may not be as wealthy as the average Japanese person.

So, what do Ghanaians do with their smartphones?

Here are some answers:

1. Call just to say “Hello”

In Ghana, greeting others regularly is a very important part of their culture. People often call their friends just to say “How are you?”—with nothing else to talk about. It’s all about maintaining the relationship.

2. Take selfies and post them on Facebook

Ghanaians love taking selfies!

They’re really good at it too—posing in different ways and capturing great angles. Even when their battery is down to 10%, they don’t stop taking selfies! And of course, they post them all on Facebook. I have many Ghanaian friends, so when I open Facebook, my timeline is filled with their selfies!