Ghana Must Go bag.....

Ghana Must Go bag.....

Have you ever wondered why these bags are called " Ghana must Go"?. Well turns out there is a chilling and terrible story behind the name.


Back in 1969 when Ghana just got their independence, cocoa was their main export and actually they were very rich and the whole economy was booming. This " booming" economy let alot of Nigerians into the country and at some point, foreigners made up around 20% of the total Ghanian population. But then a few years later, the price of cocoa felt and the whole economy was in a financial trouble, so this let their prime minister to depot all foreigners out of the country under the "Ghana Aliens Compliance Order" . 
Then in 1970s , oil was discovered in Nigeria and suddenly Nigeria became one of the richest countries in Africa and Ghana was in a recession so alot of west Africans left their countries for Nigeria.
Then in 1983, oil prices fell and again it was election season in Nigeria. Then in January 1983, the then president Shehu shagari issued an executive order expelling all undocumented immigrants/foreigners out of the country. This was mostly due to an alleged religious riots in Kano. The immigrants were warned to  either leave the country or face arrest, prosecution and forced deportation. 
 
And so, they crammed everything they had into cars, pick-up trucks and taxis and tried to leave the country. 
And on this journey, a type of cheap matted woven nylon bag use to transport their stuff was dubbed "Ghana Must Go", hence the name today. This bags are still very popular in most west African countries today.

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