Frafra people

Frafra is a colonialist term given to a subset of Gur peoples living in northern Ghana. The form Fare-Fare is now preferred. There are approximately 300,000 Frafra speakers. The larger group of Gurunsi peoples inhabit southern Burkina Faso and northern Ghana.

Bolgatanga is the commercial center of the Frafra area. Other important villages and towns include Bongo, Zuarungu, Zoko, and Pwalugu. Tongo is the principal town of the Talensi people who are ethnically different from the Frafra, but most of whom are bilingual in Farefare.

Derived from the greeting "Ya Fara-Fara?", which means "How is your suffering (work)?", this term is applied to these peoples, who share common histories, languages, and political structures, but it may also carry pejorative overtones in local usage. Most of Gurunsi live in modern-day Burkina Faso, and the degree to which Frafra history differs from their northerly neighbours, such as the Nuna, Bwa, and Winiama, is linked to their living in modern-day Ghana. These differences arose during colonial times, which began in the early part of the 20th century, as French and British colonial systems differed in their administrative practices.

Frafra are primarily sedentary farmers, growing millet, sorghum, and yams. Maize, rice, peanuts, and beans are grown in addition to these staples. Farmers throughout the region traditionally practiced slash-and-burn farming, using fields for approximately seven or eight years before they were allowed to lie fallow for at least a decade. In the family fields close to the villages, women grow cash crops, including sesame and tobacco, which are sold in local markets.

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