Sankofa Series: The true meaning of Vandals and how Commonwealth Hall got its name

It is one of the most common of the 5 traditional halls at the University of Ghana and the only all-male of the university.

It is the third Hall constructed at the university to provide accommodation for students of the school, following the first – Legon Hall and the second – Akuafo Hall.

The Commonwealth Hall got its name after Ghana gained independence from Great Britain in 1957 after the first batch of students were admitted into the hall at the beginning of the 1956 – 1957 academic year.

The hall was officially named in line with Ghana’s admission into the Commonwealth of Nations and was subsequently officially launched in March 1957.

The hall has its motto as, “Truth stands”, a phrase taken from a quotation from John Donne’s Satire III poems, a line which reads, “"On a huge hill, cragged, and steep, Truth stands and he that will reach her, about must and about must go".

Members of the Commonwealth Hall call themselves Vandals.

VANDALS:

As the word goes by the dictionary, one would assume that Vandals, would suggest a group of people who are rowdy and destroy properties among other things.

But a VANDAL in Commonwealth membership terms is an abbreviation that describes the attributes of members of the hall – past, present and future.

The breakdown of the name Vandals is – V: Vivacious, A: Affable, N: Neighbourly, D: Devoted, A: Altruistic, and L: Loyal.

According to information provided by the official social media page of the hall, Vandalism is a way of life that promotes respect for all without any prejudice and is the highest form of religion or culture that promotes fairness, equality, freedom, and justice for all.

They are also known for representing the voices of the entire student body and they pride themselves with leadership qualities.

Members of the hall call themselves “V Mates” to which they respond, “Sharp”. They have red as their colour.

WA