An Introduction to Ghana

Australia what? It’s been a month and the high that was lunching-a-lot at home has died off and I’m settling into Africa. Thanks everyone for such a great time at home, it really prepared me for the adventure.

Induction/orientation etc: We were orientated by an organisation on culture, language, security and all these things. Africa time is great, we take it slow and settle in. Nothing too strenuous. Plenty of naps. Lots of warnings about safety here, mixed in with chat about how friendly everyone is. A favourite was; “Ghanaians are known for being incredibly friendly” followed by “Don’t smile at anyone here or you will get raped”. So I guess you meet somewhere in the middle and use your worldly judgment.

Some places already visited:

Accra: Ghana’s capital. A busy city with plenty of people and street sellers everywhere. It’s surprisingly clean and the roads are *shock-horror* good and the road rules are generally followed. The cars/taxis are falling apart at best, but get you from A to B, and getting on a Tro Tro (basically a mini-van that acts as a bus) doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a floor.

Kakum: A big National Park 5 hours by road away from Accra with plenty of animals, rainforest and tourists. Lined up like a theme park ride for the canopy walk, you wait your turn while the school children yell out, scaring away any of said wildlife. The walk is a giant suspension bridge, one person wide. I took a small child with me to meet his dad (his mum was too scared to go on the walk) and it was great to see it from a child’s perspective. You’re just so small, everything is overwhelming. The walk is among the rainforest canopy so you look down on the forest below. I saw 2 butterflies… that may have been moths. But it was a great experience.

Cape Coast: This is a seaside fishing town that was once the centre of Ghana (then, the Gold Coast). Where all the trade with other countries and traders happened. Initially trading in gold, the slave trade took over as it was more lucrative and established. The castles were transformed into slave cells awaiting transportation to the Americas. This was particularly haunting as there were scratch marks in the floor and walls in one cell indicating the torture and hardship encountered in this place. The size of the cell holding 300 African men in comparison to the General’s bedroom complete with balconies, views, ensuite and ventilation was shameful. Barack Obama visited the Castle in 2009, the first trip of his Presidency and laid wreathes, the Ghanaians love him – never a day goes by without someone wearing an Obama shirt! There is a door entitled the ‘Door of No Return’ where the men and women passed through to be loaded onto the ships into slavery. It has since seen some descendants return and pass back through, symbolising the end of slavery, now aptly entitled the ‘Door of Return’. This place has so much history, an eerie step into the history of a country I know little about but hope to become much more familiar with.

Saturdays: Funeral Day! and other celebrations or activities. You can spot the black traditional funeral outfits, but more so you can spot the dancing and singing. The people are ‘10% mourning and 90% merry-making’ all day. The way they can move to music is amazing, all happening as one movement rather than awkward jerking movements on an Australian dance floor!

Sundays:  Worship Day. The day for church, which can literally take up all your day if you choose a mix of Christianity and tribal church, with plenty of singing, dancing and socialising. I think 9am – 1pm is normal/modest. It’s so much fun looking at everyone in their Sunday best going to church. The roads are so quiet on Sunday mornings it’s so easy to get around, so it is the best time to actually get anywhere without leaving 5 hours traffic time.

Food: I don’t think I’m going to be committed to Ghanaian cuisine, however it’s not as bad as expected. Loads of rice, fish is in everything, salt, salt and more salt, plenty of beans, and just basically starch. Yam, rice, potato, Fu Fu (pounded cassava), Banku (a dough ball of maize) and Gari, grated cassava. It’s rare to get vegetables, but you do manage every now and then. Plenty of tomato, and they make a delicious tomato sauce that you serve with everything. But plenty more food talk to come I would assume from me.

Tamale: The second largest town in Ghana, it is 12 hours by road away from Accra, and feels like outback Australia, only with lots of people and plenty of market stalls. There is red sand everywhere, and at the moment it is the rainy season so it is quite green. Lots of motor bikes and bike lanes (eat your heart out Newcastle and Brisbane!). and it is now Home.