Going Going Ghana

Kakum Canopy Walk

Michaela Christensen — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:08:58 +0000

Click to view slideshow.Our class was able to visit Kakum National Park. The rainforest is less than an hour from Cape Coast. The Kakum protects more than 40 large mammal species and the flora found there is incredibly expansive. We participated in the main tourist attraction, the canopy walk. The walk was constructed in 1995 and is one of three canopy walks of its kind in the world. The other two being in China and South America. It consists of a 350 meter-long wood and rope walkway that connects seven trees. It is not for those who are fearful of heights!

Highlife Music

Michaela Christensen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:23:32 +0000

Hiplife is a Ghanian genre of music which combines the indigenous genre Highlife and the imported Hip-Hop. The result is an interesting sound.

World Cup Frenzy

Michaela Christensen — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:19:31 +0000

It’s been the talk of the week. The radio operators can speak of nothing else besides soccer. They bet on the outcome of the game. Ghana won’t be able to make a goal; it’s gonna come down to penalty kicks; the State’s defense isn’t good enough.  Ghana was about to play the USA in South Africa to be counted as one of the remaining eight teams in the World Cup. If they beat the United States, they will have gone farther in this tournament than any African team has ever gone in the history of the World Cup. The television newscasters wore yellow, green and red wigs. People gathered around televisions in the streets that evening wearing their national colors.
“Go Black Stars!” they yelled as they blew loud, their plastic horns.
Ghana’s flag consists three colors. Red represents the blood of those who died in the nation’s independence struggle, gold represents Ghana’s mineral wealth, and green signifies the country’s green rainforest. In the center of the flag is a black, five-pointed lodestar, which is the symbol of African emancipation and unity in the struggle against colonialism. Hence, the national soccer team refers to itself as the “Black Stars.” Many Ghanians identify by this team name, too.
Before the game, many people asked me who I was voting for, the Ghanian team or the US team? Since I am a US citizen but I was in Ghana, I was a bit torn. It seemed to me if the US team won, there would be a few happy soccer fans but if Ghana won, the entire country would be ecstatic.
After the lineup was announced, Ghana’s national anthem played out through the small speakers of the television.
God bless our homeland Ghana,
And make our nation strong,  bold to defend for ever
The cause of freedom and of right.
Fill our hearts with true humility,
Make us cherish fearless honesty, and help us to resist oppressors’ rule
With all our will and might for evermore.
During the game, the crowd around the television watched each play and each shot on goal very intently. People on the job stopped working and found their way to a television. As they watched the game they acted like a missed shot or a pivotal turnover might cost them their job or worse. If a player went down, the crowd covered their eyes. When the game went into over time, the viewers had become so tense, they would walk away from the screen muttering, “I can’t watch!”
In the end, however, Ghana won. The streets were filled instantly filled with people and national pride in celebration. As I watched the small-looking US players leave the field with the heads down, I felt sad they hadn’t won, too. A Ghanian man standing next to me, knowing I was American, gave me a hug, a sympathetic look and said, “I’m sorry America.”

Funeral Merriment

Michaela Christensen — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:00:59 +0000

In Ghana, it’s not uncommon to see business men selling coffins in the street. These aren’t just plain, wooden coffins, either. They are beautiful and lavish coffins. Funerals in Ghana are huge social events and the bigger, the better. The party can sometimes last up to three days. For Ghanians, it’s very important to celebrate the lives of deceased. Therefore, the funeral business is one booming industry in this country.

Cape Coast and Elmina Castles

Michaela Christensen — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:43:02 +0000

Click to view slideshow. I walked down the dark passageway into the ancient dungeon. Behind me the sun disappeared and I scuffed my foot on the grimy, rocky floor. When we reached the center, it was so dark that I couldn’t see my classmates standing next me. All I could see was a tiny light streaming from a small vent near the high ceiling. The damp smell of mold and antiquated horror creeped in to my skull. Get me out.
It’s amazing how claustrophobic one can become when placed in the location where hundreds of people died by humanity’s own hand.
The castles at Cape Coast and Elmina are two of the biggest and most-preserved buildings of their kind in West Africa. Elmina is the oldest European building in Africa south of the Sahara. It was built in 1482 by the Portuguese and Cape Coast was built in 1653 by the Swedish. These castles were originally constructed for trade of resources, especially gold. Ghana had a coast line that was very near to large gold deposits owned by the Akan. The amount of gold that was traded during this era dubbed the West African coast the Gold Coast. Other goods that were traded included ivory, cotton and animal hides. Imports included metal bowls, beads, leather, alcohol and guns. The Portuguese were not invasive as most tend to think of colonialism. They built their forts with the permission of local chiefs and seldom ventured beyond these forts. However, the castles passed through many European hands in the 1600s including the Dutch, the Danish, and the British. By the end of the 17th century, the British had become the most economically powerful European nation on the Gold Coast and that was because they decided to switch their trading focus from gold to slaves.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade lasted from the 16th century to the 19th century. It is estimated that between 12 and 20 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic. This forced diaspora displaced millions of Africans. The conditions that these captured people endured during transport and slavery was extremely inhumane. Most Americans are familiar with the cruelties of slavery from the slave narratives of Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth. We learned about the cruelties of the middle passage from Olaudah Equanio. But, we know little about the holding cells that imprisoned these people before they crossed the ocean to become slaves.
I found it hauntingly eerie to be standing where, years ago, many people stood at the beginning of their life as a slave. Our tour guide led us through both the male and female dungeons of Cape Coast castle. There were no widows in any of these cells. Unruly slaves were sent to a separate cell where they wouldn’t be given any food or water. They would remain in this cell until they died. This cell was marked by a skull and bones above the entrance. Women slaves were expected to heed to the sexual advances of the Europeans. The reigning governor living in Cape Coast castle had his bedroom directly above the female dungeon. He would pick out a woman, his soldiers would clean her up and she would be escorted in to the governor’s bedroom through a private staircase connecting the female dungeon to the governor’s bedroom. This staircase was specially constructed for these purposes. The most famous door of Cape Coast and Elmina castles is the Door of No Return. This marked the door that the slaves who survived the dungeons would exit the castle to board the slave ships headed for Europe or the Americas.
My classmates an I walked out of the Door of No Return to see a line of colorful fishing boats sitting along a beautiful ocean coast. Two young kids kicked a soccer ball around in the waves, laughing as they went. The fishermen bustled about, preparing their nets. After a few moments we turned and followed the tour guide back inside, ironically through the Door of No Return. On our way out of the castle we stopped an paused at a plaque – which you can find at both of the castles. It read:
IN EVERLASTING MEMORY
of the anguish of our ancestors,
may those who died rest in peace.
May those who return find their roots.
May humanity never again perpetrate
such injustice against humanity.
We, the living, vow to uphold this.

A Traditional Dressing

Michaela Christensen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:12:40 +0000

Click to view slideshow.
During our time in Kpando, we were very privileged to be able to stay with the Queenmother in the area. We called her Mamaga. She was our hired caterer and during the ten days we stayed in Kpando, we ate best Ghanian food of the entire trip. At the end of our visit, Mamaga told us that she wanted to dress us in traditional wear.
Most people in Ghana alternate dressing in traditional wear with dressing in western style wear during the week. You’ll find plenty of woman and men wearing a T-shirt and shorts most days. However, woman usually dress conservatively, especially in Kpando. Short shorts aren’t seen as tasteful. In the bigger cities, however, like Accra, people wore westernized style of dress more frequently.
The type of traditional dressing that Mamaga wanted to do for us is normally done during puberty rites for girls. There is a rite of passage ceremony for women, preformed for them when they first start to menstruate. The ceremony could last up to seven days and many of the woman from the family will come to the girl’s house to talk to her about how to be a woman. They will teach her how to clean, cook, be a good mother and a good wife. Then to show her off to the community, the family dresses the girl in traditional wear. She will dress very elaborately, wearing African cloth and as many beads as the family can afford. After her dressing, the girl will go the market and buy only soap. This act signifies her entrance into womanhood.
While we didn’t have to endure the talk or the soap buying procedure, we did get to dress up and take pictures. There were four girls in my class and Mamaga said she would dress us one at a time. After my classmates Patrice and Ally were dressed in bright reds, blues and greens, it was my turn.
I wasn’t allowed to put anything on myself. Mamaga dressed me in a blue cloth which I wrapped around me like a towel. In order to hold up the cloth, she tied a string around the top of the cloth after I wrapped it around me. The cloth was hot and I could feel myself beginning to sweat. I could hardly walk in it because it felt so heavy and stiff wrapped around me. Then there was the worry about my towel wrapping coming undone but I held ensemble together long enough to get through a few pictures. I was given a belt and royal flip-flops. She tied a silk scarf around my head and put three strands of beads around my neck. I was given two bracelets and an anklet. After the beads, she put a white powder on my face and shoulders. She pulled out a tube of red lipstick, painted my lips and I was ready to go to town to buy soap.

A Royal Meeting

Michaela Christensen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:44:12 +0000

We took a long bus ride from Accra to Kpando over paved roads, dirt roads, and over tons of potholes. Our class would be staying in Kpando for ten days to interview people and collect data for our research projects.
But, before we could begin our work we had to meet the paramount chief.
Hundreds of years before Ghana’s current multiparty system, their government was being carried out by the chiefs of each tribe. Chieftancy, however, is no monarchy. It is a lot like democracy. The chief can only rule by the consent of the people. Each action he takes must be in accordance with the majority, or else he will be kicked off his royal stool. (The stool represents the chief’s power, like a throne.) The chief is chosen from the royal family by a council of sub chiefs. It is not the eldest son of the previous chief who is automatically chosen. Also, there are a number of advisors, linguists (the chief’s spokesmen), and Queenmothers to make sure the chief receives good council and doesn’t get too power happy.
Chieftaincy is still practiced today in Ghana among the various tribes and these traditional rulers work closely with state officials to inform them of various happenings within their communities.
As a traveler, it is customary to pay a visit to the chief when visiting their area. When he is sitting in his palace, the visitor is expected to bring a gift of alcohol. In the palace, no one can speak to the chief directly, only through a linguist.
Since we were to meet the paramount chief, I was especially nervous. This guy was high up, a chief of chiefs. What was I going to wear? I imagined that meeting a chief would be an elaborate experience. I thought there would be a huge palace with high pillars. The chief would be dressed in the most expensive of traditional weavings with servants running all around him as he took care of some important business.
But, our professors told us not to change out of our tank tops. It would be an informal meeting at the chief’s house. His house was small, rectangular and modest. We walked through the chickens and the children washing clothes in buckets to his screened front door. The chief was sitting on a couch, in a pair of shorts, watching a small television. In a grandfatherly way, he beckoned us to come inside and he offered each one of us a soda. I felt the only signs of his chiefly power existed in his royal flip-flops (handmade specifically for people in the royal family) and the fur rug beneath his feet. I started thinking, this is just an old man sitting on the couch with his clicker. However, when we began asking him questions for our research, he proved his wisdom. The man knew an enormous amount about his people, their history and culture. He was an entire library on the Ewe people. Fortunately, we were able to talk to him directly because it was an informal meeting. If we had met him in the palace, we would have had to spoken to him through a linguist.
After our first meeting with the paramount chief, we met many more chiefs from other tribes, too. Turns out the majority of them were just like this chief, regular guys with touch of royalty and a wealth of knowledge.

Making Friends

Michaela Christensen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:32:16 +0000

I made alot of friends in Ghana. Some of them were genuinely my friend and others were “professional friends.” I found that being white and American made me somewhat of a celebrity. In Kpando, located in the rural Volta Region, little children called me “white person” in Ewe. Among many Ghanians there seems to be a desperate desire to make it to America. There is a perception that America is the greatest country in the world or “the land of the plenty.” These “professional friends” are the people who wanted to be your friend for one of the following reasons:
1. Since you’re white, you must have a lot of money, so maybe you can help them out financially.
2. Having a contact in America may increase their chances of making it there.
3. Knowing a white, American makes them awfully cool.
However, “professional friends” were in the minority. Most of the people I met seemed to genuinely just want to help me out. While at the University of Ghana, I stayed in the International Student Hostel. I met an undergraduate there from Rhode Island who told a story about getting robbed one night at a club in Accra. Someone in the crowd spotted him getting pick-pocketed and the entire crowd of Ghanians jumped the thief and returned the wallet to the Rhode Island student. He said that when he inquired, they said they helped him because they didn’t want their country being perceived as a place filled with crime.
Ghana seems to pride itself on is it’s communal culture, as opposed to the American individualist culture. They truly believe you must help your neighbor vs. America, where it’s a bit more like survival of the fittest. I was surprised to find how many people would take time to help me. I could practically stop anyone in the street without being brushed off or looked at strangely.
Almost everyone I stopped to talk to however, wanted my contact information, my cell phone, my email address and even my house address. Don’t be alarmed when people ask, but don’t feel obligated to give out information you don’t want them to have. I would often take their number and tell them I’d call them if I needed them. This helped me avoid giving out my number too much.
As a woman, you’re likely to face a good deal of marriage proposals. The best one I got was “Would you marry a black man?” I found it was usually best to joke with these men when they asked to be my boyfriend or to marry me. My usual response, stolen from my guidebook, was “Well, you’re the fiftieth man that asked to marry me today.” Then they would laugh and I would move on.
The only problem I had with making friends is that I could hardly get anywhere because I was being stopped by so many people who wanted to “take me as a friend.” I think the best way to get past those people is to smile, wave enthusiastically and say you’ll be back later. Most often they won’t hold you to that promise.
One thing I liked about making friends in Ghana is the handshake. Ghanians do alot of handshaking, so much that your hand may be sore by the end of everyday. Their handshakes are especially fun to do because they shake and then snap middle fingers. It takes a few tries to master, but by the end of your first week, it’ll be second nature.

Meat in Every Bite

Michaela Christensen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:37:46 +0000

I fell in love with Ghanian food at my first meal. I had Red-Red in a hotel restaurant in Accra. It is a delicious concoction of rice and beans cooked in the famous Ghanian palm oil served with deep-fried plantain seasoned with salt, pepper, and ginger. I sure miss Red-Red dearly.
Ghanian food has about ten times the flavor of most American dishes. It is characteristically spicy. They use a lot of hot, red powdered pepper and then the waiter will probably bring black pepper out in a small serving dish just in case you want to add a bit more spice. I got used to my eyes watering and my nose running within the first week.
The other thing about Ghanian food is that it is very heavy. Historically, the people of Ghana have held very physical occupations. Even though Ghana is more modernized now, the people keep their same diet. You won’t go hungry.
Some of the most popular carb-loaded meals you’re likely to encounter include fufu, and banku. Most Ghanians will tell you not to leave Ghana without trying fufu and riding the tro tro, licensed vans that serve as part of the public transportation system. Also popular is boiled rice, fried yam and plantain. Fufu is a labor intensive dish. It is cassava, plantain, or yam, mashed up with a long wooden stick until the starch breaks down and it become a gooey ball. It is usually served with a light (and of coarse spicy) soup. At Ghanian restaurants, you’ll always find a bottle of green dish soap on the table. The waiter will bring out a bowl of water to wash hands in because fufu and banku is eaten with your hands. To eat, you have to pull off a piece of the fufu or banku, dip it in your soup and swallow the mixture whole. No chewing.
Banku is similar to fufu, made of fermented maize and cassava. Fried yam is also a popular sell on the streets. It tastes a bit like large french fry and goes well with a spicy tomato relish.
Meat is also served at every meal. The most popular meat is goat. Walking around downtown whether it be in the rural areas of the Volta Region or downtown Accra, you’ll find goats and chickens roaming around in the streets. Most of the meat in Ghana is free range. But, you better not snatch up someone’s chicken because they’ll angrily seek you out. The owners know which animal belongs to them. Fried chicken is on most restaurant menus and very delicious, in my opinion. Especially in the Volta region near the Voltic lake, alot of fish eaten as well. Beware, though, the fish is always served in whole. The head, tail and eye is served and eaten. You may also see a herd of cows traveling about, though they’re much leaner than American cows. Despite the cows, Ghanians don’t eat many dairy products. Cold milk, cheese and ice cream are scarce.
Also, vegetarianism is an unfamiliar idea for Ghanians. Hardly any restaurants offer a vegetarian option. However, I was traveling with two pescetarians, who managed to opt for fish most of the time.
Then there’s the fact that the country is a fruit-lovers heaven. The pineapples are the sweetest and freshest I’ve ever tasted in my life. Please try the mangos, oranges, watermelon, coconuts, sugarcane and anything you can get your hands on! Most street vendors sell fruit.
Pepsi and Coca-Cola are the most widely available drinks. The big new drink when I was there was Alvaro. It is a non-alcoholic, malt-based drink produced by Coca-Cola with a pear or pineapple flavor. It was very tasty. The cool thing about drinks in Ghana, is that they all come in glass bottles, which I think to be very old-fashioned. The waiter uses a bottle opener to open most drinks.
You have to be careful about drinking water in Ghana. Be wary of street sellers trying to sell you “pure water” in plastic bags. While the water may be fine, it’s safest to stick to bottled water, which has been filtered properly. The most popular is Voltic bottled water.

A few rules about safe eating and drinking in Ghana

1. Only eat hot food.
2. Avoid dairy products.
3. If you’re going to eat street food, don’t wait until the end of the day because it’ll be old.
4. Be careful about drinking water.
5. Eat some street doughnuts called bo froot. They’re awesome!

Akwaaba (Welcome in Twi)

Michaela Christensen — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:57:18 +0000

Click to view slideshow.Don’t reach or point with your left hand. It’s rude.
In Ghana, I had a whole new set of social rules to learn. Oh, and don’t forget centuries of history and culture to pick up on. I felt like a child trying to relearn how to walk and talk.
Ghana is a coastal country located in the center of West Africa between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. The capital, Accra, lies on the Atlantic coast. It is less than 30km west of the Greenwich Meridian, which gives Ghana six hours of day and six hours of night everyday, regardless of the time of year. Accra is the largest city in Ghana. The second largest is the former Ashanti Empire’s capital, Kumasi.
Colonialism began in Ghana with the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The country passed through many European hands including the Dutch, British and Spanish. The big draw for the Portuguese was the extensive amount of gold from the Ashanti Empire. However, the trade moved from gold, ivory and other goods to human cargo, creating the dark history of the city of Cape Coast with it’s looming castles previously used to house enslaved blacks before they were shipped to Europe and the Americas.
The country gained it’s independence from its British colonizer in 1957. Ghana was the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power. In 1992, a multi-party system was introduced marking a new period of democracy. BBC cites that Ghana is looked to as a model for political and economic reform in Africa. In his 2009 visit to Africa, Obama visited Ghana first to commend the country’s history of free elections and peaceful transfer of power between political parties.
The people of Ghana love Obama. If you come across someone who can only speak a bit of English or no English, you can probably say “Obama” and that will put a smile on their face. There are paintings of him all over. Near the University of Ghana, Legon there is a hotel called “Hotel Obama.” It’s blue florescent sign shines his name night and day.
Ghana’s official language is English. Therefore, the majority of the educated people can speak it. Though, most Ghanians learn their ethnic group’s language first. One important thing not to forget, however, is to always greet everyone you meet. In Ghana it is a sign of respect to greet your fellow human being. If you walk into a workplace and immediately start talking to the secretary behind the desk without saying “Hello” or “How are you?” the person may not help you because they will perceive you as being snobbish. It’s OK to use English for the greeting or if the person doesn’t speak English you can just smile broadly and nod your head. Greeting someone and being friendly can get you by in almost any situation.
Language is very important in Ghana. Each region is defined by a different ethnic group which has a different local language. Almost half of Ghanians belong to the Akan tribe and speak varieties of Twi (pronounced “Chwee”). Other groups include the Ga and Ewe. The majority of people self-identify by their ethnic group before identifying as Ghanian. The majority of Ghanians seem very tolerant. There are many intermarriages between ethnic groups and religions.
As far as the weather goes, it is hot. The south is more humid, whereas the north gets hotter and drier. Temperatures can reach up to 91 degrees in the daytime. There are two rainy seasons in the south of the country April-June and October- November. As I was there in June, it rained about every three days I was in Ghana.
I bought a Bradt guidebook on Ghana a few months before my departure, written by Philip Briggs, a British-born travel writer. In his introduction he called Ghana “Africa for beginners” because of the friendliness of its people, its affordability and hassle-freeness. I found him to be quite right.