First Impressions of Ghana
Saturday, December 6th, 2008Landing in Accra
At the airport in Accra, I am greeted with a blast of 36 degree air and surprised to find most people wearing suits and holding blackberries. After getting settled at the guest house, I head to the centre of town for dinner with the three other EWB volunteers. Stepping out of the taxi, I realize I’m two inches from the open sanitary sewer that lines both sides of the street. Yikes! We head to a popular restaurant for some fried rice and chicken smothered with garlic and ginger sauce. After taking a couple of bites of this tender meat and amazing food, I am quickly told that the standard food in a Northern Region village will be quite different.
The next morning, I head to Tamale which is the capital of the north. Once on the bus, I try to put my bags in the overhead compartment. The conductor rushes over and tells me not to block the air conditioning. I comply but grin at the logic of putting the only source of cool air in the overhead compartments which are blocked by bags. As we leave, the driver smirks and announces that “the departure time is 7:00am, but the arrival time is unknown”.
Leaving Accra, the city sprawls for miles with endless one or two storey buildings. Most houses have either brightly coloured concrete walls with tin roofs or mud huts with thatch roofs. Markets are bustling with people preparing their stands for the day. People are already taking rest on benches under trees from the +30 degree heat. Garbage is strewn all over the place and there doesn’t seem to be a solution for the mass of plastic bags that have replaced cloth bags previously used at the market. Even water is sold in plastic sachets which you bite off the end to drink.
The main highway from Accra to Tamale is well paved, with pockets of construction. From my observations, there is no rhyme or reason to the sequence of construction, with cars flowing like water around the construction activity. It’s a free-for-all with cars driving close to excavation sites which suddenly drop 20 meters with no shoring for support. I count on the fact that someone has tested the soil for safety.
The Dry North
As I head north on the highway between Accra and Tamale, the scenery turns from verdant forests with tall trees to low-lying shrubs and sparse drought-resistant trees. The humid air turns into a dry heat with a rasping wind caused by the harmattan from the Sahara. The south of Ghana is more affluent, predominantly Christian, and more green with two rainy seasons. The north is very economically poor, predominantly Muslim, and is extremely dry with only one rainy season between May and August. Many development projects in Ghana target the north and Tamale is the development epicenter for many international donor organizations.
Entering Tamale, there is one main road which is the same highway that connects Accra to Burkina Faso in the north. On this road is the market and bus station which is in the centre of town. The roads are filled with taxis and SUVs, the SUVs being owned by government officials or donor organizations since there is little commerce in town. Most government buildings and donor offices are located off the main road in quieter and secluded areas, away from the hustle and bustle of the daily merchants and market dwellers. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycles all share the pedestrian-only paths. Pedestrians have to actively listen for the sounds of motos to avoid getting winged on either side. I get excited knowing I’ll soon be riding a motorcycle for my placement.
Market Experience
The local market has a fine array of clothes, slaughtered goat, and toiletries; sometimes all within the same stand. From my experiences in South America and India, I am used to the aggressive nature of people forcefully trying to sell you something. A merchant approaches and I am fully ready and prepared to react. He asks if I want to purchase a watch from his selection. I aggressively say “No! Thank-you!”. He looks at me, turns around, and walks to the next potential buyer. He didn’t even put up a fight. Wow! I’m also later told that most merchants will give everyone the standard market price, even outsiders. My whole perception of markets in economically-poor countries is completely turned upside down.
My first task at the market is to buy a nice pair of shoes. Volunteers coming to work in Ghana typically wear backpacker clothing with nicely polished Teva sandals. Their Ghanaian counterparts are typically dressed to the nines with the latest fashion of Italian shoes, dress pants and nice dress shirts. I am bound and bent not to come across as a ‘backpack volunteer’. I look everywhere but can not find a pair larger than size 10. A vendor tries to convince me that a size 10 shoe will fit my size 13 foot and he proceeds to squeeze my foot into the shoe. After taking one step and feeling like I’m wearing high heels, I thank him for the service and try another place.
Moving on to the dress pant and dress shirt category, I look around and notice that the local style includes shirts that are three sizes too big and dress pants that are pleated and hemed. Before leaving Canada for Ghana I did a purge of my clothes which had been accumulating since Grade 7. In Grade 7, baggy cloths were in style and at the time I had the grand idea of purchasing clothes 5 sizes too large so that when I was in high school they would be a perfect 3 sizes too big. Recently purging and changing my wardrobe was a result of those close to me strongly suggesting (more like forcing) me to achieve a fashion-neutral state. Fashionable would be pushing it for me. Aha, now who’s laughing! I was apparently in style in Ghana. Now I have to buy a whole new wardrobe of baggy cloths to fit in.
Images of the Market
Cultural Experience in Tamale
Giving up on buying shoes, I ask someone selling CDs if they know any local musicians. They direct me to the Tamale Cultural Centre where I meet someone outside who is involved with a local drum and dance group. I ask if the group has a guitar player, and he laughs. Just for the record, two days earlier in a taxi, I was serenaded by a taxi driver singing along to Celine Dion and Shania Twain songs. Cheesy 80’s music and country music seem to be very popular in Ghana.
Inside the cultural center, the auditorium was dark with no lights. Three people practice an African dance along with one hand drum. They appear curious as to why this white man is sitting in the doorway. I break the ice by introducing myself and they quickly warm up to me and offer to show me a couple moves. The local dance I learn is called Kpalugo which has some intricate foot work. It looks like the dancers are floating in mid air. I, on the other hand, trip over my feet and at times almost fall over. Don’t worry, by the end the year, I’ll have it down pat.
Politically Charged in Ghana
I wake up one morning in Tamale and walk outside to enjoy an omelet sold at the local stand, the only dish that reminds me of home. Something feels different this morning. I look around and for the first time take notice of the beauty of this town. My attention is then drawn to the ground which has been cleared of the piles of garbage that normally catches my eye.
On this day, the President is in town campaigning for the election to come on December 7th. The town has decided to pay its street cleaners to tidy up the town for the president. The apathetic workers, who typically do not do their job since they never get paid, were insured a $1 wage for a morning of work. “Nana for President” is on billboards everywhere as the country prepares for elections. There is also tension in the air, as people are on edge at the potential of conflict. The Northern Region of Ghana is known to be a politically volatile area, but all signs are pointing to a peaceful election. There have only been a few isolated incidents of violence and murder in town, but not enough to raise alarm. Groups of peace activists have been parading around Tamale pleading for a peaceful election.
Election Parade
Speaking with a politically charged local man from Tamale, I find out that during the previous election, there was conflict and fighting in a town called Yendi which is 30 km east of Tamale. The military was brought in and the town was put under strict curfew. Home to the paramount Dagomba chief, Yendi is known for its palace and interesting fusion of Moorish and Sahelian architectural syles. Families within this tribe have been vying for power for hundreds of years. Since independence in 1957, which marked the end of British rule, the dominant families in the tribe aligned themselves with different political parties and the selection of the chief for the tribe coincides with the presidential elections. Previous elections have aroused this internal tension within the tribe.
This is the first Ghanaian elections with Presidential candidate debates. The first debate was held in Accra and the candidates were flustered and did not know how to act on stage. The second debate was in Tamale during my first week and I went to a local restaurant with other EWB volunteers to watch the debate on television. I shared my thoughts with some local Ghanaians that debates are a great way to see how the potential leaders react, quickly formulate ideas, and delivery a response to difficult questions. Speaking further on the recent U.S. presidential elections, I find out that Ghanaians are extremely pleased the U.S people elected of Barak Obama for president. From my few political discussions in Tamale, people view Obama as an African man and display a strong sense of pride. A local reggae artist, Blakk Rasta created an Obama song which can be downloaded at the following link.
